G Dragon

G-Dragon
G-Dragon at Paris Fashion Week on January 24, 2017.
Born	Kwon Ji-yong (1988-08-18) August 18, 1988 (age 28) Seoul, South Korea
Other names	GD
Occupation	Singer-songwriter rapper record producer model fashion designer
Musical career
Genres	Hip hop K-pop dance-pop R&b
Instruments	Vocals piano guitar beatbox
Years active	2001–present
Labels	YG Entertainment
Associated acts	Big Bang YG Family GD & TOP GD X TAEYANG
Website	ygbigbang.com/gdragon

Kwon Ji-yong (Hangul: 권지용; born August 18, 1988), better known by his stage name G-Dragon, is a South Korean rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, and fashion icon. After six years as a trainee under the record label YG Entertainment, G-Dragon rose to fame in the mid-2000s as one of two rappers in the South Korean hip hop boy band Big Bang. Despite initial lukewarm receptions, the group became one of the best-selling digital groups of all-time in Asia and one of the best-selling boy bands in the world.

G-Dragon debuted as a solo artist with the release of Heartbreaker in 2009. The album was a commercial success and earned the Mnet Asian Music Awards for Album of the Year, while the single of the same name became a number-one hit. G-Dragon later formed a duo with fellow Big Bang member T.O.P to record and release the album GD & TOP (2010), which contained the top-five hits "High High", "Oh Yeah", and "Knock Out" on the Gaon Digital Chart, while the album peaked at number-one. His first EP One of a Kind (2012) was critically acclaimed and yielded "One of a Kind", "Crayon", and the number-one "That XX", earning Record of the Year at the 22nd Seoul Music Awards. The EP became the highest-selling album by a Korean soloist since his own album Heartbreaker.

In 2013, he embarked on his first worldwide tour as a solo artist, which included a four-dome tour in Japan, making him the first Korean soloist to do a dome tour. G-Dragon was awarded Artist of the Year at the 15th Mnet Asian Music Awards following the success of his second studio album Coup d'Etat (2013), in addition to the awards of World's Best Entertainer and World's Best Album at the 2014 World Music Awards. His second EP, Kwon Ji Yong, which yielded the number-one single "Untitled, 2014", was released in 2017. He then commenced his second world tour, Act III, M.O.T.T.E, set to be largest tour ever conducted by a Korean solo artist.