[7] Song, a Korean American, was born in Seoul, South Korea, and grew up in Gardena, California, following a year spent with his grandmother in Hawaii.

[9] Song revealed in a "Milestone" interview for The Skateboard Mag that both of his parents were perceived as "insane" by their neighbors due to their constant fighting—Song explained that, on occasion, he would need to telephone the police.

[11][10][12] Prior to this, Song received attention for his artistic abilities, winning drawing contests and engaging in the commercial art field at a very young age.

[3]Song attended the 135th Street school in Gardena, known for its aggressive reputation,[13] and has explained the challenges that were present while he was growing up in the area, where gang activity was prolific:

[14] Song became sponsored by World Industries at the age of sixteen years and appeared in numerous video productions for the company, including Love Child (1992).

[15] In a July 2012 interview with the online magazine, Jenkem, Song revealed that he seriously contemplated ceasing skateboarding between the years 1996 and 1997, following an ankle injury that he sustained during the New World Order period.

During this period, Song stated that he was predominantly located in the Long Beach area of Los Angeles while in a relationship with a girlfriend who was a member of the Bloods.

I remember when it first started—me, Kevin and Brian and Gavin ... just funny how all these things we talked about on the kitchen floor, having pizza, it actually went into motion, and it was, like, "Wow, here are the first samples!

[12] The Transworld Business website announced on July 2, 2012, that Matix Clothing had been acquired by "technical apparel brand", Westlife Distribution; the deal included intellectual property, inventory and accounts receivable.

[18] In a press release on September 4, 2012, Matix announced the re-signing of Daewon Song, Marc Johnson, and Mike Anderson to its team roster (notably absent was young and popular former rider, Torey Pudwill).

The press release confirmed the relocation of the brand to Los Angeles, and company president, Brian Dunlap, stated, "I'm thrilled with the Westlife transition so far, and bringing these guys back onto the program was key.

[22] The Matix Fall 2014 catalog video, filmed in the Sierra Nevada region of California, US, was published on the brand's Vimeo channel.

[25] Song was previously featured on the cover of The Skateboard Mag, in a photo also taken by Acosta, skating a transitional structure that was tied to the back of a truck in Norwalk, California, US—Acosta has explained:

[27] One-time DVS filmer, Colin Kennedy, released a video compilation that he had produced with the use of footage filmed during the Skate More period, entitled "Daewon vs H2O".

Following the cessation of Deca, Song launched a short-lived company entitled Artafact in 2002, with Haslam and Wilt included as team riders—the brand was dismantled in 2003 after eight to twelve months of operation.

[44] On June 18, 2012, Song then released additional footage on the internet, entitled "Daewon 5 Incher B-Side Edit", free of charge.

[48] The Almost company celebrated its 10th anniversary with an event at the Berrics indoor skate complex in early March 2014, at which team member Youness Amrani was presented with his inaugural professional skateboard deck.

[49] Socrates Leal, a longtime videographer for Dwindle Distribution, created a video retrospective of the brand's growth since inception, entitled "10 Years of Almost.

[57][58] Song is a featured as a sponsored rider on the Glassy Sunhaters sunglasses website and online store, co-owned/co-founded by professional skateboarder, Mike Mo Capaldi, and his brother, Vince.

The company states that its "main objective above all else is to start something that matters" and places an emphasis upon eco-friendly, low-cost packaging that allows more money to be spent on a worthwhile product and donations to its charitable partner the Let Them Hear Foundation.

[60] Song is one of the Loud-sponsored skateboarders, alongside other team members such as Sammy Baca and Fred Gall, and has released signature model earbud headphones.

[61] Song was announced as a team member of the newly formed Knox Hardware brand in early October 2013, alongside Chris Cole.

Gavin explained to TransWorld Business: "Knox's DNA and the story we want to tell is the Americana blue collar hard worker.

[14] As of February 2019, Song is sponsored by Thank You skateboards, Matix Clothing, adidas Footwear, Tensor Trucks, Andale Bearings, Mob Griptape,[63] Glassy,[64] Spitfire Wheels,[65] and Loud Headphones[66] Song has made several appearances as a playable character in video games such as Grind Session,[67] Session: Skate Sim and the Tony Hawk series of games.

Alongside other skateboarders who appeared in the video game, Song toured the U.S. with Hawk's entourage and performed at random skatepark locations.

"[10] Since cofounding Almost, Song's participation in contests has been limited to the single-elimination tournament "X Games Real Street," in which sponsored skateboarders film a video part that they are judged on.

[81] Skateboard photographer Giovanni Reda stated in an Instagram post in January 2013: "Daewon Song will forever be the greatest of all time in my eyes!

[85]In a 2005 Skateboarder interview, Song listed Rodney Mullen, Natas Kaupas, Christian Hosoi, Chris Haslam, and Eric Dressen as his top five "timeless influences."

"[15] Song expanded upon this sentiment in a voiceover segment for Thrasher magazine, in relation to Haslam's footage in Cheese and Crackers, stating:

[3]In a Twitter post and Pheed photo upload on January 1, 2013, Song featured an image of his son with a pet dog and the following blurb: "2013!!!