LEE MIN WOO II
Name: Lee Min Woo
Profession: Singer
Country: Korea
Birthday: 28th July 1979
Position in Shinhwa: Vocal/Rap
Religion: Christian
School: Dae Jhun University, Music Major
Dated: Seo Ji Young of former Korean pop group S#arp; Korean actress/model Shin Ae
Lee Min Woo (born on July 28, 1979) is one of the members of the Korean boy band Shinhwa. Lee was the fourth member picked for the group. Discovered as a student at JunJoo Fine Arts School, he was performing with his dancing group “Dicky Ducky” at an Everland dancing competition and was spotted by an SM Entertainment scout. As part of Shinhwa, he has contributed to all of their 8 albums and is still a part of the group to this day. However, he also is a star in his own right, releasing two hit solo albums (with a stage name of M) and is also acting in various dramas and movies. As a skilled and trained dancer, he has been positively compared to American R&B superstars Usher Raymond and Justin Timberlake.
He first debuted as a solo artist in late 2003, during a break from Shinhwa activities. Choosing the stage name of “M”, he joined forces with other “M” companies (such as Korea’s music television network M-Net) to heavily promote his first album. The record company depended on Lee to be successful, and he ended up surpassing expectations. His first album, Un-Touch-Able, sold in excess of 100 000 copies (according to the January 2004 Music Industry Association of Korea chart[1], the last time the album charted). “Just One Night”, the lead single from the album, was very successful, and it also had “M” show a very different side to him. As opposed to Shinhwa’s music, which tended to be very dance/R&B-oriented, “Just One Night” was a jazzy slow groove song. In addition, the performances for the various network music shows were very choreographed, showing that Lee was putting a lot of effort into his solo debut. However, the second single from the album, (Oh Rain), was not. Although the record company released a slightly remixed version of the single, promotion for it was light at best. Soon into 2004, Lee stopped promoting the album altogether and joined his Shinhwa bandmates in preparing for their 7th album, eventually released in August 2004.
After the success of Shinhwa’s Brand New, Shinhwa went into another hiatus. During this time, Lee recorded and released a single, “If You…”, in March 2005. Sales did not reach album levels, but the single managed to sell over 30 000 copies. Again, Lee heavily promoted the single, with many performances of the song “If You…”, complete with special dance intros performances of other songs. As opposed to the sophisticated image from his first album, Lee promoted this single with a “handsome” image, as the song was a light pop song. However, once fellow Shinhwa member Shin Hye Sung released his solo debut, Lee stopped performing in order to avoid competing with him.
By fall of 2005, Lee was ready for his “comeback special” and released his second album, entitled IInd Winds. Initially released in two versions (including a limited “Lineage II” edition), the album’s liner notes showed off a sexier Lee Minwoo, as his new muscular body was clearly displayed; there were many pictures of him in partial attire. M used the sexier image for his lead single “Bump!!!”, which was a club-oriented dance hit. Complete with an intense video and heavily choreographed performances, the song pushed M to the top of the various network charts, and his album sold 80 000 copies in the month of September. To capitalize on this success, Good Entertainment (via EMI Korea, their distributor) released yet another version of the album. However, this one had a completely new cover and special bonus tracks; in addition, there was a bonus VCD. This “Girl Friend edition” was released as Lee moved onto his second single, “Girl Friend”, a ballad about a lost love. Lee changed his image once again, displaying a rougher, yet sensitive, image. “Girl Friend” was fairly successful as well, allowing Lee to promote his album for over four months, a rarity in Korea’s music industry. The album was ultimately a strong seller, placing 12th in MIAK’s year-end charts with over 120 000 copies sold.
In 2006, Lee focused on his acting, as he filmed his first movie Wontak’s Angel, released in summer of 2006. In addition, he rejoined his group members as Shinhwa released their 8th album, also in the summer. As of fall, he is still with Shinhwa, promoting the album overseas and performing in many Shinhwa concerts around Asia.
