Biography
South Korean vocalist LeeHi channels intricate romantic entanglements via commanding vocal delivery and melodic intuition, forging a resilient path through the 2010s and 2020s. Across those years she released the albums First Love, Seoulite, and 4 Only, scoring number-one successes with “1, 2, 3, 4 (원,투,쓰리,포)” and “Rose” while also dominating domestic airplay with “Breathe (한숨),” “No One,” and “Only.”
Born Lee Ha-yi in Bucheon, Gyeonggi, she first entered public view on the SBS audition competition K-Pop Star, where she finished runner-up. Her performances quickly attracted YG Entertainment, which placed her on Epik High’s “It’s Cold” before granting her a solo launch.
Adopting the name LeeHi, she stepped out in October 2012 with the single “1, 2, 3, 4 (원,투,쓰리,포).” The track soared to the summit of the Circle Digital Chart, earned her an early M Countdown victory, and moved more than 600,000 downloads in its opening week. Follow-up “Scarecrow (허수아비)” reached number three before her debut album First Love appeared in two installments across March 2023, peaking at number three on the Gaon Album Chart and yielding the chart-topping “Rose.” Anchored by her fierce and versatile vocals, LeeHi’s early material focused on conflicted romances, ranging from tender ballads to empowering breakup anthems.
A quiet stretch through the mid-2010s found her joining temporary projects: BOM&HI alongside 2NE1’s Park Bom, which delivered a Mariah Carey cover of “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” and Hi Suhyun with Akdong Musician’s Lee Su-hyun on the single “I’m Different.” Three years after her last solo outing she resurfaced with Seoulite, issued in two parts in early 2016; its reflective lead “Breathe” climbed to number two on the Gaon Digital Chart. Subsequent collaborations with Code Kunst on “X,” Epik High on “Here Come the Regrets,” and Dok2 on “Like [처럼]” kept her visible until the 2019 EP 24°C and its Latin-inflected “No One (누구 없소),” which hit number two on Gaon Digital while topping Melon, Genie, and Mnet. Upon the December expiration of her YG contract she declined to extend it.
She aligned with AOMG in July 2020 and reentered with the introspective “Holo,” which reached number seven on Gaon Digital. Third studio album 4 Only followed in September 2021; conceived as an exploration of love in every dimension, the wide-ranging set showcased her broadest stylistic palette to date. Its centerpiece “Only” accumulated more than 300 million streams by the time her AOMG tenure concluded in 2024.
Born Lee Ha-yi in Bucheon, Gyeonggi, she first entered public view on the SBS audition competition K-Pop Star, where she finished runner-up. Her performances quickly attracted YG Entertainment, which placed her on Epik High’s “It’s Cold” before granting her a solo launch.
Adopting the name LeeHi, she stepped out in October 2012 with the single “1, 2, 3, 4 (원,투,쓰리,포).” The track soared to the summit of the Circle Digital Chart, earned her an early M Countdown victory, and moved more than 600,000 downloads in its opening week. Follow-up “Scarecrow (허수아비)” reached number three before her debut album First Love appeared in two installments across March 2023, peaking at number three on the Gaon Album Chart and yielding the chart-topping “Rose.” Anchored by her fierce and versatile vocals, LeeHi’s early material focused on conflicted romances, ranging from tender ballads to empowering breakup anthems.
A quiet stretch through the mid-2010s found her joining temporary projects: BOM&HI alongside 2NE1’s Park Bom, which delivered a Mariah Carey cover of “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” and Hi Suhyun with Akdong Musician’s Lee Su-hyun on the single “I’m Different.” Three years after her last solo outing she resurfaced with Seoulite, issued in two parts in early 2016; its reflective lead “Breathe” climbed to number two on the Gaon Digital Chart. Subsequent collaborations with Code Kunst on “X,” Epik High on “Here Come the Regrets,” and Dok2 on “Like [처럼]” kept her visible until the 2019 EP 24°C and its Latin-inflected “No One (누구 없소),” which hit number two on Gaon Digital while topping Melon, Genie, and Mnet. Upon the December expiration of her YG contract she declined to extend it.
She aligned with AOMG in July 2020 and reentered with the introspective “Holo,” which reached number seven on Gaon Digital. Third studio album 4 Only followed in September 2021; conceived as an exploration of love in every dimension, the wide-ranging set showcased her broadest stylistic palette to date. Its centerpiece “Only” accumulated more than 300 million streams by the time her AOMG tenure concluded in 2024.
Albums
Singles
