The Real Jiyong

Introduction

PREFACE

As a journalist you're always looking for that one interview that will make your career and when you find it you try you're hardest not to let it slip though your fingers at any cost. Every person I have sat down and interviewed always left a strong impression, but the one interview that still leaves me speechless would be the interview I had at the end of April 2017; when I had the opportunity to have a sit down, a one-on-one interview with Jiyong Kwon or better known by his stage name G-dragon. I had read the articles, heard the accusations and seen the somewhat giant cloud of mystery that surrounded this iconic idol. There was something about his character that drew people in. I studied every article written about him and they all seemed to paint the portrait of a well established, perfection seeking rock star. In leman terms he was the guy every girl wanted to date, and the type of man every guy aspired to be. Some articles even made him seem arrogant and boastful; which never seemed to correlate with the face time interviews he did whether individually or with his group members. It almost seemed as though the media was trying to depict him in a light that suited them; and the media succeeded in making the public believe this. When he showed characteristics other than the ones that were somehow attached to his image the perception was that he was doing it for television even when his emotions seemed sincere; so I went into that interview ready to crack the mask and reveal the 'real Jiyong', but to my surprise there was nothing to peel away, no mask to crack.