Lee Hyori has been through various ups and downs throughout her career, but there’s never a time where she’s not popular.
The 1st generation Kpop artist Lee Hyori has made a name for herself as Korea’s “sexy icon” with remarkable achievements. While her life is far from being a smooth ride, Lee Hyori has not been madly popular.
Lee Hyori was born in 1979 to a struggling family with 4 children. According to the female artist, she wasn’t sent to kindergarten since her family had no money, and at some points, Lee Hyori even became ashamed of her poverty.
Growing up under such circumstances, Lee Hyori never believed that she would be able to pursue music, but her determination, talent, and resilience has made it work.
As a trainee, Lee Hyori used to be under SM Entertainment, before switching to DSP Media and debuting as the leader of 1st gen Kpop group Fin.K.L. This turned out to be a good decision on Lee Hyori’s behalf, seeing that Fin.K.L managed to get their first win on a music show just 2 weeks after debut, with the song “Blue Rain”.
Initially, the female artist was harshly criticized for her lacking talent and unstable vocals, and even had to have songs adjusted to fit her voice. However, she soon made a name for herself as a “sexy icon”, who boasted spectacular visuals, outstanding stage presence, and an extremely alluring physique.
After 5 years of group activities, Lee Hyori dropped her first solo album “Stylish” in 2003, which sold 140,000 copies within a year. The success of this album cemented Lee Hyori’s position as the most famous member of Fin.K.L, and laid the foundation for her future solo career.
The female artist got the big breakthrough via the solo track “10 Minutes”, which immediately sent her names onto headlines of big new sites. According to Lee Hyori, she was so popular at the time that she made headlines literally every day, and even her cold became a hot topic. The female idol even broke a Guinness record for having the most news articles about her, hitting a peak of 891 headlines across various news sites.
In 2006, Fin.K.L disbanded, and Lee Hyori left DSP for Mnet Entertainment, which has now been rebranded as Stone Music Entertainment. As a celebrity under Mnet, the female idol often appears on TV shows produced by this broadcasting station.
In 2009, the artist once again left her company and joined Gil Entertainment. Unfortunately, her album, which was written by musician Bahnus, soon became embroiled in plagiarism controversies, which led to Lee Hyori taking a hiatus from both music and acting.
During this break, the female idol started to write columns about her life and career and started to receive praise from the public. She also dedicated herself to voluntary work about animal protection.
After disappearing for 2 years from the entertainment scene, Hyori made her grand return with various successful albums, even winning Best Female Artist at the 2013 MAMA with the track “Monochrome”. In the same year, Lee Hyori shocked the public by announcing that she was marrying the musician Lee Sang Soon, who was from the rock band Rollercoaster and way less popular than her.
Eventually, the married couple slowly withdrew from the limelight to focus on their family and even moved to Jeju to enjoy a peaceful life. They also completely vanished from social media in 2015, and ceased all TV appearances.
In 2016, Lee Hyori signed with Kiwi Media Group, and started to return to showbiz. In 2017, the female idol and her husband started the reality show “Hyori’s Homestay”, which took place in their very family house, and received rave reviews from the audience.
The female artist once again changed her agency in 2020, this time joining ESteem Entertainment. In the same year, she formed a 3 member project group called SSAK3 with Bi Rain and the “national MC” Yoo Jaesuk, and later donated all their earnings to charity. She also promoted as a member of “Refund Sisters” alongside MAMAMOO Hwasa, rapper Jessi, and famous artist Uhm Jung Hwa, and released the single “Don’t Touch Me”.
24 years since her debut as a member of Fin.K.L, yet Lee Hyori never faded from the public’s mind. Even now, her resilience, talent, and dedication is looked up to by numerous fans and fellow artists, and the female idol is still shining as bright as ever.
Source: Yan
