Heartbreaker (G-Dragon song)


"Heartbreaker" is the lead single from Big Bang leader G-Dragon's first solo album, Heartbreaker. Released on August 19, 2009, it topped many charts upon release, and went to sell over 3 million digital downloads in 2009 alone. including reaching the number-one spot on the Mnet, Melon, and KBS Music Chart. His first solo album, Heartbreaker was also the best-selling album in Korea in 2009. The official remix features American rapper Flo Rida. By the end of 2011, "Heartbreaker" was downloaded exactly 4,407,355 times.

Track listing

  1. "Heartbreaker" – 3:23

    Music video

The music video opens with G-Dragon in a lit up room a wearing black outfit, gloves, and shades. It then transitions to him wearing a silver and black outfit with a heart around his eye. He is in a futuristic styled room, sitting on a couch underneath an apple tree surrounded by many women. As he sings, he drinks a beverage from a can, and is seen with a holographic girl whispering in his ear. When the chorus begins, he is then seen dancing against a white backdrop, accompanied by male backup dancers in masks. When the second verse begins, G-Dragon is seen underneath a sheet eating an apple, where the bite marks are in the shape of a heart. He is also seen dancing against a black backdrop wearing a tuxedo, accompanied by female backup dancers.
When the chorus begins again, he dances in front of the same backdrop wearing a silver vest, accompanied by the same masked male dancers. He is then seen in the same lit up room from the beginning, wearing a red, telephone design printed jacket. As he sings the bridge, he walks down a hall where there are many apples on the walls. As he touches one, he sees a hologram of his "heartbreaker" and tries to reach for her. A brick wall then appears and blocks him from her. While he sings the final lines of the song, he begins punching the wall. When he finally breaks it, he falls to the ground and looks up, only to find himself in the arms of his loved one. The video ends with a teaser of G-Dragon's music video for Breathe.
The music video was a hit on GomTV, where it reportedly gained 5 million views in just 18 days. With the success of his video, G-Dragon was awarded the "Artist of the Month" from GomTV.
The music video has drawn over 68 million views on YouTube

Controversy

G-Dragon was accused of plagiarism by Sony Music that "Heartbreaker" contained similarities to Flo Rida's "Right Round". EMI, who also had rights to "Right Round" stated they saw no similarities between the two songs. Sony Korea denied G-Dragon the ability to promote the track any further without paying reparations. On September 21, 2009, Sisa Magazine, a news program on MBC, stated that officials from Sony reportedly sent YG Entertainment warning letters about plagiarism. Sony's legal representative stated, "It was a hard decision for the music critics", however, they decided that there were similarities and accordingly issued a warning letter to the production company and its composers. However, YG Entertainment claimed that nothing was decided or legally determined and that the "letter" which YG received from Sony was not considered legal action; the company also stated they have not received a direct response from the American publishers regarding this matter.
On March 6, 2010, YG Entertainment announced that they had personally contacted Flo Rida's representatives and that Flo Rida will appear as a featured artist in a new version of "Heartbreaker", to be released as a bonus track on G-Dragon's live album Shine a Light. The remix peaked at No. 8 on the Gaon Digital Chart.