Ki-chan Lee, South Korean balladeer extraordinaire, is sick of singing love songs.
Don’t get him wrong, he’s still a musician at heart – but recent years have become a time of reinvention for the veteran vocalist of 20-something years, which may explain why Korean fans have increasingly encountered him in K-dramas rather than on the radio – and why, soon, the American audience will see him reprise his supporting role opposite Bae Doona in the second season of the Wachowski siblings-helmed Netflix series “Sense8.”
Lee, 37, who was introduced briefly as Bae’s shady younger brother Joong-ki in the show’s first season, said he anticipates his character will have a much larger story arc in the coming season.
For the first glimpses into Lee’s acting career, you’d have to travel all the way back to 1998, when – in a decision made mostly by his manager at the time – he starred in “Happy Morning,” a weekend family soap opera that also acted as the debut vehicle for K-drama superstar Song Hye-gyo.
Lee did not take a real interest in acting until recent years, especially as he re-entered the TV landscape with a small role in the 2014 drama “Into the Flames.” Now, he’s hoping that “Sense8” is only the beginning of a Hollywood career.
The biggest challenge by far, he said, has been the language barrier – though Lee is not exactly a beginner with his ABCs. He was 11 years old when he moved to Manitoba, Canada, with his family for a year. “I didn’t even know the alphabet before I went to Canada,” Lee said. “It was fun learning.” When he got back to Korea, he continued to study English, going to after-school classes and hiring a tutor.
Which isn’t to say he’s going to stop the music. While adamant that he will always be a singer, he said he is not, for the time being, interested in releasing the same kind of music he has become so known for – crooners like “Beauty” and “Cold” – as he has done. “[Sad ballads] may be my expertise, but I just got bored,” Lee said.
He has instead found a home on the musical stage, performing in the Korean production “Gorae Gorae,” as well as appearing in TV series like “How Are You Bread?” “I can be anybody when I act. I never thought I had these parts inside of me,” Lee said. “The attractive part of acting is finding a way to who I am.”
Korean music fans may not have expected Lee’s talents outside singing, and he says that’s all a part of the challenge – and the fun.
“Korean culture is so conservative. We fear change,” Lee said. “Especially in this industry. For example, I’m a singer. Then one day to say, ‘Now I’m acting,’ everyone is like, ‘What? Just sing your ballads.’ In that way, I really wanted to change that and surprise people, and to hear them say, ‘Wow, you can do this also.’ That makes me feel really alive.”
