Who Is Lee Michelle?
Lee Michelle is a solo singer who came into the public eye as a contestant on Mnet’s Kpop Star season 1, as one of the strongest candidates to win first place. Do you want to learn more about her? Let’s check this out!
Lee Michelle Profile
Real Name: Lee Michelle
Korean Name: 이미셀
Birthday: September 9, 1991
Nationality: Korean (half African-American, half Korean)
Label: DIMA Entertainment
Education: Dong-ah Institute of Media and Arts
Facts about Lee Michelle
- She was born in Paju to a Korean mother and an African-American father.
- She grew up in Paju with her mother and her siblings, as their parents were separated when she was a baby. Meanwhile, her father returned to the United States.
- She occasionally struggled in English, as she is not fluent.
- She was eliminated on Top 5 from Kpop Star 1.
- After Kpop Star 1 ended, she joined YG Entertainment. But her contract was terminated in 2013.
- Her current agency is the affiliate agency of her alma mater, Dong-ah Institute of Media and Arts.
- She has an older sister.
- She and her sister would practice singing while listening to their mother’s H.O.T and Tony Braxton cassette tapes. They also learned to dance.
- She is known for her powerful voice.
- She was once a guest on KBS Hello Counselor, with actress Park Hae-mi and actress Cho Hye-ryeon.
Lee Michelle Origin
Lee Michelle was born in Paju to a Korean mother and an African-American father. She grew up in Paju with her mother and her older sister. Her father returned to the United States, as Lee Michelle’s parents were separated when she was a baby. She faced constant discrimination in school because of her biracial background.
Lee Michelle in K-pop Star
Lee Michelle’s first appearance in public was on the first season of Kpop Star, which premiered on December 4, 2011. She gathered praise from all the judges, who were representatives of the Big Three agencies in South Korea, for her powerful voice and wide range. She was a strong candidate to win the show, along with another contestant, Park Ji-min.
During the group audition stage, she was on a team with Park Ji-min, Lee Seung-joo, and Lee Jung-mi. They called themselves SuPearls, and they did a cover for Girls’ Generation’s The Boys. They were praised for their powerful vocals and harmonies, resulting in the four of them continuing to the next stage of the competition.
Lee Michelle was eliminated on the Top 5 stage, and, at the end of the show, she was signed to YG Entertainment, along with two other SuPearls members, Lee Seung-joo and Lee Jung-mi. Park Ji-min, who won the show, decided to sign a contract with JYP Entertainment, and she was replaced with Lee Ha-yi.
Lee Michelle in SuPearls
SuPearls was a vocal group, originally consisting of Lee Michelle, Lee Seung-joo, Lee Jung-mi, and Park Ji-min. They were united through the SBS survival show Kpop Star season 1, where they needed to team up in order to pass the group audition stage. They were praised for their powerful vocals. Everyone from the team, except Park Ji-min, signed contracts with YG Entertainment. After Park Ji-min’s departure from the group, her position was replaced with Lee Ha-yi. SuPearls was planned to debut as a girl group. They were trained for approximately two years, sometimes performing at small events.
On February 18, 2013, YG Entertainment announced that the plan for Supearls’ debut was canceled in order to concentrate on Lee Ha-yi’s solo debut, and Lee Michelle’s contract with YG Entertainment was canceled.
Lee Michelle Solo Debut
On March 28, 2013, Lee Michelle signed a contract with DIMA Entertainment and began to train as a solo singer. Before her official debut, she was featured in rapper Double K’s song titled Rewind, which was released on March 23, 2013.
Lee Michelle debuted with the single Without You, which was released on March 21, 2014. The story of the music video was about a little girl who wrote about some racial words and covered it with some graffiti. She was seen applying some white powder on her face, in order to make her skin look lighter. The music video emphasized her messages and overcoming obstacles, and was a visual expression of her social battles.
Lee Michelle Discography
KPop Star Season 1 Tracks
SBS Kpop Star Top 8 – If I Were A Boy
SBS Kpop Star Top 7 – One Night Only
SBS Kpop Star Top 6 – 사진을 보다가 (While Looking at the Picture)
SBS Kpop Star Top 5 – U Just
Solo Debut
Without You
That’s Okay
I Can Sing
Life Is
OST MBC drama Blow Breeze – For You.
Latest News
Lee Michelle hasn’t had any recent comeback news or television appearances. Her last appearance on TV was on MBC’s King of Masked Singer. You can follow Lee Michelle’s daily updates on her Instagram account.
Lee Michelle’s Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAi8lCGAUfz/
That was all for getting to know Korean Singer Lee Michelle! Don’t forget to give your thoughts in the comments below!
