Megan Lee | |
|---|---|
 Lee in 2020 | |
| Born | September 18, 1995 |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Known for | Make It Pop |
Megan Lee (born September 18, 1995) is a Korean-American actress, director and former singer-songwriter best known for her role as "Sun Hi Song" on Make It Pop and her singing talents on YouTube.
Early life and education
Lee was born in Los Angeles, California and raised in Northridge, California. She officially began her professional career in acting and singing at the age of 10. In 2013, she eventually moved to Seoul, South Korea and was home-schooled through high school after having been signed to South Korean Kim Tae-woo's (lead singer of g.o.d) label, Soul Shop Entertainment.[2][3]
Career
2007–2010: Early acting roles and Nickelodeon
Since the age of 10, Lee first appeared in numerous national commercials including spots for McDonald's, Verizon Wireless, Nintendo (the Nintendo DS), Bratz, Kidz Bop, Wal-Mart, Big Lots, and Trix as well as TV programs such as the Crash TV series, iCarly, Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards, Disney's Get Connected, 3 Minute Game Show & various independent film projects.
In 2008, Lee had won the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards Best Speech Contest at the 2008 Kids' Choice Awards. She also played Hyori in the Short Film/Music Video, My First Crush, directed by Rocky Jo, with Arden Cho starring as the older Hyori. Also in 2008, Lee starred as "Julie" in several episodes of Disney's TV Series, "Disney Get Connected." She also played "Ji Sun" in an episode of Crash alongside Dennis Hopper, Tom Sizemore, Brian Tee and Kelvin Han Yee.
2014–2022: Transition to mainstream roles
In 2014, Lee was officially cast and starred as a lead member of XO-IQ, featured in the hit Nickelodeon series Make It Pop.[4][5] She was one of the show's three main stars and plays a character named "Sun Hi Song", alongside Filipino-Canadian Louriza Tronco and Singaporean-Canadian Erika Tham.[4][6] The series was co-produced by Nick Cannon.[7][8]
After Make It Pop finished airing for 2 seasons on Nickelodeon, Lee would go on to appear in several other television shows and feature films, such as The Other Kingdom, Modern Family, and S.W.A.T.
Lee will next appear on Murmur after having won several film festival awards, including Best Ensemble, alongside fellow co-stars Logan Polish, Colin Ford, Johnny Jay Lee, Cyrus Arnold, and Brandon Wilson, and directed by Mark Polish.[9][10]
2022–Present: Film Directing
In 2022, Lee began taking film directing courses at UCLA, studying under TV director Peter Lauer. She makes her official directorial debut in 2023 with her short film titled En Pointe.
Music
Lee writes her own original songs and released three singles as an independent artist, "In The Future", "Love, Laugh & Live" and "Destiny." "Love, Laugh & Live" was Megan's first official music video and was shot and directed by Steve Nguyen.[11] "Destiny" was also made into a music video, and was directed by Timothy Tau.[12][13] In May 2019, she released her debut extended play, I Am.[14] and released a new single, "Me, Myself and I", with its lyric video released simultaneously; the song served as the lead single of her debut extended play, I Am, which was released on May 24.[14]
K-Pop
Lee also contested in South Korea's popular show, MBC Star Audition - The Great Birth (위대한 탄생) Season 1 (and Season 2) on one of South Korea's main broadcast networks (MBC). On Season 2 of MBC's Star Audition, Lena Park personally selected Megan over a number of other competitors to be Megan's mentor. She also finished in the Top 13 of contestants at the end of Season 2.[15] Lee has also written music for various K-Pop artists such as Exo's Baekhyun and Girls' Generation's Taeyeon.[14]
Lee's official debut track during her time on Soul Shop Entertainment was entitled "8dayz" (read as 8 Days), which was released on May 15, 2014.[16] The track features B2ST's Yong Jun-hyung, and is also composed by German composers Andreas Bärtels and Rüdiger Schramm, who also composed a track for veteran K-pop singer Nami.[17]
Lee and her vocals are also featured in the g.o.d reunion track, "The Story of Our Lives."[18] The music video for the song was released on July 11, 2014, and marked the first time the band g.o.d has sung together in over 10 years.[19][20]
Lee has also released a music video and track with Kim Tae-woo entitled "Oppa".
On November 10, 2014, Megan Lee filed a civil lawsuit with the Seoul District Court against Soul Shop Entertainment requesting nullification of her 5-year contract.[21] Megan, along with her representation, claimed that she was severely verbally abused by some of the members of management, and that intimidation tactics were used to impose their will on her career. She also claimed that a contract was signed on her behalf without her consent, a fraudulent bank account in her name was made without her consent, and that the financial activity regarding her career with Soul Shop was not made transparent as it was promised to her in their initial agreement with the label.[22]
During the second half of 2018, a song written by Lee titled 'Psycho', which was sung by EXO's Baekhyun, was performed exclusively during EXO's recent Elyxion concert. The original piece was solely written by Lee, and produced by Zayson, and soon went viral.[14]
Lee also co-wrote "Horizon" for Taeyeon's Japanese extended play, Voice.[14]
The Voice
In 2018, Lee was a contestant in season 14 of the American music talent show The Voice, where she was eliminated in the Battle round. In an episode broadcast on March 6, 2018, she performed "Killing Me Softly with His Song", with Alicia Keys turning her chair. In the Battles Round broadcast on March 19, 2018, she was confronted with Team Alicia teammate Johnny Bliss both singing "Versace on the Floor" from Bruno Mars.
YouTube
Lee is most likely known for her viral covers of pop songs, many of which have received significant view counts including covers of Christina Aguilera's "I Will Be", Bruno Mars' "Lazy Song", Lil Wayne's "How to Love", Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill you)" and others. She has also collaborated with other YouTube artists, for example, when she covered "Forget You" by Cee Lo Green with Arden Cho in 2011.[23] In 2011, Lee also won 2NE1's "Lonely" Cover Contest with her cover of 2NE1's single "Lonely", and was flown to Korea to meet with the group. She also made a cover of Adele's "Someone Like You" on YouTube with Sungha Jung.
In 2012 she won a Cover Contest sponsored by Jason Mraz and Warner Music Korea, and collaborated with Mraz in a duet for his track, "Lucky" which is viewable on YouTube.[24] She has also performed and recorded a number of duets with acoustic guitarist Sungha Jung, covering famous K-pop songs such as "Monster" by BIGBANG.[25]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Tranquility | Sun Kim | Short film |
| 2008 | My First Crush | Hyori | Short film |
| 2008 | A Quiet Little Marriage | School girl | |
| 2009 | Crush | Jeremy's Sister | Short film |
| 2010 | The Legend of Beaver Dam | JuJu | Short film |
| 2010 | Santa Paws | Singing voice role; uncredited | |
| 2010 | The Case Against Jill | Jill | Short film |
| 2010 | Choson | Mi-ok | Short film |
| 2011 | L.A. Coffin School | Connie/Granddaughter | |
| 2011 | Love, Laugh, & Live | herself | Short film |
| 2011 | Destiny | The Artist | Short film |
| 2014 | Anita Ho | Young Anita Lee | |
| 2014 | Prophecy of Eve | Young Eve | |
| 2017 | Just Another Nice Guy | Sandra | |
| 2017 | Back To SCHOOL vs Back To WORK! | Vicky | |
| 2020 | Murmur | Kenzie | Feature film |
| 2022 | Teardrop | Teala | Feature film |
| 2022 | Sing | Herself | Music Video; Creative Director |
| 2023 | En Pointe | N/A | Short film; Director and writer only |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Battleground Earth | Chaperone kid | Episode: "Something's Fishy" |
| 2008 | Disney Get Connected | Julie | 4 episodes |
| 2008 | Crash | Ji Sun | Episode: "Pissing in the Sandbox" |
| 2009 | BrainSurge | Herself | Contestant; episode 1.1 |
| 2009 | Lost Tapes | Joey Sykes | Episode: "Jersey Devil" |
| 2010 | 3 Minute Game Show | Herself | Contestant; episode: "Camp Rock 2: Part 5" |
| 2010 | Star Audition: The Great Birth | Herself | Contestant |
| 2011 | Star Audition: The Great Birth 2 | Herself | Contestant |
| 2015–2016 | Make It Pop | Sun Hi Song | Lead role |
| 2016 | The Other Kingdom | Sunny | Episode: "Get a Job" |
| 2017 | Modern Family | Florence | Episode: "The Long Goodbye" |
| 2018 | The Voice (Season 14) | Herself | Contestant |
| 2018 | S.W.A.T. | Lila | Episode: "School" |
Discography
Original singles
| Year | Title | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | "Love, Laugh & Live" | ||
| "Destiny" | |||
| "In the Future" | |||
| 2014 | "8dayz" | First professional single, released as 메건리 | |
| "Ready for Love" | You Are My Destiny OST Part 3 | Released as 메건리 | |
| 2015 | "Make It Pop (Acoustic Mashup)" | ||
| 2016 | "Stronger" | ||
| 2019 | "Me, Myself and I" | I Am | |
| 2022 | "Sing" | Released with Kode PinK |
Extended plays
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| I Am |
|
Collaboration singles
| Year | Title | Other(s) artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | "Time Seemed To Have Stopped" | Hyeokseong & Wooyeonseok | New Story Part 4 |
| 2013 | "Brother" (오빠) | Kim Tae-woo | T-Love |
| 2014 | "The Story of Our Lives" (우리가 사는 이야기) | g.o.d | Chapter 8 |
Cover singles
| Year | Title | Original artist(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | "The Lazy Song" | Bruno Mars |
| "I Will Be" | Christina Aguilera | |
| "Nice Girls" (feat. Justin Chon) | inspired by Ryan Higa, Chester See & KevJumba's "Nice Guys" | |
| "I Really Like You" (feat. Jason Chen) | Carly Rae Jepsen | |
| "Magic Castle" (마법의 성) (feat. Ensemble Memo) | TVXQ | |
| "He Said She Said" (닭살커플) (feat. Jonathan Sim) | Tim feat. Esna | |
| "Lighters" (feat. Danakadan & Paul Kim) | Bad Meets Evil feat. Bruno Mars | |
| "How to Love" | Lil Wayne | |
| "A Whole New World" (feat. Raymond J Lee) | Peabo Bryson & Regina Belle | |
| "Y.O.U.Tube Baby" (feat. Pk) | inspired by Nat King Cole's "L-O-V-E" | |
| 2012 | "Domino" | Jessie J |
| "Boyfriend" | Justin Bieber | |
| "Payphone" | Maroon 5 feat. Wiz Khalifa | |
| "잔소리 (Nagging)" (feat. Mike Choi) | IU & Seulong | |
| "Safe and Sound" | Taylor Swift & The Civil Wars | |
| "Monster" (feat. Sungha Jung) | Big Bang | |
| 2013 | "22 (Acoustic)" | Taylor Swift |
| 2016 | "In the Night (Acoustic Version)" (feat. Jason Chen) | The Weeknd |
References
- ↑ "Learning Korean ft Eat Your Kimchi - "aka DAN" KOREAN ADOPTEE DOC Pt. 5 - YouTube". YouTube.
- ↑ "Megan Lee's Facebook Fan Page". Facebook.
- ↑ pkdance, AllKPop, 'Birth of a Great Star' contestant Megan Lee signs with Soul Shop Entertainment, http://www.allkpop.com/2013/02/birth-of-a-great-star-contestant-megan-lee-signs-with-soul-shop-entertainment
- 1 2 "XO-IQ". xo-iq.com. DHX Media. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
- ↑ Diana S, KPopStarz, Singer Megan Lee Cast On Nickelodeon's New K-Pop Inspired Show 'Make It Pop', http://www.kpopstarz.com/articles/178953/20150227/megan-lee-nickelodeon-kpop-tv-series.htm
- ↑ Adrienne Stanley, 5 Facts About Megan Lee And The K-Pop Inspired Show 'Make It Pop', http://www.kdramastars.com/articles/76361/20150301/5-facts-megan-lee-and-the-k-pop-inspired-show-make-it-pop.htm
- ↑ Jaime Presco, New K-Pop Show 'Make It Pop' Co-Produced by Nick Cannon, Starring Megan Lee to Hit Nickelodeon in the 2015-16 Season, http://www.classicalite.com/articles/18338/20150303/new-k-pop-show-make-nick-cannon-megan-lee-nickelodeon.htm
- ↑ Tambay A. Obenson, indieWire, Nick Cannon Gets Behind New Live-Action Musical Series, 'Make It Pop,' for Upcoming TV Season, http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/nick-cannon-gets-behind-new-live-action-musical-series-make-it-pop-for-upcoming-tv-season-20150226 Archived 2015-02-28 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Murmur Movie, https://www.murmurmovie.com// Archived 2023-02-16 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Oldenburg Film Festival Mark Polish Murmur, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/oldenburg-film-festival-mark-polish-murmur-1235200584/
- ↑ "Music video: "love laugh & live" by Megan Lee". angryasianman.com. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- ↑ AllKPop, Youtube sensation Megan Lee releases teaser for "Destiny", http://www.allkpop.com/2011/09/youtube-sensation-megan-lee-releases-teaser-for-destiny
- ↑ a-Tunes.net, Discover Megan Lee's "Destiny", http://a-tunes.net/2011/09/18/discover-megan-lees-destiny-music-video/ ("As the previously released preview suggested, the teen star and her team chose to go a different route this time by going in a slightly more mature direction to match the inspirational tone of the track – a good choice. And to be quite frank, this may be my favorite visual release by Megan yet.")
- 1 2 3 4 5 Wilson, Roxanne (May 6, 2019). "Megan Lee Drops new Single "Me, Myself and I"". The Kraze. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
- ↑ MTV K, Homeland Love: Korean-Americans Crash the Korean Music Scene, http://www.mtvk.com/articles/homeland-love-korean-americans-crash-the-korean-music-scene/ Archived 2015-09-13 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ AllKpop, Megan Lee releases teaser for her debut song '8dayz', http://www.allkpop.com/article/2014/05/megan-lee-releases-teaser-for-her-debut-song-8dayz
- ↑ Soompi.com, YouTube Star Megan Lee Drops Debut Track "8dayz" Teaser feat. Beast's Yong Jun Hyung, http://www.soompi.com/2014/05/11/youtube-star-megan-lee-drops-debut-track-8dayz-teaser-feat-beasts-yong-jun-hyung/#.U3HPO_ldV8E
- ↑ Daily KPop News, god release MV for 'The Story of Our Lives' featuring Megan Lee, http://www.dkpopnews.net/2014/07/god-release-mv-for-story-of-our-lives.html
- ↑ Carol, G.O.D TELLS "THE STORY OF OUR LIVES" FEAT. MEGAN LEE [MV], http://24-7kpop.com/g-o-d-tells-the-story-of-our-lives-feat-megan-lee-mv/
- ↑ snoopy, g.o.d.: "The Story of Our Lives" (Featuring Megan Lee), http://koreandramareviews.com/g-o-d-the-story-of-our-lives-featuring-megan-lee/ Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ allkpop.com, Megan Lee files lawsuit requesting nullification of contract + Soul Shop Entertainment responds, http://www.allkpop.com/article/2014/11/megan-lee-files-lawsuit-requesting-nullification-of-contract-soul-shop-entertainment-responds
- ↑ Soompi.com, Megan Lee Reveals Reasons for Soul Shop Lawsuit, Claims She Was Verbally Abused by Kim Tae Woo's Wife, http://www.soompi.com/2014/11/27/megan-lee-reveals-reasons-for-soul-shop-lawsuit-claims-she-was-verbally-abused-by-kim-tae-woos-wife/
- ↑ Kamel, Marina (March 27, 2011). "Adren Cho and Megan Lee Cover "Forget You" by Cee Lo Green (Glee Version)". audrey Magazine. Archived from the original on April 23, 2011. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
{{cite news}}: External link in|publisher= - ↑ a-Tunes.net, Megan Lee Duets "Lucky" with Jason Mraz, http://a-tunes.net/2012/06/11/megan-lee-duets-lucky-with-jason-mraz/
- ↑ iTunes, Monster - Megan Lee and Sungha Jang, https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/monster-single/id550156533