Lee Hi takes first solo concert in her stride

It has been less than a year since the young 16-year-old K-pop starlet Lee Hi made her official debut as a solo singer under YG Entertainment’s wing, after gaining fame as the runner-up of the survival audition TV program “K-pop Star” season one.

With the young star having released her first full studio album “First Love” earlier in the year, the only remaining feat for Lee to tackle was putting on her first solo concert performance; she can now scratch that off the list. 

Lee’s first solo concert titled “Re-Hi” was held in the Mary Hall at Sogang University in Seoul on Sunday night, bringing together 500 fans to cheer on the young singer as she tried to calm her nerves and left her heart and soul on the stage.

Lee, who amassed a large fan base while appearing on the reality singing program, took the audience members back to her “K-pop Star” days by performing some of her fan favorites and popular renditions of Im Jae-bum’s “For You,” Roberta Flack’s “Killing Me Softly with His Song,” Gummy’s “Childish Adult” and Duffy’s “Mercy.”

Although Lee’s nerves during the concert were apparent, with her voice faltering at times, the starlet nevertheless gave a well-afforded performance in front of hundreds of dedicated fans as well as Yang Hyun-suk, president and founder of YG Entertainment, who was also present at the show.

“This is my first concert so there will be little mistakes, please understand,” she said as the audience continued to roar in cheers.

Aside from her “K-pop Star” favorites, Lee also had her fans shouting and singing along with the lead tracks from her debut album “It’s Over” and “Rose.” She ended the night with her smash-hit debut single “1,2,3,4” leaving the audience on its feet.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)