Singer Lee Ki-chan recently shared the fascinating behind-the-scenes story of how he received his hit song “One More Time, Love is Leaving” from Park Jin-young.
During his appearance on the November 6 broadcast of KBS 2TV’s “Sung Si-kyung’s Eardrum Boyfriend,” debut 30-year veteran singer Lee Ki-chan joined host Sung Si-kyung to discuss music and past memories.
Sung Si-kyung introduced Lee Ki-chan, who debuted as a high school sophomore, as the original “Ballad Little Prince.” Sung Si-kyung playfully responded by referring to himself as the “Butter Prince” with 26 years under his belt.
Lee Ki-chan then performed his signature track “One More Time, Love is Leaving,” showcasing his unchanging vocal prowess. Notably, he revealed that the song was born entirely because Park Jin-young owed him a debt at the time. According to Lee, Park wrote the track to settle that financial obligation. Hearing this, Sung Si-kyung jokingly expressed surprise, saying, “The debt must have been huge for him to put this much care into it.”>
However, Lee confessed that he was initially somewhat disappointed when he first received the track. He recalled that while Park undeniably possessed a musical genius, the initial guide track consisted only of Park casually humming the melody over a single piano chord. Lee explained that he had hoped for something grander with richer instrumentation, making the original demo feel a bit monotonous at first.
The two artists also reminisced about the era when ballad singers were forced to try their hand at dance tracks. When Sung Si-kyung asked why Lee released the dance song “Viva My Love,” Lee humorously blamed Hong Kyung-min, admitting he “disliked Hong Kyung-min back then.” The massive success of Hong’s “Shaken Friendship” created a trend where all ballad singers were pushed to release dance tracks.
Sympathizing completely, Sung Si-kyung chimed in, “I’m a fellow victim. I had ‘Smile Angel.'” He explained that it was impossible to turn down agency demands at the time, noting that he didn’t have enough seniority to refuse. Sung added that dancing made him feel so embarrassed it was “like walking around without clothes on,” bringing laughter to the set.
