Dong Young-bae (동영배), better known as Taeyang (태양), was in Malaysia last year for the 2023 Borneo Sonic Music Festival, but it’s been 7 years since he came here for his solo concert (back in 2017 at Stadium Negara).
When his 2024 solo world tour – “THE LIGHT YEAR” was announced, K-pop fans were stoked to see Taeyang live. As someone once said, “To understand the gravity of Taeyang’s music, one must first understand the magnitude of BIGBANG’s power in K-Pop“.
BIGBANG debuted almost 20 years ago and broke boundaries by writing, composing and producing their own material. Their impact paved the way for future K-pop groups to strive for creative ownership in their music. BIGBANG’s impact has cemented the members as K-pop Kings in the industry.
To briefly recap Taeyang’s solo career, the singer released his first EP “Hot” in 2008, before his first full length studio album “Solar” came out in 2010. Following his two subsequent albums “Rise” and “White Night”, the 36-year-old released his second EP “Down To Earth” in 2023.
“THE LIGHT YEAR” touches on the themes of light, time and space, and it fits his persona perfectly since his stage name Taeyang means “sun” in Korean. Appearing on stage wearing a sparking silver jacket that shimmered, Taeyang kicked off the concert with “Prayer” and “I’ll Be There” before greeting concert-goers in Axiata Arena. “I know I was in Borneo last year, but I feel tonight is going to be much more exciting,” he told the roaring crowd, before singing “VIBE”.
Taeyang was flawless throughout the night. In addition to his solo material like debut solo song ‘Only Look At Me (나만 바라봐)’, ‘Wedding Dress’, the catchy ‘Where U At’, emotional ballad ‘Eyes, Nose, Lips (눈, 코, 입)’ and iconic ‘RINGA LINGA (링가링가)’, he also included his G-Dragon collabs ‘STAY WITH ME’ and “I Need A Girl”.
Young-bae Oppa also brought back those inner child memories by paying homage to his BIGBANG legacy with “Blue”, “If You”, “Loser”, “A Fool of Tears” ,”BANG BANG BANG”, “Fantastic Baby”, “WE LIKE 2 PARTY”, “Bad Boy” and “Still Life” (during the encore). Not only were those number crowd favourites, but it got the crowd partying. It was certainly a special moment for those who grew up listening to BIGBANG.
There’s also a segment in “THE LIGHT YEAR” tour where Taeyang would dedicate something special for the fans in the specific country he’s performing in. While he sang “Made For Me” (Muni Long cover) and Seoul and Chet Faker’s “Talk Is Cheap” in Melbourne, Taeyang surprised Malaysian fans by singing in Malay. “Antara Anyer dan Jakarta” was a popular Indonesian song from the 80s made popular by our very own Sheila Majid. We like the personal touch when he switched to “Antara Seoul dan Kuala Lumpur”.
Is there anything Taeyang can’t do? His strong vocals soared through the stadium, yet he also showcased tender moments with his beautiful falsetto voice. It was certainly entertaining to see his mesmerising dance skills and stunning choreography with his talented dancers. As an excellent all-rounder, Taeyang proved why he’s still one of the best.
Yes, the production was visually impressive, but more importantly, we got to see Taeyang get personal, intimate and real with us. This artist lives and breathes music; it was stunning to see his gifts, talents and big smile on that stage. Every moment of the concert felt like a celebration – Taeyang was truly fantastic.
