1996–2013: Early life Lee Chan-hyuk was born on September 12, 1996, in
Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Both Chan-hyuk and his younger sister,
Lee Su-hyun, moved to
Mongolia with their
missionary parents for five years, while being home-schooled by their mother, before returning to South Korea. In August 2012, the siblings auditioned for the second installment of
SBS reality survival program
K-pop Star as
Akdong Musician. The sibling duo finished in first place, later choosing to sign under
YG Entertainment as they were the only label from the three to provide them the creative freedom they wished for throughout the show, believing their artistry would not be restricted or altered.
2014–2022: AKMU and military enlistment On April 7, 2014, Lee and Lee Su-hyun officially debuted as
AKMU (Akdong Musician) with their studio album
Play, instantly becoming a commercial success. The sibling duo has since released two more studio albums, two extended plays, one single album and ten singles in their discography. In September 2017, Lee enlisted in the
Korean Marine Corps for his mandatory military service, thus temporarily halting all AKMU activities until his return. In midst of his service, it was revealed the Korean Marines officially chose Lee's self-written song, "Marine Triumph" (), to represent the Corps. Lee completed his mandatory military service on May 29, 2019, and was discharged. His first appearance since hiatus was as AKMU on JTBC variety program
Knowing Bros, where the episode was filmed the day after his release. On September 26, 2019, Lee published his first novel
Fish Meets Water (), a day after AKMU's album
Sailing was released. The novel portrays his perspective on life values and art, and it correlates with the album. The novel became the number one best selling novel in South Korean bookstores. Three years later, Lee published the picture book
Alien in collaboration with illustrator Lee Yoon-woo, based on the lyrics he wrote for Su-hyun's first single, "Alien".
2022–2023: Error and Umbrella Lee released his debut studio album,
Error, on October 17, 2022, which went on to receive the Best Pop Album award at the
20th Korean Music Awards. On June 28, 2023, Lee released his first video album
Umbrella under the
pseudonym Leechanhyukvideo.
2025: Eros and Departure from YG Entertainment On July 14, 2025, Lee released his second studio album
Eros, marking his first full-length solo release since
Error in 2022. The album features the title track "Vivid LaLa Love", among other songs exploring themes of love, loss, and existential reflection. In November 2025, AKMU decided to part ways with YG Entertainment after 12 years, reportedly in talks to establish an independent label. == Discography ==