Choi Sang-yeop
Born (1994-02-27) February 27, 1994 (age 30)
Nationality South Korea

Choi Sang-yeop (Korean: 최상엽; born February 27, 1994) is a South Korean singer and the lead vocalist and guitarist of the band LUCY. He is

Early life

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After taking a break from university and completing his military service, Choi Sang-yeop started his music career. He gained recognition by performing alongside Ken from VIXX at the Duet Song Festival.[1] He began busking under the team name "Choi Sang-yeop-yeop" and has won prizes at Korean busking events and song festivals.[2]

Career

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Debut with LUCY

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LUCY was formed on a band audition program called Superband.[3] The show brought together musicians from various backgrounds to form teams and compete against each other.

In the show, the current members Ye-chan, Won-sang, Gwang-il, and former vocalist Lee Ju-hyuk formed a team. Through their unique sound and teamwork, they eventually won the second place in the show.

However, after the show, the former vocalist Ju-hyuk decided to return to his original band, GIFT. In search of a new lead vocalist, bassist Wonsang began by reviewing videos of all the vocalist contestants from the first round of Superband, eventually choosing Sang-yeop, who had participated in Superband but was eliminated earlier.

In an interview,[4] Won-sang mentioned that he found Sang-yeop's voice very unique and refreshing. What's more, his appearance was quite appealing and grabbed his attention, making him a perfect fit for LUCY. Other members also said that besides refreshing genres, Sang-yeop is good at ballad songs. He could bring new possibilities to LUCY.

Finally, Sang-yeop officially joined LUCY as the lead vocalist, and they debuted on May 8, 2020, with their debut song Flowering.[5] The team continuously grew its popularity and has released more than 100 songs so far.[6][7][8] LUCY was invited to SXSW in 2023.[9] It is currently on its first world tour "Written by Flower" across 20 cities in the United States.[10]

Philanthropy

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Sang-yeop donated several times since debut. On his 29th birthday, he celebrated his birthday by donating nearly 2.3 million KRW to childcare facilities.[11] On February 27th, 2024, his 30th birthday, he donated 10 million KRW to the Korea Childhood Leukemia Foundation to support children with cancer.[12] On June 25, 2024, he donated 5 million KRW to support medical expenses for Korean War veterans.[13]

Discography

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Mini Album

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Release Date Album Songs
2017/11/14 《Yeop x 2》
  1. 내 모습 이대로
  2. 과거를 그리워하는 당신에게 위로를
  3. 그네
  4. Unplugged
  5. 잠들때까지
  6. 내 모습 이대로 (inst.)[14]

References

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  1. ^ "Watch: B1A4's Sandeul, VIXX's Ken, EXID's Solji, And More Compete In "Duet Song Festival" Winners Special". www.soompi.com. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
  2. ^ YTN (2018-12-07). 진솔한 음악...국내 버스킹 대상 '최상엽엽' / YTN. Retrieved 2024-05-18 – via YouTube.
  3. ^ "Why SuperBand was and still is the best survival show!". allkpop. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
  4. ^ "루시의 자기소개 "어떤 장르든 저희 색깔로 만들 수 있는 팀"". 노컷뉴스 (in Korean). 2020-05-26. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
  5. ^ "뉴스 : 네이버 TV연예". m.entertain.naver.com. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
  6. ^ Yoo, Hong (2023-08-16). "[Herald Interview] Lucy aims to expand reach with pop-rock music". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
  7. ^ "[K-EXCLUSIVE] Interview with LUCY, the unique band which will catch your heart ⋆ The latest kpop news and music | Officially Kmusic". The latest kpop news and music | Officially Kmusic. 2021-09-26. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
  8. ^ Ji-won, Choi (2021-08-26). "[Herald Interview] Band Lucy: Creating music to be heard, seen and felt". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
  9. ^ "Rock band Lucy to make comeback in August". koreajoongangdaily.joins.com. 2023-07-28. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
  10. ^ Carbonilla, Hans; clopez (2024-05-31). "Here are the K-pop shows to catch this June in North America". INQUIRER.net USA. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
  11. ^ "Lucy's Choi Sang Yeop celebrates 29th birthday by donating nearly 2.3 million KRW to childcare facilities". allkpop. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
  12. ^ 연예, iMBC (2024-02-27). "'생일' 루시 최상엽, 소아암 환아 위해 기부…꾸준한 선행 '훈훈'". MBC NEWS (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-06-15.
  13. ^ "루시 최상엽, 6.25 참전용사 위해 굿피플에 500만원 기부". 경향신문 (in Korean). 2024-06-07. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
  14. ^ CHOI SANG YEOP - Topic (2021-05-17). 내 모습 이대로. Retrieved 2024-05-22 – via YouTube.