G-DRAGON has finally spoken directly to fans about the recent controversy surrounding his live performances. The BIGBANG leader chose to address it in the most personal way possible—on stage, at the very end of his world tour.
On December 14, he held the final encore concert of his third world tour, “G-DRAGON 2025 WORLD TOUR [ÜBERMENSCH] – SEOUL,” at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. The show marked the conclusion of a massive global tour that began in Goyang in March and spanned 36 performances in 16 cities worldwide.
He used the moment to openly reflect on his past year and speak candidly with the fans who stood by him.
Standing in front of a packed stadium, G-DRAGON looked back on his comeback year and admitted it had not been easy. He shared that it had been one full year since his return and said he could honestly say he worked extremely hard.
At the same time, he acknowledged the pressure of trying to balance both quality and quantity in his work.
There are so many things I want to do well, but when you work this hard, it’s not easy to get both quality and quantity at the same time. I ended up trying to catch two birds with one stone, but it just wasn’t working at all, so I decided to cut my hair.
His comments were widely seen as a response to the criticism he has faced over several live performances in recent months. The scrutiny began after his appearance at the SBS Gayo Daejeon in December 2024, his first year-end broadcast stage in eight years.
Some viewers criticized the performance for sounding off-beat and for his raspy vocal delivery. That criticism continued into March 2025, when the opening concert of his world tour in Goyang was delayed by more than an hour due to bad weather. Strong winds reportedly affected the sound, which left some audience members disappointed.
The debate intensified again following his performance at the 2025 MAMA Awards in November, held at Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong. Online viewers claimed his vocals were difficult to hear over the backing track, and the performance quickly became a hot topic.
G-DRAGON later added fuel to the discussion by leaving a cryptic thumbs-down emoji on the official 2025 MAMA highlight video. His agency, Galaxy Corporation, later explained that he had scrapped a more elaborate stage out of respect for victims of a tragic fire in Hong Kong.
Seemingly aware of all this, G-DRAGON told fans during the Seoul finale that if he was going to continue working this hard, he needed to seriously think about his direction moving forward. He said he had been searching for the reason why these issues had come up in the first place.
The moment became even more meaningful when Taeyang made a surprise appearance on stage. Taeyang shared that in over 20 years, it was the first time he had seen G-DRAGON ask such a question. Taeyang revealed, “He even asked me how I warm up my voice.” In response, G-Dragon explained, “I asked while trying to find answers to why these issues came up.”
Despite the controversies, there is no denying that 2025 was a major year for him. The Übermensch World Tour was a global sell-out and received praise for its mix of music, fashion, and technology.
As the night came to a close, G-DRAGON focused on gratitude. He thanked fans sincerely, saying that everything he has done has been with them and because of them.
Before leaving the stage, he also shared news that excited longtime fans. G-DRAGON announced that BIGBANG is preparing for a 20th-anniversary “coming-of-age ceremony” in 2026. Their activities are expected to begin in the United States, starting in April with the Coachella 2026 performance.
