2007–2014: 8Eight Lee joined
Big Hit Entertainment as a trainee in 2005 and signed with the company in 2007. That same year, he debuted as part of the co-ed trio
8Eight, alongside Baek Chan and Joo Hee. The group released three studio albums between 2007 and 2009, and two
extended plays in 2010 and 2011. On 21 December 2014, Big Hit and
Source announced that Baek and Joo Hee’s contracts had expired and that group activities were suspended; the label noted the members remained on good terms and did not rule out a future reunion. On 31 January 2020, Big Hit and Source confirmed that 8Eight would release a new single on 7 February to commemorate the 10th anniversary of “
Without a Heart”, produced by
“Hitman” Bang and Wonderkid. The digital single
Fool Again was issued on 7 February 2020 with a new “Without a Heart (10th Anniversary Ver.)” as the B-side, marking the trio’s first release together in six years.
2009–present: Solo activities and Homme Lee released his solo debut single “” (“30 Minutes Ago”) on 8 September 2009, in both digital and physical formats. A duet featuring
Lim Jeong-hee, it was written by
Bang Si-hyuk as the final part of his “Goodbye” trilogy, following
Baek Ji-young’s “” (“Like Being Hit by a Bullet”) and
8Eight’s “” (“Without a Heart”). He performed the song for the first time on
Music Bank on 11 September 2009. He also contributed “” (“I Can’t Breathe”) to the
KBS2 series
Invincible Lee Pyung Kang, released on 2 November 2009. In 2010, Lee recorded “” (“Why Make Me Cry”) for the
SBS drama
Big Thing; it was released as the fourth OST single on 27 October 2010. That year he also formed the project duo
Homme with
Changmin of
2AM, releasing the single “I Was Able to Eat Well” () under producer Bang Si-hyuk. Lee’s first solo studio album,
The Healing Echo, was released on 2 January 2012 with “Because It’s You” as the title track. In 2018, following the expiry of Changmin’s contract with Big Hit at the end of January, the label announced his departure to establish a one-man agency; Lee remained with Big Hit as a soloist. In 2019, Lee recorded “You Are Here” for the
BTS World: Original Soundtrack, released globally on 28 June. He renewed his Big Hit contract in March 2021 and launched a
YouTube channel to mark his 14th anniversary with the company. That summer he contributed the ballad “Deep Sadness” to the season two soundtrack of
Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce) (released 26 June 2021), and issued his single “Moon in the Ocean” in July. Lee introduced his
alter ego Midnatt in May 2023 with the digital single "Masquerade", released via Big Hit and
Hybe Corporation’s interactive media subsidiary HYBE IM. As Midnatt, Lee became the first artist in HYBE's "Project L", employing
AI voice synthesis (through the Supertone technology acquired by HYBE) and extended reality to release simultaneous multilingual versions of the song. == Personal life ==