Before joining the group, he was a member and leader of a dance team in Gwangju. He has competed against his fellow Big Bang member Taeyang in several dance competitions, as well as against Super Junior’s Eunhyuk, TVXQ’s Yunho, and Shinee’s Taemin. Seungri also choreographed a large portion of Big Bang’s dances.
He first appeared on television on the reality television series Let’s Cokeplay: M.Net Battle Shinhwa, a show in which Shinhwa attempted to create a boy band that could be a “second Shinhwa”. Although he was noticed for his dance skills, his lack of vocal skills led to his elimination. He was later scouted by the record label YG Entertainment and joined the group Big Bang.
Seungri became the first member of Big Bang to act in a musical with the performance in Sonagi in 2008. His next musical, Shouting, was performed in 2009. He also started his hosting activities by acting as a host for MBC’s music program Show! Music Core, alongside fellow member Daesung. Seungri made his film debut in with the movie Why Did You Come to My House?, followed by My 19 alongside another Big Bang member T.O.P. He released his first solo mini-album VVIP on January 20. After passing the college entrance exams, Seungri was accepted into Chung-Ang University and began his college education in spring 2010.