SEOUL, Sept 30 — Former Big Bang member T.O.P will return as a solo artist in the fourth quarter of 2025 with a full-length studio album, marking his first solo release since Doom Dada in 2013.
Industry sources told The Korea Herald that the 37-year-old rapper has completed recording and plans to shoot multiple music videos, with production led by Chae Kyoung-sun, the Emmy-winning art director behind Netflix’s Squid Game.
“T.O.P’s studio album is scheduled for release sometime in or after October. He has completed recording and plans to shoot several music videos. An art director of Squid Game will oversee the production,” one source said on condition of anonymity.
Chae, who won Art Directors Guild Awards in 2022 and 2025 and a Primetime Emmy in 2022, previously worked with T.O.P during filming for Squid Game 2.
T.O.P hinted at a comeback last November by replying “2025” to a fan who asked about his solo plans on Instagram.
He later confirmed his return in a June interview promoting Squid Game 2, saying he had been working on new music.
Since parting ways with YG Entertainment and leaving Big Bang in 2021, T.O.P has remained unaffiliated with any agency.
Another source told The Korea Herald that he is in talks to sign with Kakao Entertainment, though the company has denied this.
T.O.P faced legal issues in 2016 when he received a suspended prison sentence for marijuana use while serving as a conscripted police officer.
Following the incident, his military service was converted to alternative social work, and he briefly announced retirement from entertainment before returning to acting.
“In my 20s, I was fortunate to receive so much love, but I made huge mistakes and collapsed mentally. I still feel ashamed and believe I must always reflect on those mistakes,” he said in a January interview.
“Whenever I’m in the studio, I feel alive. I’ve been working constantly and created a lot of music, and I believe the time has come to share it with the world,” he added.
