Credit: IME Group Pte Ltd and Live Nation Korea

Singapore, 2017 – Exploding on stage all decked out in red, G-Dragon kick-started his Singapore leg of the ACT III: MOTTE World Tour 2017 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Saturday, 24 Jun.

Broken into 3 main acts, G-dragon started the night off with “Act I: G-Dragon” through top hits ‘Heartbreaker’, ‘Breathe’, ‘A Boy’, ‘But I Love You’ and ‘Obsession’. Void of extravagant stage effects and stunts, G-Dragon captivated fans simply by his stage presence, dance moves, and live singing.

Captioned “Act II: G-Dragon vs Kwon Ji Young“, GD continued the night with hits ‘Go’, ‘One of a Kind’, ‘THAT XX’ and many more. Fans who were left wondering what Act II meant got their curiosity sated through a video recording, where GD’s family, close friends and seniors in the entertainment industry were asked of their impression of GD – “Who is G-Dragon to you?”

The responses shone a light on the star that GD was – an individual who brought K-pop to the world, an icon and pop star of our generation, an inspiration and a special student whose determination to become an artist were very clear (GD’s elementary school teacher). Fellow labelmate Sandara Park also spoke fondly of him, sharing that although there are many idols out there, to her, there is only G-Dragon. Entertainer Jeong Hyeongdon who won the ‘Best Couple Award’ with G-Dragon at the 2013 MBC Entertainment Awards and who is well-known for having ‘push-and-pull (Mil-dang 밀당) moments with GD undoubtedly got fans chuckling with his witty “Just a regular celebrity!” comment.

In line with Act II, the same interviewees were then asked – “Who is Kwon Ji Yong to you?”. Initially confused with the question, the interviewees soon realised the concept that the interview was gunning for, i.e. Is G-Dragon and Kwon Ji Young the same person?

Contrary to the earlier responses that highlighted his world star status, comments to this question were more personal and showed the human side of GD, or rather, Kwon Ji Young. Friends like PSY shared that he was a well-mannered person, whilst CL shared that he is someone who likes to nag because he cares. Friends also pointed out his fun-loving side, stating that he loves to party and was a respected friend who brought a lot of joy.

On a familial level, GD’s parents shared that Ji Young to them was the best son who has never said no to them before. GD’s sister also shared that her brother was mostly stoic and quiet, but would talk more when he starts drinking. Big Bang’s Tae Yang also fondly shared that Ji Young is someone who will always be a part of his life, just like how he hopes to always be in GD’s life. Indeed, the duality of his character from the two questions brings to light the attractiveness of him, regardless of whether he is named GD or Kwon Ji Young.

The concert continued with hits like ‘Today’ and ‘Crayon’, and a special video recorded by GD started “Act III: Kwon Ji Young“. In this video, GD gave fans an insight into his innermost thoughts and worries through the following:

“I am to someone a son, a friend, a love, or a favourite star/ celebrity. But the most important thing is I’m not even sure who I really am. I am always trying to look good that (I) dress up as ‘GD’. But the reality is sometimes, it feels too heavy on me. Still, I’m kind of afraid to.. take it off. I may seem like I’m living the ‘good life’..but these days.. I don’t know. At least in front of you guys, no.. at least in this very moment… I wanted to be honest. Really Kwon Ji Young is.. I wish I can be someone who still shines.. without all these shiny things on. I’ve been living as G-Dragon until now, but now I want to live being “KWON JI YOUNG”. I don’t know what you want me to be, but what you see right now is everything.”

Ending the video with “Who Am I?”, fans started chanting ‘Kwon Ji Young’ and GD emerged back on stage with releases ‘Superstar’, ‘Middle Fingers Up’ and ‘Bullshit’ from his recently released album ‘Kwon Ji Young’. Taking some time to interact and chat with fans, GD shared that this recent album was a very personal project for him, and he had put in his soul and emotions into developing it. He also shared he was initially worried that fans might not understand what he had hoped to convey through the album but realized that these concerns were unfounded. He also shared that the last few months were kind of tough, with too many things happening. However, he assured fans that if fans stayed on with them, the familial bonds with fans would always stay strong.

The night was brought to a closure with encore songs ‘This Love’, crowd favourite ‘Crooked’ and the sentimental hot new song ‘Untitled, 2014’.