T.O.P has released his long-awaited debut solo album, Another Dimension.
The 38-year-old Korean rapper and Squid Game actor dropped the album on Friday (April 3), making it his first musical release following his departure from BIGBANG.
The 11-track album features double lead singles "DESPERADO" and "Studio54.”
“For nearly 10 years, I almost completely cut myself off from the public and focused solely on making music,” he told GQ Hong Kong in a recent interview. “I devoted myself entirely to creation. I think that period was incredibly constructive and productive."
He continued, “This time, I used a narrative approach l've never attempted before, with complex sonic structures. When people listen, they should experience a wide range of emotions."
The artist also described Another Dimension as a redefinition of himself, saying, “This album is about organizing my past self and crossing into a completely new chapter. I no longer want to repeat the past. This album represents a new identity.”
T.O.P (born Choi Seung-hyun) made his debut in 2006 with BIGBANG under YG Entertainment. The massively popular boy group, originally consisting of T.O.P, Taeyang, G-Dragon, Daesung, and Seungri, became one of the defining and most influential K-pop groups of all time.
The group’s biggest hits include “Haru Haru,” “Fantastic Baby,” and “Bang Bang Bang.”
In 2019, Seungri was removed from the group when the Burning Sun nightclub scandal made headlines. He was later found guilty of providing prostitutes to foreign businessmen, embezzlement, and overseas gambling.
T.O.P left the group following the release of BIGBANG’s 2022 single, “Still Life.”
During a press interview for Squid Game 2 last year, T.O.P explained that he did not want to “burden” the BIGBANG members by returning to the group, seemingly referencing the time he was investigated and indicted for marijuana use in 2017.
“After my military discharge, I felt that I had caused too much harm to BIGBANG. I decided to leave because I didn’t want to bring any more trouble to the group,” he said, per Allkpop. “When my contract ended, I chose to leave after the ‘Still Life’ project. I felt ashamed to return to BIGBANG. If I work alone, I can take full responsibility for my past mistakes, but if I rejoin the team, that wouldn’t be the case. I didn’t want to burden them.”
BIGBANG’s remaining members, Taeyang, G-Dragon, and Daesung, are set to perform at Coachella later this month.
T.O.P’s Another Dimension is available now.
