2013 Became The Year of G-Dragon: Year In Review
Although, 2013 was the Lunar Year of the Snake, Big Bang's leader G-Dragon proved that as far as K-Pop is concerned it was the year of the dragon. For G-Dragon, 2013 was a record breaking year. In January 2013, G-Dragon became the first Korean solo artist to establish a four dome Japanese tour with announcement of the 2013 G-Dragon 1st World Tour. The 2013 G-Dragon 1st World Tour completed twenty-seven performances in nine countries throughout Asia in support of the One of A Kind mini album. The tour ran from March 30th through September 1st with a wide assortment of YG Entertainment artists in support including Big Bang.
In April 2013, G-Dragon released the critically acclaimed music video Michi Go. In addition to his tour, G-Dragon made his American fans incredibly happy when he appeared at KCON 2013. G-Dragon was the only artist from YG Entertainment to appear at the SM Entertainment laden KCON. G-Dragon utilized his KCON 2013 performance to premier his collaboration with hip hop legend Missy Elliot. At KCON, he introduced his single off of Coup d'Etat with Missy Elliot entitled Niliria.
Coup d'Etat was released in two parts in September 2013 to widespread success. The two part album featured numerous artists including electronic dance music artists Diplo, Boys Noize, and Baauer, as well as indie pop darling Sky Ferreira, and Missy Elliot. The album served as a magnum opus to G-Dragon's composition skills with the artist responsible for a greater part of the album. YG Entertainment's Teddy and Choice 37 also played a large part on Coup d'Etat which explored a varying range of musical genres and featured English vocals from artists such as Missy Elliot and Sky Ferreira.
In October 2013, G-Dragon won the highest honor at the 2013 Style Icon Awards, the Style Icon of the Year Award. At the 2013 Style Icon Awards, G-Dragon mentioned the possibility of the formation of a Big Bang sub-unit. While the sub-unit has yet to be announced, fans are eager to see the project come to fruition. 2013 MAMA proved to be a huge occasion for G-Dragon as a solo artist. G-Dragon received Best Male Solo Artist, Best Music Video for Coup d'Etat, Best Dance Performance-Male Solo for Crooked, Artist of the Year, and a MAMA for Artist of the Year.
G-Dragon collaborated with Infinity Challenge's Jung Hyung Don to create one of the most humorous bromances in K-Pop for 2013. Their collaboration Going To Try for the Infinity Challenge Freeway Song Festival helped G-Dragon establish a more humorous side in the public eye, in light of the serious nature of his career accomplishments. G-Dragon continued to display aegyo and sweet banter with Jung Hyung Don on episodes of MBC Every1's Weekly Idol leading the duo to be nominated for the Best Couple Award at the 2013 MBC Entertainment Awards.
December has also proven to be a record breaking month for G-Dragon. La Presse, a French Canadian magazine named G-Dragon as the Korean celebrity most likely to succeed abroad. Complex Magazine also listed G-Dragon and Missy Elliot's Niliria at 32nd on their The 50 Best Songs of 2013. G-Dragon ranked number four on Complex Magazine's Most Stylish Celebrities of 2013 list. Michi Go is named one of the 24 Most Brilliant Music Videos of 2013 by BuzzFeed. G-Dragon also appeared on Billboard's year end World Music Artist chart in which he placed ninth.
In 2013, G-Dragon took a brief break from being the leader of Big Bang to firmly establish his career on an international level. While December comes to close, G-Dragon continues to rack up year end awards and acclaim from critics, worldwide. As K-Pop gains more critical acclaim as a musical genre, it has become apparent that G-Dragon will be on the forefront of proving that there is more to Korean pop than Gangnam Style. With his composition skills and drive, G-Dragon will sustain longevity in the years to come and may possibly be the successor to Yang Hyun Suk in terms of the YG Entertainment dynasty.
Photo Source:YG Entertainment,Mnet, Kpopstarz
