G-DRAGON

Frequently hailed in the music press as "the King of K-Pop," the chart-topping G-Dragon blends dance-pop, rap, R&B, and much more as a member of <a href="spotify:artist:4Kxlr1PRlDKEB0ekOCyHgX">BigBang</a> and as a solo artist. Active since the mid-'90s, the singer, rapper, songwriter, and producer truly emerged in the late 2000s as a member of the immensely successful <a href="spotify:artist:4Kxlr1PRlDKEB0ekOCyHgX">BigBang</a>, and made his album debut shortly thereafter with Heartbreaker (2009). He followed that Top Ten hit on the Gaon chart with the live recording Shine a Light (2010), the One of a Kind EP (2012), and a second solo album, Coup d'Etat (2013), all topping the chart. By the time he released his third album, Übermensch (2025), he had nine Korean Top Ten singles to his name, and he scored a tenth with the third single from that LP, "Too Bad," featuring <a href="spotify:artist:3jK9MiCrA42lLAdMGUZpwa">Anderson .Paak</a>, one of his many collaborations with U.S. artists.

G-Dragon, born Kwon Ji-Yong, entered the music industry at the age of six as a member of Little Roo'ra. The group was short-lived, but Kwon soon signed on as a trainee with <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22SM+Entertainment%22">SM Entertainment</a>. After he first appeared as G-Dragon on the Hip Hop Flex compilation in 2001, he joined <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22YG+Entertainment%22">YG Entertainment</a>, made featured appearances on tracks by other artists, and recorded singles as one-half of GDYB with fellow trainee <a href="spotify:artist:6udveWUgX4vu75FF0DTrXV">Taeyang</a>. G-Dragon and <a href="spotify:artist:6udveWUgX4vu75FF0DTrXV">Taeyang</a> subsequently became part of <a href="spotify:artist:4Kxlr1PRlDKEB0ekOCyHgX">BigBang</a>, for which G-Dragon would write and produce a significant amount of material, starting with "Lies," the group's 2007 breakout hit.

Concurrent with <a href="spotify:artist:4Kxlr1PRlDKEB0ekOCyHgX">BigBang</a> activity, G-Dragon released his first solo full-length, Heartbreaker, in August 2009. Highlighted by the title track, a stomping dance-pop hit, the album was a major success, topping South Korea's Gaon chart. It paved the way for a December concert at Olympic Gymnastics Arena documented by the similarly successful Shine a Light, issued the following March. Near the end of 2010, G-Dragon and bandmate <a href="spotify:artist:06Ud1u03utJWUJo7nRdhUp">TOP</a> delivered GD & TOP, a set that was more R&B- and rap-oriented than <a href="spotify:artist:4Kxlr1PRlDKEB0ekOCyHgX">BigBang</a>'s pop-leaning releases. G-Dragon topped the South Korean and Billboard World Albums chart with his next solo effort, the One of a Kind EP. The September 2012 offering was led by another Gaon-topping single, the acoustic ballad "That XX," as well as the Top Ten hit "Crayon."

One of a Kind, supported with a world tour, had also cracked the Billboard 200, and G-Dragon continued his Stateside push with Coup d'Etat. The star-studded album featured appearances by <a href="spotify:artist:2wIVse2owClT7go1WT98tk">Missy Elliott</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5fMUXHkw8R8eOP2RNVYEZX">Diplo</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:25fqWEebq6PoiGQIHIrdtv">Baauer</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:62k5LKMhymqlDNo2DWOvvv">Boys Noize</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:7pyhre5oEEFMqcgMEvJY7q">Sky Ferreira</a>, as well as Jennie Kim from <a href="spotify:artist:41MozSoPIsD1dJM0CLPjZF">BlackPink</a>. Released in September 2013, Coup d'Etat put G-Dragon back on top of the Gaon and World Albums charts, and additionally won World's Best Album at the 2014 World Music Awards. Forays into fashion and art followed while G-Dragon was featured on a number of high-profile collaborations over the next few years, including "Good Boy" with <a href="spotify:artist:6udveWUgX4vu75FF0DTrXV">Taeyang</a>; "Dirty Vibe" with <a href="spotify:artist:5he5w2lnU9x7JFhnwcekXX">Skrillex</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5fMUXHkw8R8eOP2RNVYEZX">Diplo</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:0tzSBCPJZmHTdOA3ZV2mN3">CL</a>; and "Temple" with <a href="spotify:artist:25fqWEebq6PoiGQIHIrdtv">Baauer</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:0QJIPDAEDILuo8AIq3pMuU">M.I.A.</a> G-Dragon's second EP, Kwon Ji Yong, arrived in June 2017. The five-song set -- its only physical edition was a USB flash drive -- topped both the Billboard World Albums chart and Japan's Oricon digital chart, making G-Dragon the first Korean artist to achieve the feat.

G-Dragon served his compulsory two-year military service and returned to music in 2022 with <a href="spotify:artist:4Kxlr1PRlDKEB0ekOCyHgX">BigBang</a>'s chart-topping "Still Life," which he co-wrote. He then left <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22YG+Entertainment%22">YG Entertainment</a>, signed with <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Galaxy+Corporation%22">Galaxy Corporation</a>, and moved toward his next solo album. Released in 2024, "Power" and "Home Sweet Home" (the latter featuring <a href="spotify:artist:6udveWUgX4vu75FF0DTrXV">Taeyang</a> and Daesung) were both major hits that built anticipation for the February 2025 arrival of Übermensch, G-Dragon's third album. Übermensch entered the South Korean chart at number two, and was further promoted by another number one single, "Too Bad," a collaboration with <a href="spotify:artist:3jK9MiCrA42lLAdMGUZpwa">Anderson .Paak</a>. Around the same time, G-Dragon branched out further as the host of the reality-style variety show Good Day. ~ Andy Kellman & Neil Z. Yeung, Rovi