"Mixed-group specialist" Lee Sang-min returns as a music producer after about 20 years.
The YouTube variety show Producer Lee Sang-min, bearing his name, is a K-pop project that realistically captures his return to producing, including the entire process from auditions to debut of a rookie mixed group.
Lee Sang-min debuted in 1994 as part of the mixed group Roo'ra and later shifted to producing, creating numerous popular groups such as Diva, Chakra, S#arp, and Country Kko Kko, establishing himself as one of Korea's representative hitmakers.
However, in 2002 he had to halt activities after taking on massive debt. After a long hiatus, Lee Sang-min returned in 2012 through the Mnet variety show Music of the Gods and has since remained popular for his witty talk and self-deprecating character on various variety shows such as tvN's Genius series, SBS's My Little Old Boy, and Dolsing Four Men.
Producer Lee Sang-min is a real producing content in which the returned "golden touch" Lee Sang-min personally discovers rookie artists and creates music. It will feature the vivid process of K-pop production sites, artist meetings, audition preparations and other actual activities of a producer.
The first teaser video released on the 24th for the YouTube channel Producer Lee Sang-min contained Lee Sang-min's candid feelings after clearing his debt after 20 years and once again dreaming of production.
Lee Sang-min recalled, "From '94 I worked intensely as a singer, leader and producer for eight to nine years. Not a single minute of my life was leisure. That's how I created several teams."
He added, "Now is an era when fandoms are not divided by gender and like one team together," and said, "I felt there's no need to strictly separate boy groups and girl groups." He expressed admiration for the mixed group produced by Teddy, ALLDAY PROJECT, saying, "I loved it. He really made it well."
Despite a 20-year gap, Lee Sang-min, showing confidence with the phrase "gamdasal (full of sense)," raised expectations further with a scene in which someone who heard his first post-return track praised it as "this has Billboard quality."
Producer Lee Sang-min is co-produced with Kapes Planet, a global content production company led by PD Yu Chi-kok, who directed numerous audition programs at Mnet such as Superstar K, Show Me the Money and No Mercy (Monsta X debut survival), and successfully launched YouTube channels Dingo and Hello82.
Kapes Planet is a K-pop-focused global content production company founded by producers from Mnet, Dingo and Hello82, and recently attracted attention by planning and co-producing the original concept for the global K-pop film Secret Idol together with Artist Studio and the U.K.'s The Imaginarium.
This project is Lee Sang-min's comeback work as a music producer after more than 20 years, and based on his musical sensibility and planning skills it is expected to create a new generation of K-pop artists.
Meanwhile, the YouTube variety show Producer Lee Sang-min will begin releasing the full series sequentially starting with the release of the first teaser on that day.
[Photo] YouTube variety show Producer Lee Sang-min first teaser video
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