Lee Felix

Background

Rapper, dancer, and singer Lee Felix is one of the biggest K-pop stars in the world. Born Lee Yong Bok on September 15, 2000, in Sydney, Australia, his parents are Korean immigrants. Felix has two siblings; an older sister, Rachel or Jisue Lee, and a younger sister, Olivia. In Sydney, Felix attended St. Patrick’s Marist College and was a champion swimmer and taekwondo practitioner. When he was young, his father chose the westernized name ‘Felix’ for him, which means ‘happiness,’ which was an apt moniker for the energetic, bubbly kid he was. He also played the piano from a young age and loved to sing and dance.

Felix began his career in 2016 when he auditioned in a Korean survival show, “Stray Kids,” produced by JYP Entertainment. He was chosen for the group after just a year of training, and was handpicked by Bang Chan, the leader of Stray Kids. The group was named after the show they were participating in. Felix was eliminated in episode eight. However, a public vote and a plot twist in the show resulted in his reinstatement into the group with fellow member Lee Min-ho. In 2017, the group released their debut E.P., “Mixtape,” which included the smash tune ‘Hellevator.’ The E.P. reached number two on the U.S. World Albums Chart.

In 2018, he and the group were officially revealed to the public and catapulted to fame with the song ‘District 9’ from their E.P. “I Am Not.” The song and album became massive hits and earned them several awards, including an Asia Artist Award, the Fact Music Award, and an M.T.V. Europe Music Award. The following year, he took over as host of the K-pop show “Pops in Seoul.” In 2020, Stray Kids released English versions of their songs and a new compilation album “SKZ2020.” The group released “Go Live,” their first studio album, that same year and it quickly rose to the top of the sales charts. Later, the album was re-released under the name “In Life,” and the song ‘Back Door’ was included in “TIME” magazine’s pick of the top 10 songs of 2020. Then, in 2021, Felix and Stray Kids took part in the reality show, “Kingdom: Legendary War,” competing against other K-pop groups and ultimately winning the show. Later that year, the group collaborated with Swedish producer Alesso for the Korean version of the song ‘Going Dumb,’ which debuted at no. 13 on Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, marking the band’s first appearance on the chart.

In February 2022, it was announced that Felix had been diagnosed with an intervertebral disk herniation, and he would be limiting his participation in the upcoming Stray Kids concert, “SKZ Chocolate Factory.” Good news, however, followed shortly afterward when the band’s sixth Korean-language E.P. “Oddinary” reached the top spot on the Billboard 200, making them the third K-pop group ever to achieve this feat. Felix has been a prevalent icon for millions of K-pop fans worldwide. As part of Stray Kids, he endorsed Jambangee Jeans, Ivy Club, and Minute Maid Sparkling, and was also an honorary ambassador of the Korean Culture and Information Ministry. Along with fellow bandmates Lee Know and Hyunjin, he endorsed sneakers for the Italian brand Etro and in August 2023, Louis Vuitton announced that Felix would be their House Ambassador.