On September 30, the Korea Herald reported that industry sources said that former Big Bang member T.O.P will return as a solo artist in the fourth quarter of this year with a full album.
This will be his first solo album since his digital single "Doom Dada" 12 years ago.
T.O.P will collaborate in the MV production with a creative expert he worked with when participating in Netflix's "Squid Game 2" series.
"T.O.P's studio album is expected to be released around after October. He has completed recording and plans to film some music videos (MV). An art director for Squid Game will oversee the production process, a industry source said.
Netflix's "Squid Game" art director and producer is Chae Kyoung Sun, who won the Art Directors Guild Awards in 2022 and 2025 for the drama, as well as the Primetime Emmy in 2022 for Outstanding Production Design.
Suggestions for T.O.P's solo comeback have appeared before. Last November, when a fan asked him about his solo activities, he replied 2025.
In June, T.O.P also revealed plans to return as a solo artist this year in an international interview promoting Squid Game 2.
After breaking up with YG Entertainment and leaving Big Bang in 2021, T.O.P has not yet joined any other management company. A source in the industry said that the rapper is negotiating to sign a contract with Kakao Entertainment, a large entertainment company in Korea, although the company has denied the information.
In 2016, T.O.P faced controversy when he was sentenced to 10 months of probation for using marijuana during his military service. After that, T.O.P's cold attitude of leaving Big Bang's name was criticized by some of the group's fans.
T.O.P's choice to participate in a role in "Squid Game 2" surprised everyone because he had not been quiet for a long time, making many people think that T.O.P had really retired.
In a January interview, T.O.P shared the reason for leaving Big Bang, saying, I was the one who caused great damage to Big Bang and my former company (YG) due to the mistakes I made. I left the group because I didn't want to continue to hurt the company and the members.
The feeling of guilt is too great. I felt that if I stayed in the group, my name would be associated with the group like a stain. I couldn't face it, it was really painful.
Recalling his past, the rapper confided: At the age of 20, I was lucky to receive a lot of love, but I made big mistakes and suffered mental collapse. I still feel ashamed and believe that I must always reflect on those mistakes.
T.O.P further revealed that he was motivated to stay in the studio and worked tirelessly, composing many new music products. He believes that this is a good time to share the songs he has done with the world.
