Lee Eun-mi (singer)
Lee Eun-mi (Korean: 이은미; born May 19, 1966) is a South Korean singer.[1] She is well known for her song "I Have a Lover" which became very popular in South Korea.[2][3]
Lee Eun-mi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Lee Eun-mee |
| Born | May 19, 1966 South Korea |
| Genres | Rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1989-present |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 이은미 |
| Revised Romanization | I Eun-mi |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ri Ŭnmi |
Music career
She debuted in 1989 and became known for the song that launched her career "I Have a Lover" and others, like "In the Middle of Breaking Up," "Into the Memories" and "Nocturn."[2][3]
She said that she was influenced by The Carpenters and the late South Korean singer Kim Kwang-seok.[3]
The barefoot diva
She focused on live performances rather than on television appearances,[2] and became known to her fans as "the barefoot diva."[4][5]
20th anniversary concert
In 2009 she performed her Lee Eun Mi - 20th Anniversary Concert in a nationwide tour of over 70 cities in South Korea, promoting her new album, "Walking Atop The Sound"; and on tour in Canada and the United States.[2][6]
Emcee on television audition show
In May 2012, she started hosting the second season of MBC's audition show I Am a Singer, singing her song "Nocturne" on the first night, and receiving praise for her emcee style.[7] Despite her relative inexperience, compared to the show's past emcees, the creative director said, "We were impressed with her style of talking that was both comforting and effortless," and convinced her to remain, after being a temporary replacement.[7]
Her appearance on the show was said to reveal a "softer side" of the veteran singer who was known for a "strong, sometimes stubborn, stance on issues related to K-pop," and a firm opposition to lip-syncing on the air.[6]
First Japanese fan meeting
In May 2012, at age forty-six, she held her first fan meeting, Lee Eun-mi Story in Osaka and Tokyo, Japan.[3]
Personal life
On January 12, 2011, she married her long time friend and lover, a Korean-American businessman in his mid-40s, in Santa Barbara, California, and they reside in Samseong-dong, Seoul.[8]
Books
In 2007 she released a collection of photos and poems in Meeting Poems Barefooted.[2]
In her memoir Barefoot Diva, published in February 2012, she wrote, "For a time, people called me a tiger in that I always seemed ready to criticize and fight. I think then, I believed that kind of attitude was the only way I could keep doing music the way I wanted to."[6]
Discography
Studio albums
- Walking Atop The Sound (2009)[2]
- Ma Non Tanto (2005)
- Noblesse (2001)
- 자유인 (1997)
- Beyond Face (1998)
References
- Kim, Hajin (March 31, 2015). "이은미, 고여있지 않는 가수가 되겠습니다". Herald Pop. Retrieved 2016-01-04.
- "2009. 9.9 TICKET". JoongAng Ilbo. September 9, 2009. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
- Sunwoo, Carla (May 24, 2012). "Lee Eun-mi holds first fan meeting in Japan". JoongAng Ilbo. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
- "February 2016 Jeju Agenda - Lee Eun-mi's My Heart is Beating". 10 Magazine. February 19, 2016. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
- "Eun Mi Lee, the Barefoot Diva, Transforms into a Fashion Model". Samsung C&T Fashion Group. October 25, 2012. Archived from the original on May 7, 2016. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
- Song, Ji-hye (May 23, 2012). "Veteran singer shows her softer side on audition reality show". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
- Kwaak, Je-yup (May 4, 2012). Lee Eun-mi to emcee 2nd ‘I‘m a Singer‘ (in Korean). The Korea Times. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
- "Lee Eun-mi Married Long-Time Lover in January". The Chosun Ilbo. April 25, 2016. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
