Big Bang would grow to enormous acclaim and Taeyang would eventually branch out into acting, modeling, and a fruitful solo music career. A solo EP simply entitled Hot appeared in 2008, paving the way for full-length Solar in 2010. Taeyang's smart, hip-hop-flavored pop material wouldn't turn as many heads as the similarly minded boy band sounds of his better-known parent band at first, but 2014 solo outing Rise bested their chart stats, debuting at number one on Billboard's World Album charts. The album also broke through on the American charts, making him the highest-charting Korean male artist of his time. ~ Fred Thomas