G-Dragon, whose original name is Kwon Ji Yong, is a multifaceted talent who commands a good fan following across the globe. He is a rapper, songwriter, model, and trendsetter in fashion. He is said to be an idol with most copyrights as he has over 170 songs to his credit. How much this success in the K-pop industry is translating into money?
His Journey
After being a trainee for years, G-Dragon, the rumoured boyfriend of Blackpink's Jennie, catapulted his K-pop group BigBang to unimaginable heights of popularity, by delivering hit albums one after the other. 'Heartbreaker' in 2009, 'One of a Kind' in 2012, and 'Coup d'Etat'.
By 2013, he had earned over 10 billion won from the music sales and concerts. He got 790 million won as royalties from Korea Music Copyright Association alone in the said year. His multiple world tours and record music sales helped him accumulate an estimated net worth of $33.2 million (37,929,340,000 won)in 2016.
His solo career has only helped him to garner more and more money. In 2017, G-Dragon, with his 'Act III: MoTTe', became the largest ever world toured solo Korean artist. His popularity is increasing year after year as his numbers top the global charts. Over 20 songs have taken the number 1 spot in the Gaon Digital Chart.
The success of his songs has ensured that he earns $700,000 (799,715,000 won) annually in royalties alone.
The other major source of income for G-Dragon is endorsement deals. He has become the face of the brands like Nike, Hyundai, and Airbnb among many others. The 'Heartbreaker' hitmaker was the first K-pop to strike a deal with a Chinese company in 2020 following Beijing's virtual ban on 'hallyu' since 2016. He signed a contract with Chinese bottled water giant Nongfu Spring Co.
In 2016, G-Dragon launched his own fashion and jewelry brand, Peaceminusone.
His Investment in Real Estate
The 32-year-old rapper purchased a luxury penthouse in 2020 in Seoul's one of the expensive locality Hannam-dong. The price of the building is estimated to be around 9 billion won (S$10.4 million). He owns two cafes and one of the two properties earns him $13,900 (15,880,055 won), per day.
These two buildings apart, he has an Alice In Wonderland-inspired building in Cheongdam worth $8 million (9,139,600,000 won) and another one called Galleria Foret which he purchased for $27 million (30,846,150,000 won).
A Lamborghini priced $489,000 (558,658,050 won) and a gold iPhone case are the other expensive items that he owns.
In total, G-Dragon's estimated net worth is around $55 million (62,834,750,000).
