Unapologetically YOUNGJI

A rising star who has topped headlines with her musical prowess and vivacious personality in TV shows and YouTube series, South Korean rapper Lee Youngji kicks up the gear as she begins her first Asia tour.

- CALVIN CHONG

If you are part of the K-wave right now, the name Lee Youngji will ring a couple of bells as she holds multiple accolades that shot her to international stardom in the past year. For one, she was crowned the first female winner of the wildly popular South Korean rap competition, Show Me The Money; and she is the host of her own YouTube series My Alcohol Diary, where she gathers some of the biggest K-pop acts including IVE, BTS and BLACKPINK for candid, fun-filled interviews which have amassed millions of views and a huge following globally. Capping all those achievements with her latest appointment as Coach’s Global Ambassador, Lee has risen to be an unstoppable force in fashion, arts and entertainment. We had our first encounter with Lee at the recent Coach Spring 2024 show and it proved to be everything we imagined her to be — a warm, humorous and charismatic personality that lights up the room with her electric energy. Post fashion week, Lee is diving straight back to work as she readies herself for her first Asia tour, titled “The Main Character”, which will be held in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and more. Ahead of her Singapore show, we managed to catch Lee for our cover shoot to talk fashion, music and the “Courage To Be Real”.

The past year has been a very meaningful year for you with multiple new projects and being named Coach’s Global Ambassador. How are you feeling right now?

I feel great! You said last year was a meaningful year, but I think last year and this year are more like my resting period. I was working on a lot of things, but I still feel like there’s more to the journey and room to grow. For the coming year, I’m looking to ramp up to be more involved and show much more.