Lee Chan-won turns 29: a career of firsts and a December concert at KINTEX
Trot singer Lee Chan-won turns 29 on Nov. 1 with a string of award records to his name and a three-night solo concert coming to KINTEX Hall 5 in December.
From Mr. Trot to a record-setting 20s
Lee Chan-won was born November 1, 1996. He turns 29 today. The career behind that number deserves a closer look. He broke through on Mr. Trot in 2020, finishing 3rd overall and earning the title of 1st-generation Mr. Trot Miro. That same year, he and his fans donated a large sum to an organization supporting hearing-impaired people on his birthday.
The chart run started in 2021. His single album Convenience Store gave him his first music broadcast No. 1 after debut. Later that year came A Really Good Day, a track he co-wrote and co-composed. It racked up multiple No. 1s and landed him in the Hall of Fame. He also took the Rookie Album Award at the 2021 Gaon Chart Music Awards.
The momentum held. Sky Travel hit No. 1 on a terrestrial music program in 2024. That same year he swept the Circle Chart Music Awards Genre Award (Trot category). At the KBS Entertainment Awards, he took both the Entertainment Award and the Grand Prize simultaneously—setting a record as the sole recipient of a terrestrial entertainment Grand Prize in his 20s. His regular 2nd album Brilliant (찬란) dropped October 20, 2025. In 2026 he added Artist of the Year, a Trot category award, and a Fan Choice award at various music ceremonies.
December: three nights in Goyang
Before the year-end concert, Lee Chan-won hit festival stages. He performed at the opening ceremony of the 23rd Yesan Apple Festival near Yedang Lake in Chungcheongnam-do on October 30, then appeared as a guest at the 2026 Korea Grand Festival opening concert in Andong, Gyeongbuk on October 31.
The main event is 2026 Lee Chan-won Concert Chan's Gratitude Festival: It Was Brilliant Together, running December 18–20 at KINTEX Hall 5 in Goyang, Gyeonggi. Three nights. The setlist pulls from major hits and tracks off Brilliant, with segments built around shared memories with CHAN'S—the official fandom name that means both "Lee Chan-won's" and the intention to be good opportunities for each other. (His standard greeting, "오내언사"—today and tomorrow, always love you—has its own shorthand at this point.)
His regular 1st album ONE came out in 2023, making Brilliant his second full-length.
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