Baek Byung-yeul is a journalist at The Korea Times focused on cultural content, including films and cultural events in South Korea. You can contact him at baekby@koreatimes.co.kr to share your insights.
AKMU's Lee Chan-hyuk makes music director debut with 'Midnight Sun'
Singer and songwriter Lee Chan-hyuk / Courtesy of BY4M Studio
By Baek Byung-yeul
AKMU's Lee Chan-hyuk will make his debut as a music director for the upcoming movie "Midnight Sun," a film that blends music and romance.
The movie's distributor, BY4M Studio, said Thursday that Lee will set the tone of the film through music, overseeing its soundtrack.
"The movie 'Midnight Sun,' for which Lee is the music director and in charge of the entire original sound track, will immerse viewers by melding Lee Chan-hyuk's unique musical world into the movie's story, characters and scenes," the distributor said.
"Midnight Sun,” which will hit theaters on May 28, is a musical romance about Mi-sol (Jeong Ji-so), who can only date at midnight, and Min-jun (Cha Hak-yeon), as they fall in love through music and challenge themselves to achieve their dreams together.
Lee wrote and composed four songs for the film, including the main theme. "Venturing into a new field was a meaningful and fun experience. I ask for your great love," Lee said.
Actor Jeong Ji-so in the movie "Midnight Sun" / Courtesy of BY4M Studio
The film's director, Cho Young-jun, said Lee made a significant contribution to the film.
"Music director Lee Chan-hyuk had an exceptional understanding of the screenplay," Cho said. "He accurately grasped where certain lyrics needed to be."
Lee has been pursuing his career as a solo musician and as part of the sibling duo AKMU with his sister Soo-hyun. His talent is such that even Han Kang, who became the first Korean to win the Nobel Prize in Literature last year, said she was inspired by his music, highlighting his literary and musical gifts.