Big Bang's Taeyang to release documentary series on 'White Night' album and marriage to Min Hyo-rin
Big Bang fans who have been awaiting a return from one or more of the members can rejoice because Taeyang is set to debut a documentary series this month.
The eight-part series is titled 'White Night' and will feature behind-the-scenes footage of the singer working on his 2017 'White Night' album and world tour. In addition, it will also include footage of Taeyang's marriage to actress, singer, and model Min Hyo-rin in 2018 and his 21 months of military enlistment, which began in March 2018 and ended in November 2019. The series overall was filmed over 215 days and will give fans the chance to follow Taeyang around and catch a glimpse of how he produces music in addition to his rarely seen private life.
While fans are quite familiar with Taeyang's work as an idol, this will serve as a rare glimpse into his daily life as Dong Young Bae (Taeyang's real name).
For Big Bang fans this is an unexpected treat. The group released the single 'Flower Road' on March 13, 2018, as a goodbye to their fans before all five of them enlisted in the military as is required by South Korean law. During this time, T.O.P had an unfortunate run-in with the law due to drug-related incidents which preceded an accidental overdose on anti-anxiety medications, following which he was removed from police duty and reassigned to public service. He later claimed he would not be returning to the entertainment industry, though he evidently changed his mind later on. Ex-member Seungri also found himself in trouble due to the Burning Sun Scandal and he was charged with illegal distribution of pornography (referred to in Korea as 'molka'), among several other things, which led to him exiting the band and retiring from the entertainment industry in 2019.
Needless to say, Big Bang fans have had a rough few years.
A few months after Seungri's retirement, T.O.P was discharged from the military, followed by G-Dragon, Taeyang, and Daesung later in 2019. Things appeared to have calmed down but soon enough, reports began circulating that the remaining four members had not renewed their contracts with YG Entertainment. The label released a statement saying, "It is difficult to confirm or deny any details at the current time," which simply fueled the rumors.
But in March of this year, YGE confirmed that all four members had successfully renewed their contracts and were even preparing for their next comeback, which would be their first work as Big Bang following their 2018 release. They were additionally slated to perform at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, which would have marked their first performance since 2017, but the event was canceled and their comeback delayed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic
Nonetheless, it appears the group is still going to entertain their fans thanks to Taeyang's upcoming series.
'White Night' will be available for free via Taeyang’s and BIGBANG’s official YouTube channels and airs Mondays and Thursdays. The first episode will be released on May 18, Taeyang's 32nd birthday, at 7 pm KST / 3 am PT, and the series will continue for four weeks.