Lee Seung Gi on “Jo Hyun-ah’s Ordinary Thursday Night” – Full English Recap (November 2024)

Air date: November 2024
Guest: Lee Seung Gi
New digital single: “By Your Side” (Released November 18, 2024)

1. New Winter Ballad “By Your Side” – First Live Performance

Lee Seung Gi returned after a long hiatus with a warm rock ballad perfect for winter. He performed “By Your Side” live on the show for the very first time and also gave an emotional rendition of Lee So-ra’s classic “I’m Happy”.

“Hold my hand when you’re out of breath… When tears fall and you can’t move forward, I’ll be standing there.”
— Lyrics from “By Your Side”

2. “Because You’re My Woman” Throwback

The iconic 2004 song that made him “Korea’s national younger brother” was brought up again. Seung Gi laughed about how bold the lyrics felt when he was only 17:

  • At the time, dating an older woman was considered “courageous”
  • Today, those lyrics feel almost tame compared to current K-pop!
  • Fun fact: The original demo title was literally “Noona” (older sister) — PSY produced his entire debut album

3. Married Life – “I Highly Recommend Marriage”

Seung Gi (married to actress Lee Da-in since 2023) openly shared:

“I thought the perfect age to marry would be 36–39. After experiencing it, marriage becomes your life—for a lifetime. I really recommend it.”

4. His Daughter & The Hilarious “Science High School” Dream

The funniest moment of the night:

  • Host: “Do you want your daughter to study hard?”
  • Seung Gi: “No… I don’t want her to be good at studying!”
  • Host: “???”
  • Seung Gi: “But I do want to send her to a Science High School!” 😂

Reason? It’s his own unfulfilled high school dream (he wanted to go to a special-purpose high school but couldn’t). Classic projecting dad energy!

5. 21 Years in the Industry – Life Wisdom

  • Debuted in 2004 at age 17 — no cellphone for the first 2–3 years
  • “Deficiency is necessary for growth.”
  • “Effort and skill are the default. Luck only comes to those who put in the work.”
  • “Live sincerely and confidently — you get back exactly what you give.”
  • Still takes vocal lessons and practices every day because “if this voice changed, fans would be disappointed.”
“I saw Cho Yong-pil sunbaenim practice 10–15 songs every morning like it’s the real concert. That passion after decades — that’s the real secret to longevity.”

6. Current Hobbies (or Lack Thereof)

  • Main hobbies: Golf and working out
  • Does NOT ski, snowboard, or play tennis
  • “When I was young I had zero free time, so I never developed many hobbies.”
  • Latest playlist? Children’s songs — especially the legendary “Here Comes Poop” 😂

7. Why He Still Does Variety, Acting, AND Singing

When asked how he maintains three careers:

“Variety is genuinely the most fun for me. I do everything because I enjoy it — not because I have to.”

Final Message from Lee Seung Gi

“It’s been a long time since I released music. This album is 100% my style — warm band sound. I’m really curious how everyone will react. Please show lots of love to ‘By Your Side’!”

Fans are calling this episode one of the warmest, funniest, and most heartfelt interviews of 2024. If you haven’t watched the full episode yet, it’s a must-see for any Airen!