Amid T.O.P's ongoing legal and health battles, G-Dragon has brought joy to fans as his new album has made a killing in music charts in Korea and other countries.
The leader of K-pop boy band Big Bang released his fourth solo album "Kwon Ji Yong" on June 8 and it immediately dominated all music charts in Korea to achieve an all-kill status.
Outside Korea, "Kwon Ji Yong" topped iTunes album charts in 39 countries, solidifying his status as a global star.
According to YG Entertainment, the album topped iTunes in Argentina, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macau, Malaysia, Mexico, USA, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand and Ukraine.
This is the biggest record in the history of Korean artists on iTunes and reaffirmed G-Dragon's global influence beyond Asia.
YG Entertainment also made an innovation by releasing the physical album in USB drive, contrary to the industry practice of selling albums in CD format. The album USB has the words "Kwon Ji Yong, Blood Type 1, August 18, 1988," which is G-Dragon's birthday.
After the digital album was released on June 8, the physical album will be on sale on June 10.
For the album, YG Entertainment switched the title track from "Bullshit" to "Untitled, 2014" with no explanation. The agency announced on June 1 that "Bullshit" will be the title song.
It's not known if T.O.P's indictment for marijuana use and his subsequent hospitalization for drug overdose had anything to do with the title song change.
G-Dragon previously apologized to fans for T.O.P's scandal, saying "I'm very sorry to have caused you so much anxiety. We won't let this happen again. Please continue to support us," the Korea Herald reported.
Other songs in the album are "Middle Fingers Up," "Super Star" and "Divina Commedia."
Following the album's release, G-Dragon will start his world tour titled "ACT III, MOTTE" in Seoul on June 10. From there he will hold concerts in 19 cities.
