Lee Sang-yi’s rise to stardom: the MSG Wannabe member is set to star in K-drama Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha alongside Kim Seon-ho, and rose to fame with 2020’s Once Again
It’s been quite the year for rising star Lee Sang-yi following his role in the 2020 drama, Once Again. With his rapidly increasing popularity, he has starred in several dramas and appeared on multiple Korean reality shows. That includes Hangout with Yoo, where the show’s host Yoo Jae-suk chose him to be a member of the project group MSG Wannabe.
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Here are five things to know about Lee as his star continues to rise.
He rose to stardom through his role in Once Again
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Many fans fell for Lee after watching his cute scenes in Once Again – and admiring his good looks, of course.
Most recently, Lee starred in historical drama Youth of May, which portrayed the Gwangju Uprising in 1980s Korea.
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His university besties are famous now, too
Lee is very close to Goblin’s Kim Go-eun, Hospital Playlist’s Ahn Eun-jin, and Vincenzo’s Kim Seong-cheol. Although today, all of them are successful and busy with their own dramas, TV shows and musicals, they share a past. They were in the same cohort when they attended the prestigious Korea National University of Arts, studying drama together and sharing a passion for acting. Netizens call them the “10 hak-beon”, which means “the cohort that started studying in college in 2010”.
When they were still in university, they posted videos of themselves singing together on YouTube. And as they became more well-known, these videos have gone viral.
The stars have mentioned each other in several interviews, sharing funny stories from university. They often comment on each other’s Instagram posts and tease each other too, as good friends do.
In 2018, Lee and Kim Seong-cheol co-starred in the television series, To. Jenny, where they acted together for the first time since graduating from university.
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He is a big fan of the singer Rain
Lee has expressed his admiration for the OG K-pop star Rain on multiple occasions. Twelve years ago, when he was in high school, Lee did a choreographed cover of one of Rain’s most iconic songs, Rainism. The video went viral, and fans still love watching his moves. Check it out below!
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He loves keeping pet fish
One of Lee’s hobbies is keeping pet fish. When he appeared as a guest on the Korean reality show I Live Alone and introduced his home to the public, what caught viewers’ eyes were the aquariums all around his house.
As people saw on the show, he enjoys collecting fish of different species. Fans saw Lee taking very good care them, feeding them even before having his own breakfast. Some fans even commented on YouTube and social media that they wished to be Lee’s fish.
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He will be starring in Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha
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- He appeared in the Korean remake of Suits, When the Camellia Blooms and To. Jenny while his besties from university acted in Vincenzo, Goblin and Hospital Playlist
- Korean reality show I Live Alone showed his love of keeping fish, while on Hangout with Yoo he was picked for MSG Wannabe, a spoof band with real chart success