One of Japan’s most beloved Korean solo artists.

BIGBANG

Like many idols, Daesung’s parents were opposed to the idea of their son becoming a singer. Despite his parents' objections, Daesung auditioned for YG Entertainment and was accepted as a trainee. He debuted on August 19, 2006 as the lead vocalist of BIGBANG. The first BIGBANG song he participated in writing was “La La La” off the group's first studio album. Daesung wrote the solo track “Wings” alongside bandmate G-DRAGON on their fifth EP Alive.

SOLO

Daesung made his solo debut in 2008 with the trot song “Look at Me, Gwisoon” which was written and co-composed by G-DRAGON. Daesung was initially hesitant about releasing a trot track as it was drastically different from BIGBANG’s typical genre. Despite his fears of interfering with BIGBANG’s image, he released the single and it was received well. He went on to release a second trot single “A Big Hit” the following year.

Daesung released his first solo Japanese album under the stage name D-Lite in 2013. His debut Japanese album D’scover peaked at No. 2 on Japan’s Oricon Charts and accumulated over 55,000 sales. Daesung set out on a Japanese tour to promote the album shortly after its release. What was originally only a four-day tour turned into an 86-day tour with 25 concerts across 18 cities. There were over 100,000 people in attendance, which was topped by his tour the following year that wracked up nearly 200,000 in attendance. Daesung is the first Korean solo artist to gather over 100,000 fans in Japan two tours in a row.

His 2014 album Delight and 2017 album D-Day both charted at No.1 on Japan's Oricon Charts with over 79,000 and 55,000 sales respectively. With the release of D-Day, Daesung became the second male solo artist to chart with two No.1 albums in Japan after Michael Jackson.

Current activities

Releases have been slow for the BIGBANG members since their military service. Daesung released his first single since his discharge "Flow (흘러간다)” on December 18, 2023. The song is a remake of Lee Hanchul’s 2012 track of the same name. Around the same time, Daesung participated on the soundtrack of Unexpected Business. On March 5, 2024 he released the singles “Falling Slowly” and “Light” both of which he partook in writing.

In March, the design for his official lightstick was released in preparation for his tour. Daesung is currently on tour until May 31 for his D’sISME Japan tour, and will have fan tours across Asia in the following months.

Edited by Lacey Diluvio