Biography of Seungri

Lee Seung-hyun professionally known by his stage names Seungri and V.I., is a South Korean singer, songwriter, actor, and businessman. He is a former member of the South Korean boy band BIG BANG, formed by YG Entertainment. He rose to stardom as a member of the South Korean boy band BIG BANG. With the release of the group’s second album ‘Remember’ in 2008, containing his solo performance, he was recognised as a prominent, with a more mature image of an artist.

Seungri successfully released his megahit and chart-topping extended play ‘V.V.I.P’ in 2011. The album debuted at number one on the South Korean music charts and was the fourth best-selling album by a Korean male artist in 2011. His second extended play ‘Let’s Talk About Love’ released in 2013 became his second number-one album. The album was re-released in Japan as his first full Japanese studio album. In 2018, he released his first Korean studio album ‘The Great Seingri’.

His theatrical debut was marked by the musical ‘Sonagi’ in 2008. Seungri starred in the 2009 South Korean-Japanese film ‘Nineteen’ along with Huh E-jae. The movie narrates the plot of three 19-year-old youngsters who are accused of murder and trying to prove their innocence. He played the role of Park Min-seo. The same year Seingri featured in the romance movie ‘Why Did You Come To My House?’ as Park Ji-min. He made his television debut with the Japanese drama ‘Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo’ in 2013 and the South Korean television series ‘Angel Eyes’ in 2014.

Early Life and Education

Seungri was born and raised in Gwangju, South Korea. He was spotted for his dancing skills while participating in the dance group II Hwa. After his college exams, he enrolled himself in Chung-Ang University along with Yuri and Sooyoung of the Girl’s Generation. He dropped out because of his academic probation due to his tight schedule with BigBang. Later, he enrolled at Gukje Digital University to complete his course.

Career

Seungri appeared in the survival program ‘Let’s Coke Play! Battle Shinhwa’ to seek a career in the entertainment industry. Alongside the other five members, he was scouted by YG Entertainment for the audition of the new boy band, BIG BANG. The other selected members include T.O.P., Taeyang, G-Dragon, Daesung, and Hyun-seung. Hyung-seung dropped before the official debut.

BIG BANG’s first album ‘Big Bang Vol.1 – Since 2007’ was successful after the release of several single albums. For the album, he recorded his first solo song ‘The Next Day’. The group’s top-notch fame was with the release of their first extended play ‘Always’ in 2007 with the breakout hit ‘Lies’. The song was a megahit and won the group the Song of the Year award at the 9th Mnet Korean Music Festival. The band’s second Korean extended play ‘Hot Issue’ under YG Entertainment with the single ‘Last Farewell’.

‘Stand Up’ is the third Korean extended play with the popular number-one hit single ‘Haru Haru’ released on 8 August 2008. He continued with his dancing skills by competing against his bandmate Taeyang, Super Junior’s Eunhyuk, TVXQ’s Yunho and Shinee’s Taemin. He choreographed most of BIG BANG’s dances.

The members of the BIG BANG slowly diversified to pursue their solo careers in 2008. Seungri became the first member to act in the musical ‘Sonagi’ the same year. Apart from acting, he also branched out into hosting. He became the host of MBC’s music program ‘Show! Music Core’ along with Daesung.

The second single of the album ‘Remember’ with two celebrated singles ‘Sunset Glow’ and ‘Strong Baby’ was released in 2008. The single ‘Strong Baby’ was a solo release by Seungri under YG Entertainment. He promoted the single with a sophisticated look to shed the image of the youngest member. On the SBS’s live music show ‘Inkigayo’, he won the first triple crown for the single, ‘Strong Baby’.

Seungri starred in the first film ‘Why Did You Come to My House?’, in the musical ‘Shouting’ and in the film ’19-Nineteen’. On 20 January 2011, he released his first extended play ‘V.V.I.P’ with two singles ‘VVIP’ and ‘What Can I Do’. To manifest a solo identity in music, he engaged himself in composing the lyrics and musical composing writing 6 out of 7 tracks. He achieved the ‘SBS Inkigayo Mutizen Award’. He featured in the 2012 South Korean romance musical period drama ‘Lights and Shadows’ as Ahn Jae-su.

Seungri started his promotions by appearing and hosting multiple shows like ‘Big Bang’s All Night Nippon’, ‘Fuji TV’s Sakigake! Ongaku Banzuke Eight’ and ‘Seungchan’s Complete Victory Declaration on Space Shower TV’. He appeared in the special drama ‘Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo’ which was based on the manga ‘Kindaichi Case Files Neo SP 1: Hong Kong Kowloon Treasure Murder Case’. The drama won Best Drama SP at the ‘Tokyo Drama Awards’. He became the regular cast of ‘Count Down E.T.’ hosting the Men’s Bar Food section.

Misfortune befell Seungri after he was caught up in a sex scandal with a Japanese woman. Correspondingly, he stepped out from the band’s promotional activities. After a year, he appeared on an SBS talk show ‘Incarnation’ about his transformation reflecting on his actions. His second Korean EP ‘Let’s Talk About Love’ was released in 2013. The album was produced by himself and debuted at number one on the Gaon Chart.

The same year he released his first Japanese album, topping the Oricon Charts. The album is composed of both his new and old songs. The new song ‘The Feelings Painted in the Sky’ was used as the theme song for his first Japanese television drama ‘Yubikoi ～Kimini Okuru Message～’. He was the first international celebrity to have a hosting spot on a regular Japanese cable show alongside comedian Hiroshi Yamazaki for ‘Popular Women 100’. He starred in the Japanese drama ‘A Message Send To You’ and a supporting role in the Korean medical drama ‘Angel Eyes’. He played the role of Teddy Seo, the Korean-American who came back to Korea to become an emergency rescue worker.

In 2016, Seungri released his third Korean album ‘Made’. The same year, he was the professional judge on ‘Girls Fighting’, a Chinese TV programme and produced the song ’36 Tricks of Love’ for the same. The song ranked number one on the QQ Music and Weibo charts. He starred in the commercially successful Japanese movie, ‘High & Low: The Movie’ in 2016 which ranked second at the Japanese box office.

Along with PKCZ, he recorded the song ‘We Run Dis’ for its soundtrack. Seungri starred in his first Chinese film ‘Love Only’ which was released on 2 March 2018. Twelve years after his debut, in 2018 he announced his first solo tour titled ‘The Great Seungri’ as a promotion for his first studio album. His first Korean studio album of the same name was released on 20 July 2018. The album contains the lead singles ‘1,2,3!’ and ‘Where R U From’.

He was the composer, producer and lyricist for all the tracks in the album. He featured on the single ‘Combo’ by TPA along with Al Rocco and Ivy. In 2018, He was featured on the single ‘Ignite’ by K-39 along with Alan Walker and Julie Bergan. He starred in the sitcom-variety show ‘YG Future Strategy Office’ and ‘We Will Channel You’.

Achievements

Seungri is a South Korean former singer-songwriter actor, businessman and ex-member of the South Korean boy band BIG BANG, by YG Entertainment. Even though he was involved in the Burning Sun scandal, as an artist, he is widely celebrated and popular for his artistic genius. Here are some of his notable achievements:

• Seungri won the ‘Popularity Award’ in 2009 at the ‘3rd The Musical Awards’.
• In 2018, at the ‘2nd Korea China International Film Festival’ Seungri was awarded the ‘Hallyu Star Award’ for his nominated work ‘Himself’.
• Seungri won the ‘Scene Stealer Award’ in 2018 at the ’12th SBS Entertainment Awards’.

Military Life

Despite the controversies regarding the Burning Sun scandal, Seungri was enlisted in the Nonsan Army Training Center on 25 March 2019. As the investigation was going on, Military Manpower Administration granted a three-month postponement as per his request. On 9 March 2020, he was enlisted at the 6th Infantry Recruit Training Center in Cheorwon County, Gangwon Province. Since his verdict was not final, the trial was referred to the Court of Appeal and he was suspended from military service.

Personal Life

There are rumours regarding the dating of former BIG BANG member Seungri and model/ influencer Yoo Hye-won. Initially, rumours surfaced in October 2018 and again it erupted in 2020. Both the celebrities and their agencies have not confirmed the news.

Controversies

In 2015, Seungri was accused of bribery and embezzlement for allegedly supplying sex workers. After the incident, he retired both from BIG BANG and the entertainment industry on 11 March 2019. After the police investigation of the Burning Sun scandal, he was convicted in 2020. On 16 September 2020, his military trial started and he denied much of his crimes. The military court sentenced Seungri to three years of imprisonment and a fine of 1.15 billion won (US $970,000) after being found guilty on 21 August 2021. Based on his admission of guilt, his sentence was reduced to 18 months.

Net Worth and Lifestyle

Seungri’s net worth is estimated to be around $25 million US dollars. He has a wealthy and prosperous lifestyle with two branches of music/dance academy called ‘Plug In Music Academy’ and ‘Seungri Academy’. His former academy students are of high profile K-pop celebrities such as 2NE1’s Minzy, BTS’ J-Hope, Kara’s Goo Hara, TVXQ’s Yunho and B.A.P.’s Zelo. He also has a café business and private bars. He is the owner of multiple dance academies and has several collaborations with worldwide branches.

Awards

• 3rd The Musical Awards (2019)
• Popularity Award – Himself (2019)
• 2nd Korea China International Film Festival (2018)
• Hallyu Star Award- Himself (2018)
• 12th SBS Entertainment Awards (2018)
• Scene Stealer Award (2018)

Interesting Facts about Seungri

1. Seungri has a black belt in taekwondo.
2. Seungri’s favourite food is a bowl of rice with beef.
3. Seungri is a polyglot.
4. Seungri loves clubbing.
5. Seungri participated in the musicals ‘Sonagi’ (2008) and ‘Shouting!’ (2009).
6. Seungri moved to Seoul when he was 16 years old.
7. Seungri was featured in the ‘Ignite’ song by K-391 & Alan Walker in 2018.
8. Seungri started learning jiu-jitsu in 2015.

FAQs

1. What was Seungri jailed for?
   Seungri has been involved in the Burning Sun scandal along with the sex and drug scandals since 2018. He was sentenced to three years imprisonment.
2. What is Seungri’s birth name?
   Seungri’s birth name is Lee Seung Hyun.
3. How old is Seungri?
   As of 2023, Seungri is 33 years old.
4. When is Seungri’s birthday?
   Seungri’s birthday is on 12 December.
5. What is Seungri’s Instagram ID?
   lee_seung_hyun91 is the fan page of Seungri on Instagram.