Biography of Lee Hi

Lee Ha-yi, popularly known by her stage name Lee Hi, is a South Korean singer and songwriter. She drew attention and recognition after winning as the runner-up of K-pop Star 1. She debuted with her single ‘1,2,3,4’ on 28 October 2012, and it ranked number one within the first week of release. She released her debut studio album ‘First Love’ under YG Entertainment and KMP Holdings, produced by Yang Hyun-suk. The full-length album was released in two parts: part one on 17 March 2013 and part two on 28 March 2013.

Early Life and Education

Lee Hi was born on 23 September 1996 in Bucheon, Gyeonggi, South Korea. In 2011, she auditioned for the SBS reality survival programme K-pop Star, where she finished as a runner-up. All at once, she was signed to YG Entertainment by Yang Hyun-suk. Before her debut, she appeared on Epik High’s single ‘It’s Cold’ on 8 October 2012.

Career

On 28 October 2012, Ha-yi debuted as a solo artist under the stage name Lee Hi with the digital single ‘1,2,3,4’. She held her first music show appearance on SBS Inkigayo. She also won the first music show win through Mnet’s M Countdown. The digital single rated number one on the Gaon Digital Chart for the month of November 2012 and also earned the Song of the Year-November award from Gaon Chart K-pop Awards. With the success of her debut single, she released her second digital single, ‘Scarecrow’, written by Park Jin-young, on 22 November 2018.

On 7 March 2013, she debuted her album, ‘First Love’ including five tracks with the lead single, ‘It’s Over’. The physical release of the album had 10 tracks with the lead single, ‘Rose’. In 2013, 2NE1’s Park Bom and she debuted as the sub-unit ‘BOM&HI’. They released a cover of Mariah Carey’s song ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’. In 2014, Akdong Musician’s Lee Su-hyun and she created the sub-unit Hi Suhyun. They released their digital single, ‘I’m Different’, featuring iKON’s Bobby. The duo’s first stage performance was at SBS’ Inkigayo following their first win.

On 9 March 2016, Lee Hi released her second studio album ‘Seoulite’, after her three-year hiatus. The album marked her comeback with the lead singles, ‘Breathe’ and ‘Hold My Hand’. The lead single, ‘Breathe’, won the Digital Bonsang award at the 31st Golden Disk Awards. Among the tracks in the album, she wrote and composed the song ‘Passing By’. For Gill’s single ‘Refrigerator’, she featured along with Verbal Jint. For the South Korean television series, ‘Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo’, Epik High and her soundtrack ‘Can You Hear My Heart’ and her ‘My Love’ was released.

Ha-yi appeared as a featured guest on MBC’s Infinite Challenge Hip-hop & History for Yoo Jae-suk and Dok2’s stage. On 28 February 2017, she was featured on Code Kunst’s single ‘X’ from the studio album, ‘Muggles Mansion’. She self-composed and featured on Dok2’s single, ‘On & On’ off-studio album, ‘Reborn’. She appeared on SBS’ Party People, where she disclosed ‘her minor panic attacks.

In 2016, she created her hit single ‘Breathe’. She was featured in Epik High’s single ‘We’ve Done Something Wonderful’. On 21 March 2018, she released her Japanese debut album, thus marking her Japan tour in Tokyo and Osaka. In 2018, she collaborated with the film, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, a biographical musical drama film and released a cover song of Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’.

On 15 January 2019, Lee Hi released a digital single, ‘XI’ along with Code Kunst and the track was performed live on MBC Dreaming Radio For the first time. On 30 May 2019, she marked her comeback with her EP ’24°C’. Her first single as the lead artist was titled ‘No One’, featuring the South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer Kim Han-bin. The lead single topped all domestic charts, including Melon, Genie and Mnet.

Ha-yi released her self-composed and self-produced song, ’20Min’. Her first music show win was for the single, ‘No One’ through Mnet’s Countdown. After the end of her contract under YG Entertainment, she decided not to renew. She joined as the cast member for the fourth instalment of the JTBC show Begin Again.

On 22 July 2020, the label AOMG announced they had signed an exclusive contract with Ha-yi. The label released her comeback single, ‘Holo’, and it topped number 7 on the Gaon Digital Chart. Her single won the R&B Track of the Year at the Korean Hip-hop Awards.

On 9 September 2021, she released her first studio album, ‘4 Only’ since ‘Seoulite’. The single ‘Red Lipstick’ featuring Yoon Mi-rae was also released alongside the album. The album topped number 18 on the Gaon Album Chart. The single ‘Only’ won the R&B Track of the Year 2022 at the Korean Hip-hop Awards.

Here are some of her notable achievements:

• The track Epik High’s ‘It’s Cold’ featuring Ha-yi won the 2012 ‘Song of the Month-October’ at the ‘Cyworld Digital Music Awards’.
• At the 2012 ‘Gaon Chart Music Awards’, the single ‘1,2,3,4’ Lee Hi won the ‘Song of the Year-November’.
• The single ‘Holo’ Ha-yi won the 2020 ‘Best R&B / Soul Track’ at the ‘Genie Music Awards’.
• At the 2012 ‘Golden Disc Awards’, the single ‘1,2,3,4’ Ha-yi won the ‘Best Rookie Award’, and the single ‘Breathe’ won the ‘Digital Song Bonsang’ in 2016.
• For the ‘Korean Hip-hop Awards’ in 2021 and 2022, the single ‘Holo’ won the ‘R&B Track of the Year’ and the single ‘Only’ won the ‘R&B Track of the Year’.
• Lee Hi won the ‘Female Musician of the Year’ in 2014 at the ‘Korean Music Awards’, under Netizen Vote.

Personal Life

From the information gathered from various sources, there are rumours regarding Ha-yi’s complicated relationship with iKon’s B.I. However, it is not officially confirmed, and the information is transcalent.

Net Worth and Lifestyle

Ha-yi’s net worth is estimated to be around $3-5 million US dollars. She is one of the richest pop singers and is widely known for her melodious voice. The primary source of her income is generated from her successful solo career in the music industry. She is currently focused on her future endeavour. She is single and likes to keep her personal life private.

Awards

• Korean Hip-hop Awards 2022
  R&B Track of the Year – ‘Only’ (2022)
• Korean Hip-hop Awards 2021
  R&B Track of the Year – ‘Holo’ (2021)
• Genie Music Awards (2020)
  Best R&B / Soul Track – ‘Holo’ (2020)
  
• Golden Disc Awards 2016
  Digital Song Bonsang – ‘Breathe’ (2016)
• Korean Music Awards (2014)
  Female Musician of the Year – Netizen Vote (2014)
• Cyworld Digital Music Awards (2012)
  Song of the Month-October (2012)
• Gaon Chart Music Awards (2012)
  Song of the Year-November (2012)
• Golden Disc Awards (2012)
  Best Rookie Award (2012)

Interesting Facts about Lee Hi

1. Lee Hi can speak Korean and Japanese.
2. Lee Hi is afraid of the dark.
3. She officially debuted as a solo artist with the song ‘1, 2, 3, 4’ on October 28, 2012.
4. Lee Hi was known as the monster rookie.
5. On 31 December 2019, Lee Hi announced that she left YG Entertainment.
6. In July 2020, she signed with AOMG.
7. When Lee Hi debuted, her older sister gifted her a bracelet with the inscription ‘I’m proud of you’.
8. Lee Hi became part of the duo HI SUHYUN together with Akdong Musician‘s Suhyun, with the debut song ‘I’m Different’.
9. Lee Hi was glad that the YG label didn’t change her music style drastically to hit his standards.

FAQs

1. When is Lee Hi’s Birthday?
   Lee Ha-yi celebrates her birthday on 23 September.
2. What is the Youtube channel name of Lee Hi?
   @OfficialLEEHI is the official Youtube channel name of Ha-yi.
3. How old is Lee Hi?
   As of 2023, Ha-yi is 27 years old.
4. What is Lee Hi’s zodiac sign?
   Her zodiac sign is Libra.
5. How tall is Lee Hi?
   She is 156 cm (5’1″).
6. What is Lee Hi’s real name?
   Her real name is Lee Ha-yi.
7. How many albums does Lee Hi have?
   Ha-yi has done four studio albums, one extended play, and nine singles.
8. What is the Instagram ID of Lee Hi?
   
   leehi_hi is the Instagram ID of Ha-yi.