TAEYANG has returned with his fourth full-length album, QUINTESSENCE, led by the title track and music video “LIVE FAST DIE SLOW.” The album was released on May 18 at 6 PM KST and marks his first full studio album in nearly nine years, following WHITE NIGHT in 2017.
The title QUINTESSENCE frames the project around TAEYANG’s core identity as a solo artist: R&B-rooted vocals, dramatic performance, and polished pop production. “LIVE FAST DIE SLOW” sits at the center of that return, arriving with the scale expected from one of Korean music’s most recognizable vocalists.
The album includes 10 tracks: “BAD,” “LIVE FAST DIE SLOW,” “WOULD YOU” featuring Tarzzan and Woochan, “MOVIE,” “OPEN UP” featuring The Kid LAROI, “LOVE LIKE THIS,” “YES,” “NOW,” “G.O.A.T,” and “4U.”
Beyond TAEYANG’s own presence, QUINTESSENCE also carries a strong Korean hip-hop and R&B imprint through its credits. Paul Blanco appears across “LOVE LIKE THIS,” “YES,” “NOW,” and “G.O.A.T,” while CAMO is credited on “NOW.” Tablo contributes to “MOVIE,” “OPEN UP,” and “G.O.A.T,” and VINCE appears throughout the album, including “BAD,” “LIVE FAST DIE SLOW,” “WOULD YOU,” “MOVIE,” “OPEN UP,” “YES,” and “NOW.”
The producer side also connects the album to The Black Label and YG’s wider musical lineage. TEDDY is credited on “LIVE FAST DIE SLOW” and “WOULD YOU,” KUSH appears on “LIVE FAST DIE SLOW,” and BRLLNT is credited on “YES” and “NOW.”
That credit list gives QUINTESSENCE a wider context. This is a TAEYANG album first, but it is also shaped by Korean rap, R&B, and production figures across different generations. The result is a project that looks back to the sound that made TAEYANG one of K-pop’s defining R&B voices while placing that identity alongside artists and producers active in Korea’s current hip-hop and R&B landscape.
With “LIVE FAST DIE SLOW,” TAEYANG returns to the visual and musical language that has long defined his solo work: intensity, restraint, and a sense of scale. QUINTESSENCE does not simply revisit his past. It reintroduces his sound through the artists, writers, and producers surrounding him now.