On January 12, 2011, he signed with South Korean label YG Entertainment and officially debuted as a solo artist on July 16, 2013, with the digital single "It Rains" (비가 온다) and as the leader of Winner on August 17, 2014.

[1][2][3] Raised by his single mother, his parents divorced within the early portion of his childhood and was no longer in contact with his father who chose to depart from their lives until news of his death was relayed long after his passing.

[7][8] In this period of time, he learned to play the classical guitar from an academy and briefly took classes for billiards where he encountered a man 5–6 years older than him who later helped with his anxiety.

[9][10][8] He then decided to pursue a career as a classical guitarist juxtaposed to his choices as a child which included to delve into politics, become a scientist, a comic book writer or a billiards player – which he became the eventual regional youth representative of and actively played until first year of high school.

[14] Initially reluctant due to conflict in perception of using mass media to gain fame opposed to becoming successful without it, he yielded at his friend's request when asked to audition with him, and so, took guitar lessons to further hone his skills three months prior to it.

[15] Kang passed the preliminaries with "This Time" by Jonathan Rhys Meyers and overall placed fourth behind Huh Gak, John Park and Jang Jae-in amongst over 1,350,000 applicants.

"You Are Heaven" (니가 천국이다; niga cheongug-ida) topped both real-time and daily South Korean music streaming platforms, which include Genie, and peaked at number 11 on the Gaon Digital Chart.

[26] In correlation to its soundtrack he collaborated with Lee Juck on "Smile, My Love" (웃어라 그대; useola geudae) which entered the Gaon Digital Chart at number 79.

[28] On June 20, 2013, Yang Hyun-suk announced 19-year-old Kang would debut as a solo artist with the digital single, "Wild and Young", composed by Teddy Park.

[29] On July 15, it was revealed to be postponed and instead the next day another digital single in the format of a pre-release entitled "It Rains" (비가 온다; biga onda) was released.

[30] The single achieved an "all-kill" which placed number-one on all music streaming platforms in South Korea, including Melon and Mnet, and debuted at number two on the Gaon Digital Chart.

[35] Kang released his third digital single "Stealer" (맘도둑; mamdodug) ten days later with his second music video which starred rookie actress Yoon Jin-yi.

[39] The program involved two assembles consisting of male trainees under YG Entertainment (A and B) that would compete for the chance to debut by the end of the series after embarking on a 100 day journey.

[51] Shin Won-ho — the director of the television series — revealed while he initially did not have high expectations as it had been long since he was seen in 'High Kick', he found his portrayal fun and believed he brought the character to life.

[64][65] Kang released his first full-length album on March 29, 2021 — ten years into his career as a musician — entitled Page and its lead single "Iyah" (아이야; aiya).

[72][73] Kang performed "Rain" by Lee Juck in its latter half and was crowned the winner against veteran artists Forte di Quattro, Kwak Jin-eon, Choi Jung-in, and Jung Dong-ha.

[74] On June 2, 2019, while he carried out promotions with his band for the lead single, "Ah Yeah" (아예; aye), Kang experienced symptoms of a spinal disc herniation while stand-by for rehearsals at Inkigayo.

[75] He was discharged three days later after completing his treatment and was instructed to rest;[76] however, Kang chose to carry out scheduled activities to minimize any burden inflicted on his band in result of his absence.

[11] Within South Korea, Rubin of 1Team stated Kang as his role model and inspiration towards music from the day he viewed his performance of "Black or White" by Michael Jackson on Superstar K2 in the midst of travelling to an academy.

[88] Since 2010, Kang appeared as an endorsement model for LG U+ and its International Call 002 range,[89] CJ Group and the new corporate campaign in six years, "Different ideas that change the world", with Superstar K2 contestants Huh Gak, John Park, Jang Jae-in and YG Family artists Big Bang, 2NE1 and Psy,[90] and also for the Samsung Galaxy Tab.

[91] In the years after, he endorsed Grand Chase of KOG Studios,[92] Team Polham of Asian Fashion,[93] Fanta with Lee Kwang-soo and Baek Jin-hee,[94] Yogiyo with label-mates Cha Seung-won, Choi Ji-woo, Yoo In-na and AKMU.

[96] Under the alias "Yooyeon" — a persona exclusive to photography that translates to "flexible" from Korean in correlation to his mindset — 27-year-old Kang first exhibited his work at the Saatchi Gallery located in West London as part of StART, an international contemporary art fair.

[100] In December 2021, Kang participated in a recording of an audio guide for an exhibition at the Korea National Maritime Museum in Busan entitled "Wonderworld Maps: Connecting Longingness Beyond the Horizon."

Kang donated the entire earning he received from recording the audio guide to fund the education of children whose families are part of the Siloam Center for the Blind.

[101] On August 11, 2022, Kang donated ₩50 million to help those affected by the 2022 South Korean floods through the Hope Bridge Korea Disaster Relief Association.