The Dragon of K-Pop: Kwon Jiyong

As we enter the year of the dragon, let’s learn about K-Pop’s G-DRAGON. 

Pre-Debut

G-DRAGON started making public appearances at just six years old as a child actor alongside being a member of the children's cover group Little Roo’ra. He became known for his dancing skills that shined bright despite his young age. G-DRAGON became a trainee at SM Entertainment at age eight before joining YG Entertainment four years later. His stage name is derived from his birth name -Jiyong- with the G coming from “Ji” and “Yong” being the Korean word for dragon. At age 13, he participated in the hip-hop crew album Korean hiphop Flex, becoming the youngest Korean rapper. In 2002, the duo GD X Taeyang (a.k.a GDYB) was formed, consisting of G-DRAGON and BIGBANG member Taeyang. However, the idea of the duo debuting independently was scrapped in order to debut a five member boygroup instead: BIGBANG.

BIGBANG

The group made their debut on August 19, 2006, one day after G-DRAGON’s eighteenth birthday. G-DRAGON is credited with writing and producing nearly every BIGBANG song and is the group's leader. He is among the top 10 songwriters in Korea and has the honor of having written 23 songs that charted at no. 1 on the Gaon Digital Chart. The group has 18 albums, with their most recent album being, M.A.D.E., which was released in December 2016. Following the release of M.A.D.E., the members began their military enlistments. They then released the single “Still Life” in 2022 after concluding their services. The sub-unit GD X Taeyang was revived in 2014 with the hit single “Good Boy.” G-DRAGON was also a part of BIGBANG’s only other sub-unit GD & TOP which existed from 2010 to 2015. Former member Seungri retired from the entertainment industry in 2019 following a major scandal, and T.O.P withdrew from the group after the release of “Still Life.” 

Fashion

G-DRAGON is one of the most well known figures in Korean fashion, even having a line of his own called peaceminusone. He has made regular appearances at Paris Fashion Week, being invited by dozens of brands over the years. He is known as a chameleon for his often eccentrically dyed hair and fluidity in fashion.

Current

After 17 years under YG Entertainment, G-DRAGON left the company on December 20, 2023. He was the last of the BIGBANG members to do so and is now signed to Galaxy Corporation. Following a recent drug scandal, which he has since been cleared from, G-DRAGON has stated that he has consequently learned a lot about mistreatment against drug users in Korea and teenagers in particular. He is now actively using his platform to eliminate the inequality that many face and has created the JUSPEACE Foundation which will focus on drug eradication. He is expected to make a solo comeback in 2024 for the first time in roughly seven years.

Edited by Lacey Diluvio