[Sports Chosun Reporter Cho Yoon-sun] G-Dragon expressed satisfaction with his changed self compared to the past.
On the 30th broadcast of tvN’s “You Quiz on the Block,” the eternal icon of the era, G-Dragon, made an appearance.
During the show, Yoo Jae-suk mentioned, “I heard that G-Dragon considered not releasing his album while preparing for ‘Crooked,'” and asked for the reason. G-Dragon explained, “I think it was right after releasing the ‘Crooked’ album. I wasn’t even thirty yet at that time. I’ve been living as a trainee since I was six and debuted at 19, but I was reaching the age for military service next year. Looking back, I’ve only spent about four to five years living as Kwon Ji-yong. For more than 20 years, it was either as a trainee or G-Dragon, so I didn’t know who I really was.”
He continued, “When I reflected on myself, I realized I started this because I loved it, and I am still doing what I love while being loved for it, lacking nothing. But I wondered if I was truly happy. Although I ought to be happy, and there was no reason not to be, an outsider looking at me might think otherwise just by seeing my outward appearance.”
G-Dragon also shared, “When you’re on a world tour, there are a lot of foreign fans who sing along and lights are dazzling, but in everyday life, whether it’s Big Bang or solo activities, I felt like I never left the studio. I didn’t have anywhere to go, and there weren’t many people I knew outside. Everything was resolved in the studio, so my world was right there. At that time, the movie ‘The Truman Show’ was my favorite, and I wondered if my situation was like that. Many people love you, but as the person involved, you sometimes want to hide parts of yourself. All these thoughts overlapped back then.”
He revealed the difficulty of receiving solace from anyone at the time, saying, “It was a period where it was really hard to seek comfort from others. I was doing so well, so asking for comfort seemed like a luxury complaint. Even if I were to go back, I don’t think I could ask for it.”
G-Dragon described the challenges of handling his emotions internally, with over 100 staff members working for him during the world tour, explaining, “I couldn’t vent to anyone, so I kept everything inside. It felt like my guts were festering, even though outwardly, everything seemed fine.”
He reflected on his endlessly busy schedule right up until his enlistment, “I worked until the very end, even being at events two days before enlistment. During the world tour, the most common question I asked was, ‘Where are we?’ I would wake up three days had passed, and staff would tell me we were in another country. The pattern was quite hectic, making it hard to stay mentally intact.”
G-Dragon expressed the desire to present himself genuinely before his enlistment, “Before joining the army, I wanted to introduce myself as Kwon Ji-yong, the person behind the singer G-Dragon. That’s why I named the album released before enlistment ‘Kwon Ji-yong.’ It was filled with personal stories, and I secretly hoped not too many people would listen.”
Looking back at that period with a sense of relief now, G-Dragon said, “Upon reflection, I think I had experiences appropriate for that age. Now, for the sake of my health, I try to be more relaxed. As a result, my appearance, demeanor, and speech have changed from before. It’s not as sharp, but personally, I’m comfortable with that.”