Lee Chanhyuk

Lee Chanhyuk (이찬혁) is the main composer, lead vocalist, and the creative engine behind AKMU (Akdong Musician), the sibling duo that redefined what commercial Korean pop could sound like. Born September 12, 1996, in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, he spent five formative years in Mongolia with his missionary parents, home-schooled by his mother, alongside his younger sister Lee Su-hyun. That unconventional upbringing became the root of a worldview that has consistently resisted the K-pop industry's formulas. In August 2012, the siblings auditioned for SBS's K-pop Star Season 2 as Akdong Musician and finished first overall. Multiple labels competed to sign them, but Chanhyuk chose YG Entertainment for the creative autonomy the label offered, a decision that proved accurate. AKMU officially debuted on April 7, 2014, with the studio album Play, which was an instant commercial success. Three years later, in September 2017, Chanhyuk enlisted in the Korean Marine Corps for mandatory military service. During his service, he wrote "Marine Triumph" (해병승전가), a song the Marine Corps officially adopted to represent the corps. He was discharged on May 29, 2019. One day after releasing AKMU's album Sailing in September 2019, he published his first novel Fish Meets Water (물 만난 물고기), which reached number one in South Korean bookstores. A second book, the picture book Alien, followed in 2022. His solo debut album Error (October 17, 2022) won Best Pop Album at the 20th Korean Music Awards. In 2023, he released the video album Umbrella under the pseudonym Leechanhyukvideo. His second solo album Eros arrived July 14, 2025, featuring lead track "Vivid LaLa Love." In November 2025, AKMU departed YG Entertainment after twelve years, establishing their independent label Fountain of Inspiration.