Lee Hyori facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lee Hyo-ri
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Lee in May 2025
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| Born | May 10, 1979 Cheongwon, South Korea
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| Other names |
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| Occupation |
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| Agent | Antenna |
| Spouse(s) |
Lee Sang-soon
(m. 2013) |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Labels |
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| Korean name | |
| Hangul |
이효리
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| Hanja |
李孝利
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| RR | I Hyori |
| MR | I Hyori |
| Signature | |
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Lee Hyo-ri (Hangul: 이효리; born May 10, 1979) is a famous South Korean singer. She started her career in 1998 as a member of the girl group Fin.K.L. This group became one of the most popular in South Korea in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Lee has also joined other music groups for special projects, like the Refund Sisters and SSAK3 in 2020.
Lee began her solo music career in August 2003 with her album Stylish.... This album sold over 150,000 copies. It featured the hit song "10 Minutes." The song was very popular in South Korea. Lee won many top awards for it at major music shows. Her huge popularity in 2003 was even called the "Hyori Syndrome" by the media. Some people called 2003 "the year of Hyori."
Her second album, Dark Angel (2006), had songs like "Get Ya!". However, this album faced problems. The song "Get Ya!" was accused of being copied from another artist. Her third album, It's Hyorish (2008), was much more successful. It became the best-selling album by a female solo artist in 2008. Its song, "U-Go-Girl", was number one on music charts for many weeks. Lee faced similar copying accusations with her next album, H-Logic (2010). A composer was found to have copied seven songs on the album. After this, Lee took a break from entertainment. She started speaking out for important causes, like animal rights.
On television, Lee was known as the "Nation's Fairy" when she was on the show Family Outing. She won a big award in 2009 for her work on this show. In 2006, Lee became the highest-paid female singer in South Korea. This happened when she signed a contract with Mnet Media. The Korea Times newspaper named Lee as one of the top 10 most influential women in culture since 1950. Mnet also listed her as number 42 in their Legend 100 Artists list in 2013.
Contents
Biography
Early Life and Training (1979–1997)
Lee Hyo-ri was born in 1979 in Cheongwon County, South Korea. She was the youngest of three daughters. Lee grew up with little money. She lived in a small barbershop. After some challenges in middle school, Lee worked part-time. She was discovered by a talent agency while taking photos with friends. She trained with SM Entertainment before joining Fin.K.L. She became the leader of the group.
Starting with Fin.K.L (1998–2002)
Lee started her career as the leader of the K-pop girl group Fin.K.L. She was the last member to join the group before their debut in January 1998. Fin.K.L officially debuted on May 22, 1998, with their song "Blue Rain." Their second song, "To My Boyfriend", became their first number one hit. Fin.K.L became one of the most popular and successful K-pop groups ever. They were often compared to another popular group, S.E.S..
Solo Success with Stylish... (2003–2005)
A year after Fin.K.L's fourth album, Lee released her first solo album, Stylish..., in August 2003. Her main song, "10 Minutes", became one of her most famous hits. She won many top music awards for this song. Stylish... sold over 144,000 copies in South Korea. Her popularity was so big that it was called the "Hyori Syndrome." The Korean media even called 2003 "The Year of Hyori." She won many awards, including at the 2003 Mnet Music Video Festival and the SBS Gayo Daejeon.
In January 2005, Lee tried acting in the TV show Three Leaf Clover. However, the show did not get high ratings. Viewers also felt her acting needed improvement. On August 8, 2005, she hosted the annual Korean Music Festival for the second time.
New Agency and Dark Angel (2006–2007)
In February 2006, Lee released her next album, Dark Angel. The first song, "Get Ya!", was accused of being copied from a song by Britney Spears. It was reported that Lee signed a three-year contract with Mnet Entertainment. This made her the highest-paid female singer in South Korea at the time.
In 2007, Lee starred in a short drama called If in Love... Like Them. It aired on Mnet. During filming, Lee had a small accident when part of a roof collapsed. Her co-star, Lee Dong-gun, helped her.
In February 2007, Lee released a digital single for the drama's soundtrack. The main song was "Toc Toc Toc." Even though the single was successful, the drama was criticized for showing too many product placements. The Korean Broadcasting Committee ruled that the drama should not be shown again in South Korea. Lee also promoted the drama in Japan.
TV Hosting and It's Hyorish (2008–2009)
During her music breaks, Lee hosted several TV shows. These included Time Machine and Happy Together. In April 2008, she joined KBS's Sang Sang Plus as a host. She was also a cast member of the popular variety show Family Outing. Mnet aired a 12-episode show called Off the Record: Lee Hyori. This show followed Lee's daily life to help fans see her as a regular person.
Her third album, It's Hyorish, came out on July 14, 2008. Its first song, "U-Go-Girl", quickly became number one on music charts. On December 20, 2008, Lee held her first solo concert, Lee Hyori the Invincible. Tickets for the concert sold out in just five minutes.
Album Challenges and Activism (2010–2015)
Lee released her album H-Logic on April 12, 2010. It had 14 songs and featured other artists. The main song was "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang." However, after the album came out, seven of its songs were accused of being copied. In June 2010, Lee admitted that the accusations were true. She said she had been "deceived." She then took a break from singing and TV.
During her break, Lee became a strong voice for social causes. She wrote articles for newspapers about life and social issues. She also became a well-known activist for animal rights. In 2011, Lee released two songs to help animal shelters.
From March to October 2012, she hosted the music show Jung Jae-hyung & Lee Hyo-ri's You and I on SBS. In May 2013, Lee returned with her fifth album. She released a song called "Miss Korea" before the album. Lee wrote and composed this song herself.
Her fifth album, Monochrome, was released on May 21, 2013. Lee wrote the lyrics for eight of the 16 songs. The album used a full band instead of electronic sounds. Eight songs from the album were in the top 10 on music charts. The main song, "Bad Girls," topped several charts. In April 2014, SBS announced that Lee would host a talk show called Magic Eye. The show ended in November 2014 due to low ratings.
New Music and Reality Shows (2015–Present)
In February 2015, Lee's team announced her contract with B2M Entertainment had ended. In May 2015, Lee closed her blog and Twitter account. She also stopped all her TV activities. In October, her team said she would take a two-year break to have time for herself. In October 2016, Lee hinted she was working on new music. In November, it was confirmed she signed with Kiwi Media Group for a new album in 2017. In December, Lee returned to social media on Instagram.
In January 2017, Kiwi Media Group's CEO said Lee was taking a big role in producing her new album. In April 2017, it was announced that Lee and her husband would star in a new reality show called Hyori's Homestay.
In June, Lee's agency confirmed her comeback for early July. They also announced that singer-songwriter Lee Juck would be on one of her songs. Lee released a teaser for her song "Seoul" on June 28, 2017. Her sixth album, Black, was released on July 4, 2017. Lee wrote eight and composed nine of the ten songs on the album.
Since 2017, Lee and her husband have continued with reality shows. They turned their Jeju Island home into a guest house for Hyori's Homestay. In 2019, Lee reunited with Fin.K.L for a new reality show called "Camping Club."
In May 2020, Lee signed with ESteem Entertainment. Through the show Hangout with Yoo, she formed a summer music group called SSAK3 with Rain and Yoo Jae-suk. They released their first song "Beach Again" in July 2020. All the money from their songs and promotions was donated to charity. The song reached number one on the charts.
After SSAK3, Lee formed another girl group called Refund Sisters with Uhm Jung-hwa, Jessi, and Hwasa. Yoo Jae-suk was their producer. Their first song, "Don't Touch Me," was released in October 2020. It also reached number one in South Korea.
In October 2021, Lee was announced as the host for the 2021 Mnet Asian Music Awards. She was the first woman to host the show alone.
In February 2023, Lee signed with Antenna. In March 2023, Lee joined a TV show called Dancing Queens on the Road with other singers. On October 12, 2023, Lee released her first new song in six years, "Hoodie E Banbaji."
In January 2024, Lee started hosting the talk show The Seasons: Lee Hyori's Red Carpet. On May 7, Lee and her mother started a reality show called "Mom, Will You Go on a Trip with Me?". They went on a trip together for the first time. On September 5, 2024, Antenna announced that Lee and her husband had moved back to Seoul after living in Jeju for over 10 years. They plan to be more active in their careers.
Music Style and Influence
After Fin.K.L, Lee's music style became more like urban pop and dance-pop. With her album H-Logic, she started adding hip-hop to her music. Later, her songs were influenced by country, blues, disco, folk, and rock music. Early in her solo career, Lee sometimes helped write songs. Later, she started writing and producing much of her own music. Her songs often talk about love, heartbreak, and female strength.
Lee's singing voice is in the mezzo-soprano range. She is known for putting a lot of emotion into her songs. Lee has faced some criticism for her singing. She once said, "I started liking my voice. Since I like it, it didn't really matter what other people thought." Lee has been influenced by fellow Korean singer Uhm Jung-hwa.
Public Image
As a member of Fin K.L, Lee became known for her appealing image. This image helped her get many advertising deals. In 2005, she was chosen as the female entertainer with the strongest brand power. In late 2003, Lee signed a deal with Samsung. She made three music commercials for their Anycall cell phones. These became some of her most famous commercials. The songs from these commercials were released as singles between her albums. Her contract with Samsung ended in December 2007.
For five years, Lee was the model for Lotte Liquor. She was their longest-serving endorser. The company's soju brand grew in popularity while Lee was their model. Her contract ended in November 2012.
In 2007, she appeared in a commercial with Jessica Alba for a South Korean cosmetics company. Lee also modeled for other cosmetics and health drink companies. She signed with KB Card and appeared in commercials with Rain. She also modeled for Calvin Klein Jeans and appeared in an Adidas commercial in 2010. Over the years, Lee has also appeared in music videos for other artists.
During an episode of Hangout with Yoo, Lee Hyori was thinking of stage names for the group Refund Sisters. She suggested "Mao" as a Chinese name. Some Chinese viewers were upset because the name reminded them of Mao Zedong.
Impact and Influence
Lee Hyori has often been listed in the Forbes Korea Power Celebrity 40. She was in the top 15 from 2009 to 2011. Many artists have said Lee inspired them. These include Kara, Blackpink's Jennie, Jeon Somi, Chungha, Jessica Jung, and Oh My Girl's Jiho.
Other Activities
Activism
Lee is known as a "socialtainer" in South Korea. This means she uses her fame to support social causes. She follows a pescetarian diet for ethical and health reasons. She is a strong supporter of animal welfare and animal rights. In 2012, she published a book called Closer. It was a photo-essay book about her life with her dog, Soonshim, whom she adopted from an animal shelter. In the book, Lee shared her thoughts on animal rights and shelters. She has given money to shelters and taken in stray animals. Her work for animals led her to interview Jane Goodall.
When SsangYong Motor laid off workers in December 2014, Lee publicly supported them on Twitter. She said she wanted their new car, Tivoli, to sell well so the workers could be hired again. During the 2012 South Korean presidential election, Lee encouraged her fans to vote. This received both praise and criticism on social media. In a 2012 poll, Lee was named one of "the socialtainers that best represents Korea."
Personal Life
Lee Hyo-ri married musician Lee Sang-soon on September 1, 2013. He is a guitarist for the band Roller Coaster. They got married at their home on Mt. Halla in Jeju Island. Both of them are members of an animal rights group. They started dating after working together on a song in July 2011 to support animal shelters.
Discography
- Stylish... (2003)
- Dark Angel (2006)
- It's Hyorish (2008)
- H-Logic (2010)
- Monochrome (2013)
- Black (2017)
Concerts
- The First Concert: Lee Hyori the Invincible (2008)
Images for kids
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Lee in May 2025
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Signature of Lee
See also
In Spanish: Lee Hyori para niños
