Mnet interviewed Taeyang about working with Tablo on Tomorrow.
Q: How did you end up featuring in Part 2’s title song “Tomorrow”?
TY: This song was recorded the first day Tablo-hyung came to YG. He let me listen to the song and suggested that it would be great if I featured on it. And I liked the song so much that we began recording immediately that day.
Q: Have you always been acquainted with Tablo?
TY: This was the first time working on music together, but I was aware that he had talked about me on broadcasts now and then when he was with Epik High. And I really like Epik High, too. I’m really happy that we’re in the same company now.
Q: Can you briefly introduce the meaning of the song ‘Tomorrow”?
TY: “Tomorrow” is about mourning the break up with a lover, saying “there is no tomorrow” until she returns. Being unable to move on from that moment and space, waiting for her to return.
Q: Now that you’ve done this, do you have plans to ask Tablo to feature in your next album?
TY: I can’t say anything specific yet, but I’ve been working on a lot of things with Tablo-hyung for the solo album I’m currently preparing. [We’re/I’m] working hard to produce good material, so please wait for it.
Q: And any last message?
TY: Tablo-hyung’s first solo album has finally come out. I’ve been listening to it every day, too, and it’s full of great songs. Tablo-hyung has returned with music after such a long time, and I hope you will all support him. And please listen often to the song I featured in, “Tomorrow,” too. Thank you.
Interview and MV shots from Mnet via DCYB
Taeyang also echoed the same answers for Cyworld (via YBMania) :
Q: This is your first collaboration with Tablo. A lot of people have been looking forward to it – how did you end up working together?
TY: Actually, this collaboration on “Tomorrow” happened very suddenly. The day Tablo hyung came to YG for the first time, I was in the studio as always. Hyung let me listen to this song and suggested that it would be great if I featured on it. It was a really good song, and I thought it would be a cool project, so I recorded it immediately, right then.
Q: What was the feeling you got when you first heard “Tomorrow’? What kind of emotion did you try to sing with?
TY: The message I got from this song was one of despair, that “there is no tomorrow for me without you.” I tried to express that.
Q: What kind of work would you like to do with Tablo from here on?
TY: I’m working with Tablo hyung in a lot of directions/areas for the solo album that I’ve been preparing since the middle of the year. I can’t say anything in detail yet, but we share a lot of conversations about music. I think it’s going to be an important/precious relationship for me musically.
And Tablo had this to say about working with Taeyang (from his “notebook” on Cyworld, via YBmania):
Tomorrow’s Voice
“Ever since I first heard “Look At Only Me,” I dreamed of working with him on a song that I made. I felt a great surprise and gratefulness, and happiness, when the voice I like sang the melody and lyrics I had composed. I felt and learned a lot while working with Young Bae. More than anything… The way he would take time [out of his own schedule] to re-record even after I had already given an “okay” that it was good/complete. The way he would treat it as if it were his own song, working toward perfection. And the way he had such a pure, child-like love and joy for the process of making music. I was very moved, to the point of feeling embarrassed, thinking back to how I was full of pride and at times lazy.”
*Note for background: On Park Myung Soo’s Fun Fun Radio (080609) Tablo answered a question from a listener about artists who motivate him. He said:
“And the other artist is TaeYang of Big Bang. He recently released his solo album. Gosh, he’s so cool. I love that type of music. Of course it’s a bit different from the style of music we do but the fact of the matter is, I think he is the first Korean musician who did justice to R&B/soul music. So frankly I was a bit shocked when I listened to his album. He’s just SO good. I mean, no kidding. We’re like dinosaurs now!”
**Update
Tablo talked a little bit more about Taeyang in his recently uploaded youtube commentary about the songs on “Fever’s End” (TY’s part comes at 6:02-6:43. Full video here.)
“I put in a request to have Taeyang feature in this song before I ever even imagined working with YG. Even though it’s my song, Taeyang put as much effort into it as he would if it were his own. Having made music for a long time, there were many times when I thought, “This is good enough.” It was a collaboration that really made me reflect on how I had gone about it [recording.]”
Translations by SYLVIA @ALWAYSTAEYANG Please do not remove when taking elsewhere.
Always Tae Yang 
thank you for sharing! Tablo and Taeyang… what a great collab! I’m looking forward to more!
omg such bromance. I have no words. And a part 2 of this collaboration
Taeblo FTW!!! Haha
YES. they have so much admiration for each other, and it’s mutual and sincere, you can feel it in the way they both talk about each other.. and now Tablo has joined YG, Taeyang has a new hyung who will watch over him and together they will make more great music together for the next 4 years at least.. double T, i love their partnership.. ahh how tablo talks about loving YB’s voice.. that’s how precious his voice, his rnb and soul is.. YB just amazes me all the time.. even Tablo says he learned something from working with YB.. even though he’s a senior in the industry..
YB treasures music so much no matter even it’s not his song he will want to bring out the best.. he’s been working hard on the next solo with various great people.. i can’t wait to hear what he has come up with.. i know his next concert.. i will want to be there.
because of his passion for music, i really want to see this man go far and gain the recognition he so deserves.. taeyang ah i can never find a reason to stop being a greater fan..
omg, you’re last paragraph..so beautiful! *tear* I feel the same!
new cute buddies I love how they are with each other thanks for sharing.
I think Tablo really reflected on his own role in the public’s easily believing the worse in him. Silver lining to all the mayhem.
omg i’m so moved when reading Tablo’s message about YBae “The way he would take time [out of his own schedule] to re-record even after I had already given an “okay” that it was good/complete. The way he would treat it as if it were his own song, working toward perfection. And the way he had such a pure, child-like love and joy for the process of making music…”
thanks so much for sharing it
I love what Tablo had to say about YB. Somehow i can imagine him exactly like what Tablo described while they were recording, isn’t it cute and endearing? LOL. Anyway, since now we have Taeblo moments often for his solo album, i hope the things work out and we get to hear just another amazing album.
this two omg,spazzing so hard right now i dunno what to do with myself jfksfjsfjfksfkt
i hope Tablo work with bae on his album.
i’d like to add that i like the fact that it’s YB he approached first the first day he step on YG.and YB can’t wait another day to work on the song Tablo composed.it’s like,he was too excited to work with Tablo.<3
If you know me, this collaboration has been a wet dream of mine since FOREVER. I actually don’t even know how to deal at the moment from the perfection of Taeblo. Fangirl overload…I can’t even process it.
However, with all seriousness, on some intellectual and artistic level, I want Taeyang and Tablo to get married and have musical babies. I know Taeyang understands this too and has been waiting for this opportunity for a long time now. He even said so himself: “I think it’s going to be an important/precious relationship for me musically.” He’s been waiting to take his music to the next level in so many aspects. Tablo has that musical maturity and potential that YB is looking for and wants to learn from. In many ways, I see YB’s and Tablo’s reverence and passion for music is what fundamentally brings them together, even maybe just on a artistic level. For them, music is an opportunity to say something of worthwhile. The music they produce has some sort of value to them personally. (not like Orange Caramel and their Shanghai Boy shiznazz….who the hell comes up with that shizzz?!?!….moving on) Sorta why Kfans refer to Taeyang as a “fringe” artist: mainstream artist but does underground-like music. (HAH.)
So I’m super duper happy to hear that Taeblo are working together on TY’s solo album or at least experimenting. My expectations were raised THAT much higher. And I sure fangirled a little bit when I read that Tablo approached YB with this song – specifically him. And from the results, I can’t imagine anyone else singing the chorus.
Quite honestly, I was very touched by what Tablo said about YB. Glad that he mentioned “Look Only At Me” because I really loved what he said about it. You can sense the sincere mutual respect they have for each other. It’s not like the TY-Teddy bromance, where they’re lets-have-a-beer-and-joke-around friends, Taeblo is more of a artistic-collaboration-bromance. I ship Taeblo. MAKE.BABIES.NOW.
Oh yeah. Thanks for doing such a fast, but as always fantastic translation of the interview. I’m glad to see you all share the same enthusiasm for this collaboration as me. Always the best.
haha. Tofu, you are such a champion fangirl. But I wanted to say that Teddy is probably one of TY’s biggest musical influences and strongest supporters of him doing the music he wants, so there is a big artistic component to their bromance as well. Just wanted to point that out.
And yes, I’m really excited to see how Tablo and TY would work together for TY’s own stuff. I’m dizzy of thinking of all the producers and artists that YB is supposed to be working with: Choice37 and Lydia, Murph and Peejay, the Underdogs, Tablo, possibly Dok2 and Diplo… have I left anyone out? Even if not everything makes the final cut, the fact that he’s working with many different people who are bringing so many different things into the mix is so exciting.
AHAHAHA. a fangirl will always be a fangirl.
But not that’s not what I meant. Yes Teddy is a huge musical influence on Taeyang, but what I wanted to say was that Teddy-hyung is also a brother, a friend, a soulmate, a drinking buddy (but in Taeyang’s case no alcohol….probably a steak and Coke lol), but Tablo may be an only artistic-creative friendship, but a very deep one because of their sheer respect for music.
I’m pretty stoked that he’s working with so many different people even if it’s not going on his album….it’s still a learning experience and quiet frankly YG doesn’t seem to like working with people outside of the company. It’s only recent that they’ve been doing so. It’s gonna be interesting album I know for sure.
And to add, I’m really happy for Tablo (and a lil bit for YB) that his album and this song is getting so much positive responses from the fans and critics. Proof that honest music is always the best.
Thank you for summarizing my thoughts perfectly!
From way back in 2008 (Tablo was talking about artists he admires):
“And the other artist is TaeYang of Big Bang. He recently released his solo album. Gosh, he’s so cool. I love that type of music. Of course it’s a bit different from the style of music we do but the fact of the matter is, I think he is the first Korean musician who did justice to R&B/soul music. So frankly I was a bit shocked when I listened to his album. He’s just SO good. I mean, no kidding. We’re like dinosaurs now!”
Tablo of Epik High
Oh my goodness EPCINESSSSSSSS! I love what they had to say about each-other, it shows that they share a genuine interest and respect for each-other.
Really looking forward to their future work together! 😀
I didn’t think you would translate this fast! LOL..I should’ve stayed up last night.
But OMG…my fangirl heart cannot fathom this. First off, the fact that Tablo himself approached YB, and asked him to feature makes me so happy…No proposals from YG, no third party required. He must have a lot of belief and trust in YB (especially b/c not only is this his first solo album, but his first piece of work that will be released to the public after the Stanford debacle).
Second, I’m soooo excited that Tablo is advising/discussing/helping (whatever it is) YB with his solo album. I was hoping YB would take the opportunity to feed off Tablo’s musicality while recording Tomorrow, now he’s saying Tablo is directly influencing his future album release? *anticipating*
Lastly, it’s exciting to hear that YB was aware of Tablo’s earlier comments (I hope he’s keeping tabs on others that complimented him 🙂 ). Definitely a bromance that I can’t wait to see the results of.
And now my expectations for YB’s next album are that much higher….why do I do this to myself…can’t be helped.
That awesome moment when two artists that you love have mutual respect and admiration for each other. *___* Words cannot describe how HAPPY I am that these two are collaborating. I just can’t get over it! And reading Tablo’s sincere compliments on Taeyang was just so heartwarming, I felt like I was the one being complemented! I might have even squealed a little. lol
Tablo’s words for YB were so beautiful, Work with Tae is a Amazing experience, He made a perfect decision to choose Tae for his song
Thanks for sharing 🙂
I like the fact that someone like Tablo can acknowledge that Bae is one talented man. You’d think someone who does Epik High’s type of music would just roll their eyes at anything that comes from an “idol”. And I squealed when YB said he’s working with Tablo on his new album. OMG I can’t wait for this album!!! It’s been too long!!
I adore this collab, it’s soo nice to hear Tae Yang’s voice again, plus Tablo hasn’t lost any of his talent! I am so proud to be a fan of theirs.