Seungri, South Korean singer-songwriter
Lee Seung-hyun (Korean: 이승현; born December 12, 1990), better known by his stage names Seungri (Hangul: 승리, Victory) and V.I (when performing in Japan), is a former South Korean singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, businessman, investor, DJ and creative director. In the mid-2000s, Seungri rose to prominence as one of three vocalists and youngest member of the South Korean boy band Big Bang under YG Entertainment, which eventually became one of the best-selling digital groups of all-time in Asia and one of the best-selling boy bands in the world. With the release of the group's second studio album Remember (2008), in which the second single released, "Strong Baby", was performed solely by Seungri, he began to adopt a more mature image as an artist.
Seungri furthered this image with the release of his first extended play, V.V.I.P in 2011. The EP debuted at number one on the Gaon Album Chart and yielded two singles: "VVIP" and "What Can I Do" (Korean: 어쩌라고, Revised Romanization: Eojjeolago). The latter peaked at number seven on the Gaon Digital Chart and the album sold over 50,000 copies. His second Korean EP Let's Talk About Love (2013) fared better, becoming his second number one album and selling over 80,000 copies. Let's Talk About Love was supported by "Gotta Talk to You" (Korean: 할말 있어요, Revised Romanization: Halmal Isseoyo), which charted at number three on the Gaon Chart and was later re-released in Japan as his first full Japanese studio album, containing previous materials from the two EPs recorded in the country's native language. In 2018, he released his first Korean studio album, the chart-topper The Great Seungri and embarked on his first world tour as a solo artist.
Making his theatrical debut with the musical Sonagi in 2008, Seungri went on to star in films such as Nineteen and Why Did You Come to My House?, both released in 2009. He branched into television with the Japanese drama Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo (2013) and the South Korean television series Angel Eyes (2014). In recent years, he's explored other ventures, including opening a dance academy, owning a nightclub and restaurant franchise, founding a record label and investing in other businesses.
On March 11, 2019, Seungri departed from Big Bang and retired from the entertainment industry after allegations surfaced of him supplying prostitutes in 2015. He was indicted in 2020 after the police investigation of the Burning Sun scandal. Seungri's military trial commenced on September 16, 2020, where he denied 7 out of his 8 charges, only admitting to the violation of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act. A military court sentenced Seungri to three years of imprisonment and a fine of 1.15 billion won (970,000 USD) on 12 August 2021; he and the prosecution both appealed against the sentence after the decision. On January 27, 2022, after his final appeal for him at the High Military Court of the Ministry of Defense his prison sentence was reduced to 18 months after Seungri pleaded guilty to all charges brought against him, along with an expression that he will reflect on his actions.