A.C.E’s LEE JI HAM Doesn’t Believe In Limiting Himself

Following the release of his debut EP Love before Me, A.C.E’s LEE JI HAM explains why he decided to challenge himself reveal “the emotions I buried deep inside” through music.

Since he first wanted to become a singer, LEE JI HAM has seen music as a tool to convey his most vulnerable emotions. But for the first seven years of his career, JI HAM’s personal artistic ambitions took a detour as he participated in A.C.E, a highly successful boy group from K-pop’s third generation. JI HAM categorizes his team with A.C.E as not only life-changing but also a hugely positive experience. He found lifelong friends with the members and a passionate, loving fanbase through CHOICE. Yet when A.C.E’s contract with their company, Beat Interactive, ended, the members seized the opportunity to pursue several solo endeavors.

The time away from idol duties has been a gift because JI HAM can finally fulfill a lifelong dream. He can now release music that comes directly from himself. The result isLove before Me, a five-track EP released last month that JI HAM produced, wrote, and recorded himself.

​“No matter what music I listen to, I always think about what [feelings] the song makes me imagine and what emotions it makes me feel,” he told me recently about the kind of music he’s been creating. “To me, that’s what makes a song feel sincere.”

Though JI HAM had always wanted to release self-produced music, actually beginning the process was daunting. “I didn’t hesitate at all, but I did feel lost at times. I had no idea where to start or how to begin, and there were just so many things I had to do from start to finish, so it felt overwhelming,” he said. “But even those feelings made me want to pour everything into the music.”

​Love before me is far different from anything released under A.C.E. The music, for starters, is full of live instrumentation from JI HAM himself, from the title track “Too Late” to the melancholy piano ballad “Forever Mine”. His voice, though, is the most striking instrument: it’s rich and warm with the familiarity of an old friend.

Love before Me is a concept album that offers a straightforward yet deeply personal exploration of heartbreak, setting it apart from A.C.E’s surface-level themes. The lyrics are raw and specific, as on “Forever Mine,” where he admits, “I love you/ Those words I cannot imagine.” On “Film,” JI HAM uses the metaphor of a steadfast tree beginning to crumble, illustrating vulnerability in a way unique to his own songwriting. The emotional intimacy and cohesive narrative thread through the EP underline both its uniqueness and JI HAM’s sincerity as a solo artist.

“I’m happy because those songs were made completely from my own story, from me, LEE JI HAM, with total sincerity,” he told me. “I made a promise to myself that I wanted to honestly capture the transparent, sincere heart of who I am in my music.”

JI HAM believes his musical ambitions come from his mother.

“I didn’t grow up in a musical family. But my mother had dreamed of becoming a singer, and she was actually a really good singer. When she was younger, she won first place in a lot of singing contests in Suwon,” he told me.

Inspired by his mother’s passion for singing, JI HAM also became interested in music. He grew up in Suwon—the capital of Gyeonggi Province—in a peaceful, loving neighborhood.

“What I remember most,” he told me, “is just running around with my friends, playing games at the stationery store, and wandering all over the neighborhood as a kid.”

Initially, JI HAM had no intention of becoming an idol. Instead, his sights were set on being a musician. To pursue this, he enrolled in a practical music program and auditioned for Superstar K5, a competition reality show where he placed in the top 10.

Reflecting on that stage, he shared, “That program was really the beginning for me,” he said. “Through that opportunity, I was offered the chance to join an idol group. Since I wanted to sing, I think I just grabbed onto that opportunity because I wanted to do anything that would let me do music.”

The training program for A.C.E was not easy. When I asked if he was afraid he wouldn’t debut, his response was blunt. “I was always afraid. That’s how desperate I was. And honestly, compared to the people around me, I wasn’t exactly very young, so I think that naturally made me feel anxious and impatient too. But because of that, I developed this really strong determination to never give up, and I think that’s what helped me make it.”

A.C.E, which debuted on May 23, 2017, is led by PARK JUNHEE, an outstanding vocalist who recently started his own label. The group is rounded out by JI HAM – who debuted under the name LEE DONGHUN – as a main vocalist; WoW and KIM BYEONKWAN, who were triple threats as a dancer, vocalist, and rapper; and KANG YUCHAN, a vocalist who recently debuted under WAY BETTER.

What set A.C.E apart from many third-generation K-pop groups was their vocals, led in no small part by JUNHEE and JI HAM. Their best album, CHANGER: DEAR ERIS, stands as essential listening for new fans. There is an urgency in the delivery of their title track “Changer” that makes you believe that love is worth the risk, if not the pain. But even their B-sides are just as powerful: “My Girl” or “Do It Like Me” demonstrate the group’s versatility.

“I honestly don’t regret a single moment of my time with A.C.E,” JI HAM expressed. Without the group, he explained, he wouldn’t have met so many fans or the members, who helped him grow into the artist he is today. “I think promoting with A.C.E. gave me so many experiences that helped me grow into a better adult, too.”

He continued with an air of nostalgia. “What stays with me the most is traveling around the world with the members, seeing new environments, experiencing new things, and standing onstage in those places where I could show what I could do.”

One month before A.C.E left Beat Interactive, JI HAM announced that he was changing his name. “I want to live life easily,” he said with a broad smile on a birthday livestream and paused before saying his full real name: “LEE JI HAM.” The members clapped and yelled “EASY HAM”, a nickname that has stuck with him for years. JI HAM beamed.

Changing his name gave JI HAM the freedom to embrace his softer qualities, too. This led him to call his solo fandom COZY. “I tend to be someone with a lot of,” he paused as his thoughts trailed off, “Sensitivity? I guess?” JI HAM always appreciated fashion and interior design, too. He liked designs that could be cozy, warm, and welcoming.

“People often told me that I felt ‘cozy’.” And after changing my name, it felt like it matched really well too,” he said with a laugh. “I also liked the idea of making everyone who listens to my music feel happy through cozy music.”

For the entirety of his career, JI HAM had a staff who handled everything for him: managers who handled business matters; songwriters who developed the themes A.C.E would sing about; producers who helped shape the sound and concept of each album. For the first time since he debuted, JI HAM’s career was staring ahead of him as a blank canvas, waiting for him to make his first mark.

Recognizing this change, he explained, “I think it became an opportunity for me to grow to the next level. I had always leaned on the people around me while making things before, but doing it myself taught me how things work and gave me a chance to grow.”

JI HAM now wants to experiment and discover where his art leads him. “I want to express more of the emotions I feel as I look at the world, and those I haven’t brought out yet.”

He appreciates that ballads allow him to express emotions “buried deep inside” – but he doesn’t want to be confined by that genre. If being an idol has taught JI HAM anything, it is that epiphanies come from reinvention. “I don’t think I have limits as an artist,” he said. “There’s still so much music I haven’t shown yet, and I’m always ready to grow more and show a wider range of emotions through music.”

Looking back at the 24-year-old boy who debuted under a different name, without any idea how to become a musician, nearly a decade ago, JI HAM was circumspect about the advice he’d offer himself. “I’d really want to tell him, ‘Always follow your heart. Don’t put off happiness. Learn how to judge people well. Love yourself and take care of yourself more than anyone else,” he said, then admitted: “That’s the only way you can truly love someone else fully.”