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| Lee Chan-young on the 2018 variety show, "Single Wife" / Captured from SBS |
Singer-songwriter Yoon Sang's son to debut as K-pop singer
By Dong Sun-hwa
Children of popular Korean singers in the 1980s-1990s are foraying into the K-pop industry, aiming to use the talent they apparently inherited to follow in the footsteps of their successful parents.
Lee Chan-young, the oldest son of award-winning singer-songwriter Yoon Sang and actress Shim Hye-jin, will reportedly debut as a member of a new boy band to be launched by K-pop powerhouse SM Entertainment in September. The company has not yet confirmed the news but said it would provide more details about the group on Aug. 1.
The new act will consist of Sungchan and Shotaro ― former members of SM's multi-national boy group NCT ― Eunseok and Seunghan ― the idol trainees at SM ― and Lee, among others.
Lee, a former swimmer, made his face known to the public on the 2018 variety show, "Single Wife," appearing on the program with his father. He was born in 2003.
Yoon Sang, whose real name is Lee Yoon-sang, started his musical career as a composer in 1987 and has dropped a series of smash-hit ballads including "The Shadow of Parting" (1990). He is an acclaimed songwriter, who is behind the success of multiple K-pop hits such as "Only I Didn't Know" (2011) by songstress IU and "Ah-Choo" (2015) by girl group LOVELYZ. He currently assumes the role of a contemporary music professor at Sungshin Women's University.
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| Belle, a member of K-pop girl group KISS OF LIFE / Captured from Twitter |
Belle, whose real name is Shim Hye-won, is already reputed for her compositional prowess. She is one of the songwriters of "Unforgiven" (2023) ― the lead single off K-pop girl band LE SSERAFIM's first full-length album ― and "Shhh" (2023) ― the debut track by KISS OF LIFE. The 19-year-old recently won an award in the composer category at the 2023 Korea Best Brands Awards.
"My dad gives me a lot of advice about music," Belle said during a press event marking her group's debut, which took place at the YES 24 Live Hall in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul, July 5. "He was so glad to hear that I am debuting (as a K-pop singer). I hope I can collaborate with him as a singer in the days ahead."
Sieun, a member of girl group STAYC, is a former child actor and the daughter of famous singer Park Nam-jung. Park enjoyed his heyday in the late 1980s, winning people's hearts with popular songs like "Missing You" (1988) and "Gleams of Memories in the Rain" (1989).
After bursting onto the K-pop scene with the track "So Bad" in 2020, STAYC has had smooth sailing in its career, rising to stardom with "ASAP" (2021).
"People used to call Sieun 'Park Nam-jung's daughter,' but today, they call me 'Sieun's father," Park Nam-jung proudly said on the 2021 variety show, "Video Star."
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