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G-Dragon talks identity struggles at Singapore concert, bids farewell to fans for now

G-Dragon at his '2017 Concert: Act III, M.O.T.T.E' in Singapore (Photo: IME Group Pte Ltd and Live Nation Korea)
G-Dragon at his '2017 Concert: Act III, M.O.T.T.E' in Singapore (Photo: IME Group Pte Ltd and Live Nation Korea)

G-Dragon, leader of popular K-pop group, BIGBANG, said farewell to his fans here at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on 24 and 25 June as part of his “ACT III, M.O.T.T.E” 2017 world tour, where he also talked about the struggle between his stage and real-life identities.

During the concert, G-Dragon spoke in English about his enlistment into the South Korean military next year, “I have to go somewhere soon (does military salute). For maybe one and a half, maybe two years. So this might be my last show for the next two years.”

The 28-year-old singer, whose real name is Kwon Ji-yong (also the title of his latest album, which was released earlier in June) introduced himself to the audience using his real name instead of the stage name that he is commonly recognised for (G-Dragon).

In a video monologue, he talked about his dual identities as G-Dragon and Kwon Ji-yong, saying “I’m not even sure who I really am sometimes. I am always trying to look good when I dress up as ‘GD’, but sometimes it feels too burdensome and I’m kind of afraid to take this (persona) off.”

“In front of you guys, at this very moment, I wanted to be more honest. I hope that even when I’m simply just Kwon Ji-yong, I can be someone who still shines even without all these ‘flashy’ costumes on.”

G-Dragon talked about his dual identities as G-Dragon and Kwon Ji-yong at his '2017 Concert: Act III, M.O.T.T.E' in Singapore (Photo: IME Group Pte Ltd and Live Nation Korea)
G-Dragon talked about his dual identities as G-Dragon and Kwon Ji-yong at his '2017 Concert: Act III, M.O.T.T.E' in Singapore (Photo: IME Group Pte Ltd and Live Nation Korea)

He also explained in English, “From the bottom of my heart, it is truly an honour to be here on stage as a solo artiste. I don’t really know how to express myself right now, but the important thing is, thank you for coming today! I can never ever forget this precious time with all of you. Today’s show is over, but I will be back.”

“I know we may come from many different countries and are sometimes far away from each other, but I believe that we are always ‘connected’… like a USB,” he added with a laugh at his own joke.

The“ACT III, M.O.T.T.E” concert was divided into three ‘acts’, each dedicated to different parts of G-Dragon’s 11-year singing career.

Act one was dedicated to his ‘G-Dragon’ persona, where he started off with his first solo title song, “Heartbreaker” and performed songs from his first album of the same title. Act two was titled ‘G-Dragon VS Kwon Ji-yong’, while act three focused on ‘Kwon Ji-yong’, with the concert ending with his latest album’s title song, “Untitled, 2014”.

G-Dragon’s last full-scale concert in Singapore was in 2013 for his “One Of A Kind” world tour.

G-Dragon at his '2017 Concert: Act III, M.O.T.T.E' in Singapore (Photo: IME Group Pte Ltd and Live Nation Korea)
G-Dragon at his '2017 Concert: Act III, M.O.T.T.E' in Singapore (Photo: IME Group Pte Ltd and Live Nation Korea)

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