AKMU, Korea’s Most Beloved Siblings, Are Back and Their Latest Single “Hero” is Poised to be Yet Another Hit
On June 3, AKMU released their third EP, LOVE EPISODE, along with their latest single, “Hero,” and the success among the public was immediate: on that very day, the title track “Hero” secured the first spot on the Naver VIBE chart and high positions on other major charts such as Melon, Bugs, Genie, and Flo. The duo, made up of the siblings Lee Chanhyuk and Lee Suhyun, have already delivered a phenomenal hit with the previous song “Love Lee,” which had become viral in Korea and worldwide, with countless reels and TikToks capitalizing on its incredibly catchy vibes.
Cut to this week, when “Hero” came out with a delightful video that comes straight out of a storybook. It starts off in an enchanted castle whose inhabitants might remind us of Beauty and the Beast, and then it morphs into an exciting school play, never losing its dreamy and playful atmosphere, just like that of the song itself, that encapsulates the heart-fluttering quality of a love confession just right. Watching the video will probably challenge you to recognize the abundant references to more or less famous fairytales. Try your hand at it!
The other tracks of Love Episode have also received widespread acclaim, bolstering the duo’s reputation as hitmakers and earning them praise for the way they keep exploring the universal emotion of love through their unique sensibility. Other than the aforementioned “Love Lee,” still amassing the highest number of streams, there’s the lively “Fry’s Dream” (후라이의 꿈): a song about the big dreams of a fried egg, who wants to “flow away” at his own pace and discover life without other people’s interferences. “Fry’s Dream” was actually the B-side on the “Love Lee” single, released on August 21, 2023.
Then we find “Long D” (롱디), a song about longing for a lover in a long-distance relationship, where the urgency is conveyed by the fast pacing of the singing, reminiscent of the songs from their previous mini-album NEXT EPISODE (2021) - think of their duet with IU (“Nakka”), or with Beenzino (“Tictoc Tictoc Tictoc”). “Peace of Cake” (케익의 평화) is another little gem, accompanied by a surprise “self MV,” a self-made music video shot by AKMU’s Lee Suhyun herself. “Answer Me” (답답해), finally, is a song about that agonizing moment when one’s waiting for the answer to their love confession (“All or Nothing/ What will we be?/ I told you and the time to choose came/My trembling heart tut-tut-tut-tut”).
AKMU Are Probably Korea’s Most Beloved Siblings
AKMU is the shortened name for AKDONG MUSICIAN (악동뮤지션), and it’s a sibling duo consisting of Lee Chanhyuk (이찬혁), the songwriter, producer, and also singer; and his younger sister Lee Suhyun (이수현), the main vocalist. They debuted under YG Entertainment on April 7, 2014, with the album PLAY and used the name AKDONG MUSICIAN until September 25, 2019, when they officially adopted AKMU. Before LOVE EPISODE, they had already released two other EPs, SUMMER EPISODE (2017) and NEXT EPISODE (2021), each exploring the theme of love as seen through everyday, relatable situations. Each of them has also enjoyed success from their solo projects.
The fact that two siblings have become a major recording artist who keep enjoying success is a rarity in any music industry, even more so in Korea. One of the traits that everybody loves about them is how they never shy away from showing their real-life sibling reactions, earning the sympathy of listeners and viewers. There are compilations of their playful banter!
They have appeared in several different shows, and one of their most recent TV stints was as hosts of the third season of the KBS2 late-night music talk show The Seasons, which aired in September-October 2023. Lee Suhyun was also much admired during the third season of JTBC’s Begin Again, where her duets with Kim Feel earned millions of views on YouTube.
The duo embarked on a successful tour in Korea between December 2023 and January 2024 and are now gearing up for two shows on June 15 and 16 at KSPO DOME (Olympic Gymnastics Stadium) in Seoul as part of their tenth-anniversary project 2024 AKMU 10th Anniversary Concert [10VE].
Edited by Rachael Lovetter