Lee Hi returns with “Breath” written by Jonghyun of SHINee

Lee Hi / Courtesy of YG Entertainment

By Kim Jae-heun

Singer Lee Hi of YG Entertainment made her return after a three-year break from music with her new EP “SEOULITE,” which includes the single “Breath” written by Jonghyun of boy band SHINee.

“I did not know the song was written by Jonghyun at first,” said Lee during a press conference at a cafe in Seogyo-dong, western Seoul, Monday. “Tablo said he had the perfect song for me when I told him that I wanted a song that comforts people. When I was recording the song, Tablo told me Jonghyun wrote it and I was very surprised.”

Lee added that Jonghyun did not participate in directing her recording, only commenting on the samples that Tablo sent him. Tablo, the leader of YG Entertainment’s hip-hop group Epik High, took charge of producing Lee’s EP with his partner DJ Tukutz.

She said Tablo has been in constant contact with her, asking her about her thoughts and feelings in producing the recording, which created a unique style for the five-song album.

Lee said she wanted to show a different side of herself with this latest album.

“People still remember me as an audition program-born teenage star who knows how to sing pop songs. But, I am Korean, raised and educated here. So I thought that it might be great to sing about the beauty of the city of Seoul,” she said. “When the teaser for the title song ‘Breath’ was released, people said the voice was unlike mine. I didn’t try to sing in a different vocal style, though I was true to the feelings that I had on the song.”

Shinae An Wheeler of all-girl doo-wop trio The Barberettes and songwriter B.A. Wheeler co-produced Lee’s rhythmical track “Hold My Hand,” adding different genre colors to the singer’s hip-hop songs.

Popular rappers such as Mino of Winner, Dok2 of Illionaire and Incredivle are featured on Lee’s star-studded album, which instantly topped the iTunes chart in eight markets including Indonesia, Malaysia and Hong Kong.

“Breath” hit the top spot on eight local online music charts only eight hours after the EP’s midnight release. Its music video, along with the video to “Hold My Hand,” reached over 260,000 hits online _ proving that Lee’s singing talent has not diminished in the three years she was away but has been worth waiting for.

The singer’s album is popular in China, where its two singles rank first and second on QQ Music. Her performance on the mainland is considered exceptional, considering that Lee is neither a member of a popular K-pop group nor has participated in any promotional events there.

Lee gained public attention for her deep soulful voice on SBS’s TV audition series “K-Pop Star: Season 1” in 2012. She was the runner-up and YG Entertainment head producer Yang Hyun-suk, who also participated on one of the three judging panels of the show, signed her on the spot.

Before making her official debut, Lee released her first song “It’s Cold” in collaboration with Epik High on Oct. 8, 2012.

Only 16 days later, Lee debuted as a solo artist under the country’s biggest entertainment name with the single “1, 2, 3, 4,” written by YG Entertainment’s popular songwriter Masta Wu. The lead song topped the main music charts for three weeks and dominated monthly charts as well.

Lee’s first full album “First Love” came out on March 28, 2013, and its single “Rose” was reached the top of charts only an hour after its release. She not only sang but also rapped for the first time in the hit song.