Lee Ji-rin (; born 1981), better known as Humming Urban Stereo () is a South Korean electropop singer-songwriter. The one-man band debuted in 2004 with the self-published extended play, Short Cake, which caught the attention of the Korean indie label Pastel Music and released a trilogy of studio albums: Very Very Nice! and Short Cake (2005), Purple Drop (2006) and Baby Love (2007), which became his first charting record. After several years of hiatus, he released his next album in 2012 and has since released six more albums. Guest vocalists, notably the late Lee Jin-hwa (aka Humming Girl) and Shina-E, have appeared on many of Humming Urban Stereo's songs.
Career Humming Urban Stereo's first album was Very Very Nice! and Short Cake, released in January 2005. Its most popular song, "Hawaiian Couple", a top ten hit[PS! Indie Spotlight] Humming Urban Stereo, August 30, 2009, accessed May 24, 2011 from http://popseoul.com/2009/08/30/ps-indie-spotlight-humming-urban-stereo/ that reportedly sold over 500.000 downloads, came from the band's second album, Purple Drop, released in March 2006. The song was also featured in My Love, a popular 2007 South Korean romantic comedy theatrical film directed by Lee Han.
In February 2007, the band released their third album, Baby Love.
In March 2012, the main female vocal "Humming Girl" Lee Jin-hwa died in Japan. Her cause of death was a heart disease. Lee Jin-hwa flew to Japan to study abroad in 2007 after singing for Humming Urban Stereo, and had been living alone since for six or seven years.
In 2013, Humming Urban Stereo came back with Sparkle, a studio album under Ji-rin's own label.
For the band's 10th anniversary, they released the album Reform, covering the band notable hits throughout their career such as "Scully Doesn't Know", "Insomnia", "Bullshit", "Salad Day" and their biggest hit "Hawaiian Couple" featuring guest vocals from mainstream artists such as G.Na, NS Yoon G, Narsha of Brown Eyed Girls, and Ashley of Ladies' Code.
Discography Studio albums Title Album details Peak chart positions SalesKORVery Very Nice! and Short CakeReleased: January 28, 2005 Label: Pastel Music Format: CD, cassette — rowspan="2" Purple DropReleased: March 14, 2006 Label: Pastel Music Format: CD, cassette —Baby LoveReleased: February 8, 2007 Label: Pastel Music Format: CD 21KOR: 6,129SparkleReleased: November 29, 2012 Label: Waltzsofa Records Format: CD, digital download 32 rowspan="2" VReleased: September 13, 2018 Label: Waltzsofa Records Format: CD, digital download 92
Compilation albums Title Album details Peak chart positions SalesKORSidekickReleased: August 21, 2014 Label: Waltzsofa Records Format: CD, digital download 60 rowspan="2" DelicacyReleased: December 18, 2014 Label: Waltzsofa Records Format: CD, digital download 53
Extended plays Title Album details Peak chart positions SalesKORShort CakeReleased: February 15, 2004 Label: Pastel Music Format: CD, cassette — MonochromeReleased: October 30, 2006 Label: Pastel Music Format: CD 47KOR: 1,308XXXXReleased: November 3, 2008 Label: Pastel Music Format: CD — rowspan="2" ReformReleased: May 21, 2014 Label: Waltzsofa Records Format: CD, digital download 37
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Work Result Ref. 2007 Mnet Asian Music Awards Best House & Electronic "Baby Love" "2007 Mnet KM Music Festival Part1" . MAMA. Retrieved 2014-12-14.
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