BIGBANG's Taeyang Earns Career-Best Sales Week With QUINTESSENCE Album
Taeyang of BIGBANG attends the listening session celebrating the release of his 4th full album ‘QUINTESSENCE’ at Cube Convention Center on May 18, 2026 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by iMBC/Imazins via Getty Images)
ImaZins via Getty Images
Nearly 20 years into his career, Taeyang is still finding new peaks.
The BIGBANG vocalist and solo star has earned the biggest sales week of his career with his latest album QUINTESSENCEwhich moved 56,985 physical copies worldwide in its first week, according to South Korea’s real-time sales chart Hanteo — more than doubling any previous first-week total in his solo discography.
The strong week was set up by a big opening day as QUINTESSENCE moved 26,657 copies on its first day of release, also a career best for Taeyang, surpassing the nearly 11,300 copies sold on the first day of his last EP from 2023, Down to Earth. To date, Taeyang has now sold over 220,000 copies across all of his solo albums, according to Hanteo.
Take a look at how QUINTESSENCE stacks up to Taeyang’s past first-week sales figures.
- QUINTESSENCE (2026) — 56,985 copies
- RISE (2014) — 19,743
- HOT (2008) — 16,605
- Down to Earth (2023) — 16,427
- SOLAR (2010) — 14,344
- WHITE NIGHT (2017) — 13,463
Taeyang’s Massive 2026 Continues With BIGBANG
The new record arrives at a high-visibility moment for Taeyang. Earlier this year, he joined BIGBANG bandmates G-Dragon and Daesung for a widely celebrated set at Coachella, where the group performed a run of signature hits alongside solo material — including Taeyang’s 2013 fan-favorite single “Ringa Linga” from RISE and even “Good Boy,” his 2014 collaboration with G-Dragon. Taeyang also used the Coachella stage to tease QUINTESSENCE directly to fans, giving the project significant visibility before its release.
He continued building anticipation in the weeks that followed, including an appearance at the Grammy Museum, where he offered a preview of the forthcoming project, and a listening session held in Korea ahead of the release.
As a pioneering chart force for K-pop, Taeyang maintains the same expansive reach on QUINTESSENCE. The record features Australian-Korean artist The Kid LAROI on the frenetic crossover track “OPEN UP” while ALLDAY PROJECT members Woochan and Tarzzan feature on the emo hip-hop album standout “WOULD YOU.” The lead single “LIVE FAST DIE SLOW” sees Tae blending worlds with his longtime collaborator — and recent Grammy and Academy Award winner — Teddy, KPop Demon Hunters creatives like KUSH and Dominsuk teaming with the likes of alternative pop producer Lil Aaron, who’s known for his work with Kim Petras and Demi Lovato. Elsewhere, the album includes creative contributions from IDO, the Stereotypes, Vince, August Rigo, Paul Blanco, Theron Thomas, Dr. Luke and more.
Looking ahead, Taeyang and his BIGBANG band mates have their sights set on the group’s 20th anniversary arriving in August, with the members already teasing that surprises are in the works including a world tour.
“We got some biiiiig things coming soon,” BIGBANG leader G-Dragon first told the crowd during the first weekend of Coachella 2026, before adding on Weekend 2 that the upcoming tour is “going to be crazy, no doubt…do not miss out and stay tuned.” Taeyang also told the crowd on Weekend 1 that “We hope you look forward to everything coming up for BIGBANG and my new solo album.”
If the new sales records set by QUINTESSENCE are any indication, it could be a year where Taeyang’s solo highs are just the beginning of the massive 2026 he’s building toward.
