You Hee-yeol 유희열 | |
|---|---|
 Yoo Hee-yeol during MBC 'Funding Together' production presentation in 2019 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1971-04-19)April 19, 1971 (age 53) |
| Origin | Seoul, South Korea |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Labels | Antenna Music |
| Website | antenna - You Hee-yeol |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 유희열 |
| Hanja | 柳喜烈 |
| Revised Romanization | Yu Huiyeol |
| McCune–Reischauer | Yu Hŭiyŏl |
You Hee-yeol (Korean: 유희열; born April 19, 1971)[1] is a South Korean singer-songwriter, radio disk jockey, and the host ofYou Hee-yeol's Sketchbook. He is the founder of the record labelAntenna Music and the sole member of the project bandToy.
You Hee-yeol was born inSeoul and attendedKyungbock High School. He graduated fromSeoul National University's College of Music with a major incomposition. He first appeared in the local pop music scene by winning the grand prize at the fourth You Jae-ha Music Contest held in 1992 with the song "달빛의 노래" ("The Moonlight Song").[2]
In 1994, he started the bandToy as a duo with Yoon Jeong-oh. But after releasing Toy's first album, Yoon left the band to study overseas and You joined thenavy for his mandatory military service. Since 1996, Toy has continued as a one-man band with You as the sole member. After his discharge from military service, Toy's second albumFairy Tales for Adults was released, with the title song "Remember I Was Next to You" sung byKim Yeon-woo becoming a big hit. Since then, You has rarely sung the songs in his albums and instead features guest vocalists such asKim Yeon-woo, Kim Hyung-joong,Lee Jang-woo,Yoon Jong-shin,Kim Jang-hoon, Jinu (also known as Hitchhiker), and Byeon Jae-won.[3]
You has also produced many albums forK-pop musicians includingLee Seung-hwan,Yoon Jong-shin,Lee Sora andLee Moon-se. In 1997, he founded the record labelAntenna Music, then known as Toy Music.
In July 1999, You published a book of illustrations titledIn Front of a Familiar House. The album of the same title contained instrumental tracks in a range of genres.[3] Besides songwriting, You has worked as a radio DJ, appearing onMBC FM4U'sYoo Hee-yeol's Music City (1999–March 2001),[3]MBC FM4U'sAll That Music (October 2, 2002 – April 25, 2004), andKBS 2FM'sYou Hee-yeol's Radio Heaven (2008–Nov 11, 2011).
Since 2009, You has hosted the majorK-pop live music programYou Hee-yeol's Sketchbook onKBS 2TV. He was also a member of the judging panel forK-pop Star 3 (2013–14) and a member of the cast ofSaturday Night Live Korea in September 2013.[4] In 2015, he appeared in the music video forPsy's single "Daddy". Since 2015, he became a co-host withYoo Jae Suk inTwo Yoo Project Sugar Man.
On December 11, 2021, You was diagnosed with COVID-19, canceled all of his schedules and is taking necessary measures in accordance with quarantine agency guidelines.[5] As of December 21, 2021, it was reported that Yoo had recovered from the infection as of December 19 after completing home treatment for COVID-19 according to a decision by health officials.[6]
In 2022, You faced multiple allegations of plagiarism. After acknowledging the similarities between his song "Very Private Night" and "Aqua" by Japanese composerRyuichi Sakamoto, the controversy continued over songs "Happy Birthday to You" (composed by You and performed bySung Si-kyung) and "Time to Turn On". On July 18, 2022, You published an apology through his record labelAntenna, announcing his intention to step down from his programYou Hee-yeol's Sketchbook, and that he "will look after [himself] more strictly so that a controversy such as this does not arise again."[7]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009–2022 | You Hee-yeol's Sketchbook | Host | [8] | |
| 2020–2022 | Sing Again | Judge | Season 1–2 | [9] |
| 2021 | Many Chat | Host | withCha Tae-hyun | [10] |
| 2022 | Famous Singers | Season 2 | [11] | |
| New Festa | [12] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Clumsy Antenna | Main Cast | with Artist from Antenna | [13] |
| 2022 | Take 1 | Participant | [14][15] |
| Year | Date | Song |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | November 28 | "Three People" |
