Janelle Monáe, BTS, Lil Durk, and All the Songs You Need To Know It’s the song that allowed me to come back and be my best self in such a cool way after a long time, and through this song, the rest of the album came together. As the collaboration with Jimin was finalized and the song came out, the vision for the release, the lead track, and the songs that would supplement it became more clear. Even at that time, I was working on the album and contemplating what direction to go in. After “Vibe” was completed and revealed to the world, that’s when firm timing and plans for the full project came into place. I’m so so thankful for the love “Vibe” received. On Zoom, just days before the anticipated release of Down to Earth, he took Rolling Stone through each track and shared why he wanted to collaborate with people like Jimin and Lisa, what inspired his sound, and how he tapped into new honesty while writing and recording these songs. Taeyang grounded himself through the music, releasing a tender project that combines many of his deepest feelings and influences. The thoughts and emotions I had during these times are in the album, and I think it helped me make a really honest album.” “As a phrase, it means, like, human, humble.

I ran and ran and ran,” he tells Rolling Stone.Īs he thought about his past and his career beginnings, he kept landing on the phrase “down to earth.” “This is something that friends from overseas would often say - ‘Oh, you’re so down to earth.’ It was interesting to hear,” he shares.

At the end of the day, all I could do at the army base was exercise and run. I couldn’t really connect with the outside world, and it was one frustrating situation after another. He recalls one memory, back when he was completing his mandatory military service in 2018: “I went through some really hard times. Some of the ideas behind Down to Earth came to Taeyang when he was going through some difficulty. Everything is pieced together thoughtfully - he has writing credits on every song on the EP. On Down to Earth, Taeyang goes back to his roots, pulling from decades of experience as a soloist and as part of the legendary group Big Bang. (His previous albums include 2014’s RISE and 2010’s Solar.) But Down to Earth, while still linked to the theme, is a little different.

When we spoke to him back in January, he explained that his album titles are always tied to his name, which means “sun” in Korean. They got just what they wanted with Down to Earth, an action-packed, six-track EP that dropped Tuesday and has a little bit of everything: touches of R&B and soul, tons of Taeyang’s smooth vocals, and yes, more features - including one with Lisa from Blackpink. As soon as Taeyang dropped “Vibe,” his upbeat collaboration with Jimin of BTS, he left fans eagerly awaiting more.

A Taste of Earth by Justin Tyme