[NEWS] G-Dragon was an SM trainee? PLUS adorable little G-Dragon pictures

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G-Dragon (name: Kwon Ji Yong, 23) became famous when he was young due to being a part of "Kiddy Roora." This "Kid Roora" was just like the hit song "An Angel Without Wings", so what kind of thoughts did Kwon Jiyong have from being in the show business so early on?

"I started by being on MBC's 'Bbo Bbo Bbo.' The seat next to Bbomee noona was the king's chair. Ever since I was young I loved to dance so as I danced really well, the noona always let me sit next to her. I guess the 'Roora' management saw me then. While Roora was promoting 'An Angel Without Wings', Kid Roora also wore the same clothes and went on the same concert tour. We weren't great at enunciation but we put out a record full of carols too. (laugh)"

As time passed, Roora's popularity died and the Kid Roora group also got broken up. And young G-Dragon was shocked.

"All of a sudden they said, 'as of tomorrow there's no Kid Roora' so I was shocked as a young 8 year old. I thought I would continue being a singer with that job. I remember telling my mom that I would never do anything like this again. So from then on I lived a normal life, studying and going to tutors."

But even if he was hiding his disposition for being a star, it was fated he would eventually become famous. When he went to a ski resort with his family and coincidentally entered a dance contest, he beat out many older boys and took 1st place. And the MC of that dance contest happened to be SM Entertainment's management head Lee Soo Man. He recognized GD's talent and took him in as a SM trainee right then. As he trained for five years under SM, H.O.T. started to become popular and SES/BoA/Shinhwa etc. were all trainees as well.

"When I first signed a provisional contract as a trainee, SM wasn't the big company it was today so instead of practicing every day, I would go once every month or once every three months. People who worked at SM probably don't even remember me. I'm only flashy or noticeable when I dance, but otherwise I don't really get noticed by people. It's not like I'm good looking now but when I was younger I really looked silly, like a mischievous brat. I danced well but I wasn't that great at singing, so it was hard for the company to steer me in a proper direction. I sat on the Shinhwa members' laps and played with them but they probably don't remember that? (laugh)"

Even as a SM trainee, GD didn't have a clear vision of where he wanted to go; however, when he was in third grade he went to his best friend's house and heard hip-hop for the first time. Wu-Tang Clan's music in particular attracted him. He naturally sought a place to learn freestyle rap, which turned out to be the People Crew's rehearsal room.