Draft:Choi Sang-yeop

Choi Sang-yeop (Korean: 최상엽; born February 27, 1994) is a South Korean singer and the lead vocalist and guitarist of the band LUCY. He is

Early life
After taking a break from university and completing his military service, Choi Sang-yeop started his music career. He gained recognition by performing alongside Ken from VIXX at the Duet Song Festival. He began busking under the team name "Choi Sang-yeop-yeop" and has won prizes at Korean busking events and song festivals.

Debut with LUCY
LUCY was formed on a band audition program called Superband. The show brought together musicians from various backgrounds to form teams and compete against each other.

In the show, the current members Ye-chan, Won-sang, Gwang-il, and former vocalist Lee Ju-hyuk formed a team. Through their unique sound and teamwork, they eventually won the second place in the show.

However, after the show, the former vocalist Ju-hyuk decided to return to his original band, GIFT. In search of a new lead vocalist, bassist Wonsang began by reviewing videos of all the vocalist contestants from the first round of Superband, eventually choosing Sang-yeop, who had participated in Superband but was eliminated earlier.

In an interview, Won-sang mentioned that he found Sang-yeop's voice very unique and refreshing. What's more, his appearance was quite appealing and grabbed his attention, making him a perfect fit for LUCY. Other members also said that besides refreshing genres, Sang-yeop is good at ballad songs. He could bring new possibilities to LUCY.

Finally, Sang-yeop officially joined LUCY as the lead vocalist, and they debuted on May 8, 2020, with their debut song Flowering. The team continuously grew its popularity and has released more than 100 songs so far. LUCY was invited to SXSW in 2023. It is currently on its first world tour "Written by Flower" across 20 cities in the United States.

Philanthropy
Sang-yeop donated several times since debut. On his 29th birthday, he celebrated his birthday by donating nearly 2.3 million KRW to childcare facilities. On February 27th, 2024, his 30th birthday, he donated 10 million KRW to the Korea Childhood Leukemia Foundation to support children with cancer. On June 25, 2024, he donated 5 million KRW to support medical expenses for Korean War veterans.