AKMU (악뮤), formerly Akdong Musician (악동뮤지션), is a South Korean duo consisting of brothers Lee Chan-hyuk and Lee Su-hyun. Since their debut at the ages of 16 and 13 respectively, AKMU have been praised for their musical sensitivity and emulated traits of a “musical prodigy” and a “genius” and have quickly established themselves as “true artists “.
In their home country, the AKMU is nicknamed “The Brothers of the Nation.”
The duo’s viral songs include songs like “Last Goodbye”, “Time and Fallen Leaves”, “How Can I Love the Heartbreak, You’re the One I Love”, “Love-Lee” and many more.
AKMU Biography
- Group Name: AKMU (formerly Akdong Musician)
- Debut date: 04/07/2014
- Company: YG Entertainment
- Total members: 2
- Members: Lee Chan-hyuk and Lee Su-hyun
- Fandom Name: AKKADEMY (Academy)
- Instagram: @akmuofficial, @akmu_suhyun (Lee Su-hyun), @leechanhyuk (Lee Chan-hyuk)
Career
In 2012, Lee Chan-hyuk and Lee So-hyun appeared together in the music reality show “K-pop Star 2”, where they garnered a lot of attention and won 1st place, which led them to sign a contract with YG Entertainment in 2013.
Even before their debut, the duo gained a significant following, with their songs on the show topping Korean charts, various recognitions, and the release of several singles and OSTs.
In 2014, the duo debuted as “Akdong Musician” with their first album “Play”, containing 11 tracks. Among them are 3 title tracks, including “Melted” chosen by the duo, “200%” chosen by YG Entertainment, and “Give Love” chosen after a round of fan voting.
Since their debut, the two have consistently achieved both critical and commercial success, not only winning awards at music awards, but also holding concerts and tours, as well as filming variety shows with their namesake.
In 2017, however, the duo took a 2-year hiatus starting in 2017 when Lee Chan-hyuk began his mandatory military enlistment.
In 2019, when Chan-hyuk returned to activities, the duo decided to promote themselves as “AKMU” instead of their old stage name “Akdong Musician”.
In 2020, Su-hyun made his solo debut with the digital single “Alien,” while Chan-hyuk later made his solo debut in 2022 with the album “Error.”
Discography (excluding solo tracks and promotional singles)
Studio albums
- Play (2014)
- Winter (2017)
- Sailing (2019)
Live album
- AKMU ‘Sailing’ Live Tour (2020)
Minialbum
- Spring (2016)
- Next episode (2021)
- Love Episode (2024)
Digital singles (excluding album singles)
- Time and Fallen Leaves (2014)
- Summer Episode (2017)
- Happening (2020)
OST
- “I Love You” – All About My Romance OST Part 3 (2013)
- “Be With You” – Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo OST Part.12″ (2016)
Features and collaborations
- Yang Hee-eun – “The Tree” (2017)
- Mudd the Student – “Dissonance” (2021)
- Zion.T – “V (Peace)” (2023)
Special information
Lee Chan-hyuk and Lee Su-hyun were born in South Korea, but their father’s missionary work forced the family to move to Mongolia for almost 5 years before returning to South Korea.
Due to their parents’ financial difficulties, the brothers studied at home and turned to music out of pure boredom.
Furthermore, Chan-hyuk composed all of AKMU’s songs
Controversies
AKMU maintains a rather clean reputation and is particularly favored by the Korean public. There was a case, however, where AKMU’s Lee Chan-hyuk was criticized after he remained completely silent without answering any questions from MCs while appearing on a music show.
