BIGBANG member, Dong Youngbae (stage name Taeyang), caused a frenzy amongst fans by making all his active socials dark and deleting all posts on October 25 and 26.

Fans wondered what the actions meant, especially as Taeyang had the word “renewal” in his Instagram bio before going completely blank.

People speculated whether the move signified a contract renewal/ending with his company YG Entertainment, as his contract is up for renewal, or the possibility of new music.

Recently, there has been a trend for artists to blank out their socials before an album release. Adele did it in 2021 after an innovative marketing campaign that built anticipation for her album “30”. Beyonce also did so for her album “Renaissance” this year, going blank for nearly a week in June before the album’s release date was revealed.

Taeyang’s fans hope that his social media “blanking” is also a sign of new, much-anticipated music from the skilled vocalist. Taeyang completed his military service in November 2019 and has since released only one single with the three other members of his group, BIGBANG. 

The single “Still Life,” revived and maintained the male group presence on K charts, which have recently been completely dominated by female groups. Fans hope for similar success for Taeyang’s new musical offering.