Lee Hi/ Lee Ha-yi (Hi Suhyun)

Who is Lee Ha-yi (Lee Hi)?

Lee Ha-yi (이하이), professionally known as Lee Hi, is a South Korean singer currently under 808 HI Recordings. Born on September 23, 1996, in Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, she gained national recognition as the runner-up of the reality survival show K-pop Star Season 1 in 2011. Following her second-place finish, she signed with YG Entertainment and debuted as a solo artist on November 4, 2012.

Standing 156 cm tall, Lee Hi is recognized for her soulful, R&B-indebted vocals that distinguish her within the K-pop industry. Her musical style draws from a throwback approach to contemporary pop, incorporating elements that showcase her raspy yet powerful voice. Throughout her career, she has participated in multiple collaborative projects, including serving as one half of the duo Hi Suhyun and forming the sub-unit B&H (Bom&Hi) with 2NE1's Park Bom in December 2013. She was additionally a former member of the cancelled girl group SuPearls.

Her career trajectory includes significant label transitions. After departing YG Entertainment on December 31, 2019, she joined AOMG on July 22, 2020. She remained with AOMG until March 28, 2024, before joining duover on September 23, 2024. Lee Hi was initially intended to replace Park Jimin in a girl group formed through K-Pop Star, but following the group's disbandment, she pursued a solo career path.

Lee Hi's early life and K-pop Star journey

Birth and childhood in Bucheon

Lee Ha-yi was born in Sang-dong, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi-do. Her educational path included attending Seokcheon Elementary School and Sangil Middle School. She thereafter graduated from Seoul Performing Arts High School in the Department of Applied Music, establishing her formal training foundation before entering the professional music industry.

K-pop Star Season 1 runner-up

In December 2011, Lee auditioned for SBS reality survival program K-pop Star at age 15. She competed against Park Jimin throughout the show's first season, ultimately finishing as runner-up. Park Jimin secured first place and subsequently signed with JYP Entertainment, while Lee Ha-yi claimed the second position. Her performances on the program showcased her talented and sensitive voice, which attracted attention from industry professionals.

Signing with YG Entertainment

Following her K-pop Star finale, Yang Hyun-suk signed Lee Ha-yi to YG Entertainment. The signing occurred soon after the competition concluded, positioning her as YG's first teenage solo artist. Under Yang Hyun-suk's one-to-one producing direction, she completed her debut preparations with prominent producers and staff.

Lee Hi's music career and major achievements

Debut with '1,2,3,4' (2012-2015)

Lee Hi's debut single "1,2,3,4" was released on October 29, 2012, reaching number one with first-week sales of 667,549 downloads. The retro-pop track topped monthly Gaon Digital Chart for November, earning her Song of the Year - November at Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards. She claimed her first music show win on M! Countdown on November 8, becoming the first rookie artist to achieve first place upon debut. Following this success, she released "Scarecrow," written by Park Jin-young, on November 22, 2012. Her debut studio album First Love arrived on March 28, 2013, with lead single "Rose" reaching the summit of Gaon's national singles chart. The album sold 17,309 copies and achieved 5,488,390 digital single sales.

Breakthrough with 'Seoulite' album (2016-2018)

After a three-year hiatus, Lee Hi released the half album Seoulite on March 9, 2016, featuring title tracks "Breathe" and "Hold My Hand." "Breathe," written and composed by SHINee's Jonghyun, achieved a digital all-kill across major Korean charts. The track debuted at number two on Gaon's weekly digital chart and earned her first win on M! Countdown's March 17 broadcast. The full album followed on April 20, 2016, with "My Star" as lead single. Seoulite debuted at number three on Billboard's World Albums chart and won Digital Bonsang at the 31st Golden Disk Awards. The album sold 8,356 copies in Korea.

Label change to AOMG and new releases (2019-2024)

Following her contract expiration with YG Entertainment on December 31, 2019, Lee Hi signed with AOMG on July 22, 2020. Her first release under the label, "Holo," peaked at number seven on the Gaon Digital Chart and won R&B Track of the Year at Korean Hip-hop Awards. She released her third studio album 4 Only on September 9, 2021, which debuted at number 18 on Gaon Album Chart, selling over 8,000 copies. The track "Only" earned R&B Track of the Year at the 2022 Korean Hip-hop Awards.

Lee Hi singer facts and accomplishments

Award wins and nominations

Her achievements include winning R&B Track of the Year at the Korean Hip-hop Awards twice, first for "Holo" in 2021 and subsequently for "Only" in 2022. She received her first music show win for the single "No One" through Mnet's M Countdown on June 6, 2019. In addition to these accolades, she won the Digital Bonsang award at the 31st Golden Disk Awards for "Breathe" in 2016.

Collaborations with other artists

Lee Hi has featured on numerous tracks across hip-hop and R&B genres. Her collaborative work includes "It's Cold" with Epik High, which reached number one with 1,868,347 downloads. She contributed to multiple Code Kunst tracks including "X", "XI", "Xii", and "O". Her partnership with Dok2 spans several releases, featuring on "Like" with Yoo Jae-suk and "On & On" in 2017, where she served as lyricist, composer, and vocalist.

Current age and label (2026)

Born September 23, 1996, Lee Hi is 30 years old. Her exclusive contract with Duover ended on March 6, 2026. On March 28, 2026, she co-founded the label 808 HI Recordings with rapper Dok2, simultaneously announcing their relationship and releasing the duet "You & Me".