G-DRAGON
Born: 18 August 1988
Age:
Years Active: 1994–present
Genre/s: K-pop, hip-hop, dance-pop, R&B, trap
Label/s: YG, Galaxy Corp., Empire
Member of: BigBang, GD X Taeyang
Kwon Ji-yong (Korean: 권지용; born August 18, 1988), best known as G-Dragon (지드래곤), is a South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. Dubbed the "King of K-pop", he rose to prominence as the leader of the South Korean boy band BigBang, which went on to become one of the best-selling boy bands in the world.
Born in Seoul, he made his public debut at age six as part of the musical group Little Roo'ra. In 2009, he released his first solo studio album Heartbreaker; the album and its title track of the same name were commercially successful, becoming the best-selling album by a Korean soloist at the time and earning him Album of the Year at the 2009 Mnet Asian Music Awards. This was followed by a collaboration with bandmate T.O.P for the album GD & TOP in 2010. His first EP, One of a Kind (2012), earned Best Album at the 2013 Seoul Music Awards and spawned the chart-topping single "That XX". In 2013, he embarked on the One of a Kind World Tour, his first worldwide tour as a solo artist, making him the first Korean soloist to tour Japanese dome arenas.
G-Dragon released his second studio album Coup d'Etat in 2013, featuring the number-one single "Who You?". His 2017 EP, Kwon Ji Yong, yielded the chart-topping single "Untitled, 2014", and the supporting concert tour Act III: M.O.T.T.E became the largest tour ever conducted by a Korean soloist. In 2023, G-Dragon officially departed YG Entertainment after 20 years of activities, signing to Galaxy Corporation under his real name. His third studio album Übermensch (2025) earned Album of the Year at the 2025 Melon Music Awards and spawned the number-one singles "Home Sweet Home" and "Too Bad"; the former song earned Song of the Year at the same ceremony.
Widely recognized for his influence on youth culture, fashion trends, and music in South Korea, G-Dragon was included in Forbes' list of the 2030 Power Leaders for three consecutive years (2012–2014), and has been part of Hypebeast's list of the 100 most influential people in fashion eight times. He has written or co-written 24 number-one songs on the Gaon Digital Chart, most of which he has also co-produced. G-Dragon is the recipient of numerous awards, including twelve MAMA Awards, fourteen Melon Music Awards, two Korean Music Awards and two Golden Disc Awards, and the first and only solo artist to receive the MAMA Award for Artist of the Year (2013 and 2025). In 2025, South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recognized G-Dragon's cultural achievements and expanding the value of Korea’s pop culture worldwide by awarding him the Okgwan Order, a 4th grade Order of Cultural Merit; he became the youngest recipient and first idol to receive it.
G-Dragon was born on August 18, 1988, in Seoul, South Korea. He enrolled at Kyung Hee University in 2008 to study post-modern music; he later dropped out due to his busy schedule, and instead majored in Sports Technology Management at Gukje Cyber University, obtaining a Bachelor's degree in 2013. G-Dragon graduated in 2016 double majoring Master's degree in Supply Chain Management and Fashion Merchandising at Sejong University. Plans for a doctoral degree were delayed to accommodate his military enlistment.