Lee Hangyul makes sixth debut with first solo mini-album NOISE

Lee Hangyul has launched his solo career with his first mini-album, NOISE, marking what he described as his sixth debut after nine years of group activities and appearances on four survival shows.

The singer, who first debuted with IM in 2017, said at a showcase celebrating the release that his years of repeated attempts had included many setbacks.

“Over nine years, I tried many things and faced challenges, but there were many times when things did not work out,” he said.

The release follows his departure in February from PocketDol Studio, where he had spent about 10 years, beginning as a trainee. After taking a break, he said, he decided to try again because he still missed performing and wanted to show the full range of his appeal under his own name.

Lee Hangyul’s route to a solo release began with IM. After the group failed to achieve major results, he sought further opportunities through The Unit: Idol Rebooting Project and Produce X 101. His selection for the debut lineup on Produce X 101 raised his public profile.

X1, the group formed through Produce X 101, disbanded just four months after debuting. Amid the fallout from the program’s manipulation controversy, the group ended its activities after a single promotional run.

Lee Hangyul returned to his original agency and formed H&D with Nam Do-hyon for pre-debut activities. He then formally debuted with BAE173 in 2020.

BAE173 continued releasing albums after its debut, while Lee Hangyul also competed alongside his fellow members on Peak Time. The survival program featured competition between teams, putting him onstage as part of BAE173 rather than as an individual contestant.

He later appeared on Starlight Boys, a joint Korean-Chinese boy group survival program, and was selected for its debut group, POLARIX. He pursued POLARIX activities alongside his work with BAE173.

Those appearances brought his survival-show total to four, alongside a career spanning IM, X1, H&D, BAE173 and POLARIX. Through the changes in teams, formats and main stages, he continued performing in new settings before releasing his first mini-album as a solo artist.

When announcing the expiration of Lee Hangyul’s exclusive contract with PocketDol Studio, chief executive Kim Kwang-soo described him as “a friend who always stood firmly by our side, whether the company was doing well or struggling, whether there was good news or something sad.”

“I have watched many artists over 41 years, but it is rare to find someone like Lee Hangyul, who quietly holds his place and shows such sincerity,” Kim Kwang-soo said. He described the singer as exceptionally dear to him and said he would sincerely congratulate, bless and support him as he took a new path.

At the showcase, Lee Hangyul explained how time away from work had led him back to performing.

“While resting, I asked myself, ‘What do I really want to do?’ I realized that I still missed the stage, so I decided to try again,” he said. He added that he also felt it would be a shame to let what he had built up go to waste.

Asked what he would tell his younger self, he said: “I want to tell myself that the time I lived through was not in vain. There were many failures, but they became experience, so I want to say they did not become poison.” He described those years of setbacks and renewed attempts as experience he could carry forward.

For his solo activities, Lee Hangyul said he wanted to reveal aspects of himself that he had held back while fulfilling his responsibilities within a group.

“Before, as part of a team, as a leader and as another member, I held back some of my appeal when I went onstage,” he said. “Now I have come out as a solo artist to show everything about myself.”

Read the original (Korean)