Lee Chan-won says he wants to marry at 45, eyes a hit bigger than 'Jinttobaegi'

On the August 28 episode of MBN·Channel S's 전현무계획4, Lee Chan-won sat down with host Jeon Hyun-moo and Hwang Yun-sung at a spicy jjim galbi restaurant in Daegu. Between bites, he laid out his timeline: "I want to do it at forty-five. Right now, work is more precious to me."

The priority runs deep. Until around age 24, he juggled part-time jobs to cover tuition and living expenses on his own. "After things got better with difficulty and confidence, the value of work is much greater right now," he said.

His career goal is specific: a solo hit that surpasses 진또배기 (Jinttobaegi), the song that launched him at the 2020 TV Chosun audition 내일은 미스터트롯, where he finished 3rd and earned the nickname "찬또배기." "I want to release a hit song that all Korean people know," he said.

He has the discography to build from. Since his first single 편의점 in 2021, Chan-won has released two mini-albums and two full-lengths. His latest, 찬란(燦爛), dropped in October 2025 with title track 오늘은 왠지 alongside 낙엽처럼 떨어진 너와 나, 말했잖아, 첫사랑, 엄마의 봄날, and 빛나는 별. He won the Grand Prize at the 2024 KBS Entertainment Awards. His 찬가 : 찬란한 하루 concert tour hit Daegu, Incheon, Busan, Jinju, Gwangju, and Daejeon before wrapping with back-to-back encore shows at Seoul KSPO DOME on May 9 and 10.

(Born November 1, 1996, he's 29 — so that 45 deadline gives him some runway.)