G-Dragon to release debut Japanese solo album

G-Dragon, superstar leader of K-pop idol group Big Bang, has announced his plan to release his first solo Japanese album. The singer announced that he will be making his solo debut in Japan with the release of his yet-to-be-titled upcoming album on Aug. 14.

G-Dragon will become the second member of Big Bang to make a solo debut in the country after Daesung’s D-Lite solo concert tour in February. The leader is currently on his first worldwide tour as a solo artist, which includes a four-dome tour in Japan. 

The “G-Dragon 2013 1st World Tour: One of a Kind” kicked off on Saturday at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul, an event that attracted 13,000 screaming fans. The full listing of tour dates has not yet been confirmed, but performances in Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Taiwan, China and Malaysia have been announced.

This concert tour is the artist’s second solo concert tour and first worldwide tour. The leader will be visiting four cities in Japan ― Fukuoka, Seibu, Osaka and Nagoya ― and performing in front of around 361,000 fans in Japan alone. 

G-Dragon released his second solo album “One of a Kind” last September, almost three years after the release of his debut solo album that was swept up in plagiarism controversies. G-Dragon’s latest single “Michi GO” was released on Monday in select countries to fans that use the LINE Naver chat application.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)