G-Dragon

At 35 years old, G-Dragon has this physical status:

Kwon Ji-yong (born August 18, 1988), also known as G-Dragon, is a South Korean singer-songwriter, singer-producer, investor, and fashion icon who is often referred to as the king of K-Pop.

G-Dragon performed for six years at YG Entertainment before launching in 2006 as the head of the hip hop boy band Big Bang, which went on to become the best-selling kid band in the world, and winning him Album of the Year at the 2009 Mnet Asian Music Awards.

In 2010, G-Dragon collaborated with Big Bang bandmate T.O.P to release the album GD & TOP.

His first EP One of a Kind (2012) was critically acclaimed and resulted in three singles: "One of a Kind," "Crayon," and "That X," the chart-topper "That X," as a result.

At the 2013 Seoul Music Awards, the EP received the Year of the Year.

He began traveling solo in 2013, making him the first Korean soloist to tour Japanese dome arenas.

Following the success of his second album Coup d'Etat (2013), G-Dragon was named Artist of the Year at the 2013 Mnet Asian Music Awards.

Kwon Ji Yong's 2017 album "Untitled, 2014" and his accompanying concert tour Act III: M.O.T.E. was named as the most influential person under 30 in Asia's entertainment and sports by Forbes.

G-Dragon has written or co-written 23 number one songs on the Gaon Digital Chart, as well as his bandmates' solo releases, most of which he has co-written.

Personal life

In 2008, G-Dragon began studying post-modern music at Kyung Hee University. He later dropped out due to his busy schedule and instead concentrated on Leisure Sports Studies at Gukje Cyber University, receiving a Bachelor's degree in 2013. At Sejong University, G-Dragon obtained a Master's degree in content and retail marketing in 2016. Plans for a doctoral degree were postponed to allow for his military service. According to the Gazette Review, G-Dragon's net worth was US$40 million in 2018. According to Cosmopolitan Philippines, the rapper is one of Instagram's most followed K-pop stars with over 21.2 million followers as of July 2022.

On February 27, 2018, the G-Dragons received a mandatory military service. He was posted as a regular soldier after basic training at the 3rd Infantry's 'White Skeleton' Division in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province. 3,000 VIP Big Bang supporters eagerly awaited G-Dragon's return from military service at the headquarters of the South Korean Army's Ground Operations Command in Yongin, southeast of Seoul. On October 26, 2019. G-Dragon was dismissed from office.

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Life and career

G-Dragon was born in Seoul, South Korea, on August 18, 1988. G-Dragon began his career at the age of six as part of the group Little Roo'Ra. The group's Christmas album was ended by their record company, which shocked G-Dragon. Despite he told his mother that he would not [try to become a singer] again," he was scouted by SM Entertainment on a ski trip with his family. He was a trainee under the name SM Entertainment for five years (from 8 to 13 years old), specializing in dance before he left.

A friend introduced G-Dragon to the Wu-Tang Clan in his third grade year. He became involved in rapping and began attending classes after being influenced by their music. He was introduced to Lee Hee sung, who was part of another South Korean hip hop group X-teen, who converted G-dragon into Korea's Bow wow after attending a summer school hosted by the People Crew, who pleaded with his mother. He appeared on the Korean hip-hop compilation Korean hiphop Flex( 2001) in 2001, becoming the youngest Korean rapper under People Crew's tutelage. Despite writing his own songs, he admitted that his English was poor and that the lyrics, "I'm young, but I'm the best" tale. In addition, he and future Big Bang member Choi Seung-hyun were "neighborhood friends" from middle school and would often dance and rap together before G-Dragon moved away. Sean of YG Entertainment, a hip-hop duo Jinusean, recommended G-Dragon to Sean's record label CEO Yang Hyun Suk, catching the hip-hop duo's interest. G-Dragon spent the first year of his life as a result of signing a deal with the record label and fetching water bottles during dance classes.

He chose "Ji" because "G" is pronounced like "G," and Yong is Korean for "dragon" in Korean, and "dragon" is a Korean word meaning "dragon" in Korean. He appeared on other artists' albums and even launched several singles with Dong under the tag "GDYB." After YG Entertainment scrapped the idea and went for a boy band instead, G-Dragon contacted Choi, who auditioned in. G-Dragon, Dong (who chose the stage name Taeyang) and Choi (who chose the stage name T.O.P.) were paired with three other people (Jang Hyun-seung, Daesung, and Seungri).

The company's formation was chronicled on television, but Jang's official debut was postponed. The now-quintet's debut was a modest success, with their first album selling over 100,000 copies, as well as G-Dragon's debut solo album, a recreation of the American alternative rock band Maroon 5's single "This Love." The EP Always debut in 2007 was a musical departure from previous works, seeing G-Dragon's increasing involvement in its development. Several songs by him were composed, including the lead-single "Lies," which became the group's first number one hit. The following EPs were patterned after their predecessors: "Last Farewell" was released by Hot Issues, while Stand Up was born "Day by Day"; both singles, which were compiled by him, were chart-toppers. G-Dragon was involved in the creation of Taeyang's debut extended play Hot (2008), which culminated in a "Part Two" on the EP's lead single "Only Look at Me."

G-Dragon appeared on singer Lexy's song "Mega Fly" for her album Rush in 2009, as well as Taeyang and T.O.P. He later performed with the Japanese boy band W-inds. "Rain Is Fallin'/Hybrid Dream" is their single. Heartbreaker, his first solo album, was supposed to be released in April this year, but it was postponed until August. Featuring collaborations with many artists, including Teddy of 1TYM, Taeyang, Kush, CL, and Sandara Park of 2NE1, the album marked a change in G-Dragon's appearance when he dyed his hair blonde to match the album's concept. The album debuted on the year's Best of the Year competition by the 2009 Mnet Asian Music Awards, with a lead-single of the same name, an electronic pop song with a sales of nearly five million downloads. G-Dragon was accused of plagiarism by Sony Music shortly after Heartbreaker's debut, when his songs "Heartbreaker" and "Butterfly" were reported to be similar to Flo Rida's "Right Round" and "She's Electric" respectively. However, EMI, the record label that released "Right Round," said that they found no similarities between these two songs.

YG Entertainment revealed on March 6, 2010, they personally called Flo Rida's representatives, requesting that he appear in G-Dragon's live album, Shine a Light, which Flo Rida accepted. G-Dragon hosted his first solo performance at Olympic Gymnastics Arena in December 2009, in support of his album. Shine a Light, the concert's name, was derived from the lyrics to his album "A Boy." Following allegations of obscenity and provocative content, the concert sparked controversy. Later, the Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Family Affairs of Korea asked the government to look into if G-Dragon or YG Entertainment broke rules on obscene performances in his concert. On March 15, 2010, he was found innocent and was cleared of all charges.

G-Dragon and T.O.P. announced their collaboration album GD & TOP in November 2010. The pair held a world premiere showcase for their album at Times Square in Yeongdeungpo, which was also broadcast live on YouTube. The pair performed three singles, "High High," "Oh Yeah," and "Knock Out"; a Revised Romanization: 'Ppeogigayo.' Both three singles appeared before the album's debut and commercial success: "High High" debuted on many radio stations, while "Yes" debuted at number two on the Gaon Digital Chart, with "Oh Yeah" tagging second. The album was announced on Christmas Eve and debuted on the Gaon Album Chart at number one, with pre-orders of 200,000 copies.

In addition to the Infinite Challenge Seohae Ahn Highway Song Festival 2011, G-Dragon formed a duo with Park Myung Soo. On June 2, 2011, the band "Having an Affair" was released, a tribute to Park Bom of 2NE1. The album became the year's second most downloaded song on the Gaon Music Chart for 2011.

After a G-Dragon test revealed positive for marijuana, promotional efforts were suspended. Despite the fact that a urine test in August came back negative, a weak positive for marijuana was found from testing the hair's content in October. Since it was his first recorded offence involving a negligible amount of the drug, there was an indictment and he was not charged. He later admitted to having accepted a cigarette from a fan in Japan during a May party but later discovered that it wasn't a normal cigarette, he discarded it. He made his first public appearance after his organization's 2011 MTV EMAs scandal.

While concentrating on new solo pieces, G-Dragon and T.O.P. made an appearance in the Japanese version of Pixie Lott's album Young Foolish Happy. On September 15, 2012, his first extended play One of a Kind was announced, receiving rave reviews, debuting first on the Billboard World Album Chart, and debuting at No. 161. Three singles were announced to promote the album; the top-five hit "One of a Kind" earned him the Best Hip Hop and Rap Song of the Year awards from the Korean Music Awards and the Rhythmer Awards; and the top-three hit "Crayon" was ranked by Spin Magazine as the best K-Pop single of the year; and the top-five hit "One of a Kind." The album has sold over 200,000 copies, making it Korea's biggest selling solo album since the debut of his debut album Heartbreaker in 2009. At the 14th Mnet Asian Music Awards and "Record of the Year" for One of a Kind, he received "Best Male Solo Artist" and "Record of the Year" for one of a Kind. In 2013, G-Dragon became the first Korean solo artist to host a four-dome tour in Japan and the second Korean solo artist to have a world tour (the first being Rain). The tour cost $3.5 million, making it the largest scale in Korean history at the time. For a total of 27 concerts with 570,000 fans, the tour was held in eight countries and visited 13 cities.

"One Of A Kind" was an introduction to G-Dragon's "Shake The World" in August 2013. Missy Eliott Ver. (Missy Eliott Ver.) Missy Elliot "Missy Eliott Ver.) At the KCON 2013 concert in Los Angeles, the "Crayon" and "Crayon" were on display.

After touring extensively, G-Dragon returned to the studio to record his second studio album. Missy Elliott, the Grammy Award-winning musician who appeared on the album, will be included on the album, according to YG Entertainment. Coup d'Etat (2013) was released in two parts online, with the full album releasing physically on September 13, featuring collaborations with Diplo, Baauer, Boys Noize, Sky Ferreira, Siriusmo, Zion, Zion.T, and label colleague Jennie Kim. At the KCON 2013 in Los Angeles, G-Dragon and Missy Elliott performed the song "Niliria." Six tracks from Coup d'Etat have been included in the top ten of the Gaon Digital Chart, including the number one "Who You?" "Crooked" was the album's highest-performing single, with over 1.8 million digital downloads, and it was his first solo music video to reach 100 million viewers on YouTube. Billboard selected "Coup d'Etat" as one of the game-changing EDM tracks of 2013. The album has been ranked on the Billboard 200, making G-Dragon the first Korean act to have multiple entries on the chart. With the success of Coup d'Etat, G-Dragon received a total of four awards at the 15th Mnet Asian Music Awards: Best Male Solo Artist, Best Music Video for "Coup d'Etat," Best Dance Performance for "Crooked," and the highest accolade, Artist of the Year. At the World Music Awards, he later received the World's Best Entertainer and the World's Best Album.

On October 17, 2013, G-Dragon performed the song "Going to Try" with comedian Jeong Hyeong-don for the second time.

G-Dragon wrote and produced for other YG artists in 2014. He produced the track "Good to You" from 2NE1's album Crush. He appeared on Taeyang's second album Rise, composing and directing the lead single "Ringa Linga" and "Stay With Me" and was a featured artist on the latter track. G-Dragon and Taeyang formed a pair in November 2014 to release the single "Good Boy," which debuted at No. 114. On Billboard's World Digital Songs chart, #1 is the third time a Korean act topped the chart after PSY and 2NE1. The single had more than 1.2 million downloads in South Korea, and its music video reached 100 million views on YouTube; this made Big Bang the first Korean male group to have three videos with this many YouTube views. G-Dragon collaborated with Skrillex and Diplo in December of the same year for the album "Dirty Vibe," which features labelmate CL. The single ranked at No. 4 in the United States. No. 15 on Billboard's Hot Dance/Electronic Songs and No. 1 is no. 15 on Billboard's Hot Dance/Electronic Songs and No. Dance/Electronic Digital Songs 21 on Dance/Electronic Digital Songs, making them the first Korean artists to land on the charts. He wrote and produced a song for Welcome Back, the debut album of YG's new rookie band iKon, in 2015.

G-Dragon spent the majority of 2016 and 2016 touring with his band's third Korean album, and they've played for over 3.6 million viewers in two years. For the third time in a row, he appeared at the Infinite Challenge music festival, and for the first time with bandmate Taeyang. The pair collaborated with ZE:A's Hwang Kwanghee to produce "Mapsosa," the duo's most popular single, which peaked at No. 1. It became one of the year's best-selling songs on the Gaon Digital Chart, with 1.1 million copies sold by the end of the year. He appeared on the same stage the following year, for the Muhan Company's special, in which he appeared for the first time. In addition, he appeared alongside British rapper M.I.A. "Temple" is Baauer's first album Aa, and it's his debut album Aa. No. 7 on the charts, with the song debuting at No. 2. 36 songs on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Digital Songs and No. 39 are among Billboard's "Megabitronic Digital Songs." 26 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, making him the first Korean male artist to chart twice on both charts.

On February 1, 2017, G-Dragon appeared on Zion.T's album "Complex" which peaked at number two on the Gaon Digital Chart. He also appeared as a guest rapper on IU's lead single "Palette," from her album of the same name, which debuted on the Gaon Chart for two weeks in a row. Following the band's promotional appearances, G-Dragon started planning for the debut of his new album, as well as a solo concert tour.

The single "Bullshit" was supposed to be the lead single to his second self-titled EP. "Untitled, 2014" was released to radio instead due to bandmate T.O.P's marijuana case, as well as the single's provocative name, avoiding any more controversy regarding the artist's record label. Kwon Ji Yong was first introduced in USB flash drive format on June 8, bypassing Gaon's refusal to treat it as a official product, despite the traditional practice of releasing music on CDs. Gaon changed its mind later this year, acknowledging the unusual appearance as legitimate. He was the most popular song on iTunes in 46 countries, as well as the US iTunes chart. Kwon Ji Yong was also ranked in the iTunes worldwide album and European iTunes charts, making him the first Korean soloist to do so. Kwon Ji Yong's debut in the United States on his third day and third debut on the Billboard 200 and first number one on the Heatseekseeks' Albums. In addition, the EP became the third chart-topper and the first by a Korean soloist to spend multiple weeks on top of the Billboard World Albums. The album's sales in China soared to 760,000 digital units in a single day on QQ Music, the country's biggest music website. It sold more than one million copies since its debut, becoming the year's best-selling album and the fastest album to do so. Act III: M.O.T.E., his second world tour, began at Seoul World Cup Stadium in June 10, 2017 and visited 29 cities around Asia, North America, Europe, and Oceania. The tour is the most popular concert tour ever hosted by a Korean solo artist, and it attracted 64,000 people around the world. In September 2018, YouTube Premium featured a behind-the-scenes documentary about the tour.

On February 27, 2018, G-Dragon began his two-year compulsory military service by enrolling in the 3rd Infantry Division's boot camp in Gangwon province as an active duty soldier, where he was expected to be discharged on October 26, 2019. G-Dragon was officially dismissed from the service on October 26, 2019.

G-Dragon became the first Korean musician to work with Nike in November 2019 for the Nike Air Force 1 Para-Noise, just a few weeks after his release.

In China's Nongpushan, G-Dragon signed a deal to model a well-known beverage brand named "Chapai." When G-Dragon's first song in four years, "Still Life," they announced their first song in four years on April 4, 2022.

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