Lee Seung Gi reveals surprising history behind Psy's 'Father'

Singer and actor Lee Seung Gi has revealed an unexpected backstory regarding the song 'Father,' which is widely recognized by the public as one of Psy's signature tracks. While the song is now more familiar through Psy's voice, its starting point was Lee Seung Gi's debut album over 20 years ago. What makes it even more meaningful is that Lee Seung Gi first encountered this song when he was a high school student, and now, having become a father of two, he felt overwhelmed with emotion while singing it again.

During the second part of the '2026 NEW WAVE Festival in Ulsan' episode of KBS2's 'Immortal Songs' (Episode 774) aired on the 19th, Lee Seung Gi took the stage to perform 'Father' alongside rapper Mad Clown. Creating a different color from the original through an arrangement that combined ballad sensibility with rap, he drew attention by sharing the story of the song's creation before the performance.

"It was originally a track on my first album," Lee Seung Gi stated, explaining, "Psy gave me this song for the first time when I was in high school." He went on to explain that the song became beloved through Psy's own rendition later on. While the public strongly perceives it as Psy's song, it has been a significant track that has been with Lee Seung Gi since the beginning of his musical career.

In fact, 'Father' was included in Lee Seung Gi's first full-length album, 'The Dream of a Moth,' released in June 2004. That album contained Lee Seung Gi's early signature hits such as 'Because You're My Woman' and 'Delete,' and Psy participated in 'Father' as a featured artist. Later, the song became more deeply etched in the public consciousness when Psy included his own version in his 2006 special album, 'Remake & Mix No. 18.'

The interesting part is that the relationship between Lee Seung Gi and Psy goes beyond a simple senior-junior dynamic, as it is closely tied to Lee Seung Gi's debut music. Psy participated as a producer for Lee Seung Gi's first album and was involved in the production of several songs, including the title track 'Because You're My Woman.' This is why Psy's presence was so significant in shaping Lee Seung Gi's early musical color.

In particular, the song 'Father' holds special meaning for Lee Seung Gi because it contains a family narrative that can create empathy across generations. While it was a song that viewed a parent's heart from a child's perspective during his debut, for Lee Seung Gi, who has now become a father raising two children, the same lyrics inevitably carry a completely different weight.

Lee Seung Gi also experienced a shift in emotions while preparing for this stage. He confessed that he felt choked up while practicing, saying, "I wonder how Psy wrote such touching lyrics."

It is interpreted that as he faced a song he sang as a rookie singer in his early 20s again after becoming a father in his 40s, the meaning of the lyrics felt new in ways he could not have known in the past.

Beyond the simple quiz of who the owner of the song is, the history of 'Father' itself has become an interesting case in Korean popular music. While it is not uncommon for a song first included in one singer's album to be reborn through another singer's voice and for the new version to be more strongly remembered by the public than the original, 'Father' is even more special because it is intertwined with the musical connection between the two men.

As Psy's version of 'Father' became widely known to the public, the fact that it was a track from Lee Seung Gi's first album was relatively overshadowed over time. However, this performance on 'Immortal Songs' brought that long-standing musical lineage back to light. It was as if a musical return to the starting point occurred as Lee Seung Gi reminisced about his past while singing the song he received from Psy in his own voice.

His choice of Mad Clown as a performance partner also drew attention. As Lee Seung Gi's emotional vocals met Mad Clown's rap, they added a different texture of emotion to the family narrative of the original song, creating a different narrative from Lee Seung Gi's solo version. Lee Seung Gi even joked that he needed Mad Clown's help, saying his own rap skills could potentially become a "dark history," which heightened expectations for the stage.

Lee Seung Gi's personal life also deepens the emotions felt when looking at this song. Having debuted in the music industry with 'The Dream of a Moth' in 2004, he solidified his position as a singer with hits like 'Because You're My Woman,' 'Delete,' and 'Return,' and subsequently expanded his field of activity into dramas and variety shows, establishing himself as a representative multi-entertainer.

Much time has also passed in his personal life. After marrying actress Lee Da-in in 2023, Lee Seung Gi had his first daughter last year and became a father of two after welcoming his second child this past July. The fact that the young man who sang about family during his debut has now become a father responsible for a household adds a profound sense of time to this performance.

Ultimately, 'Father' is more than just an old song to Lee Seung Gi. It is a track where memories of his early debut, sparked by his musical connection with Psy, overlap with his current reality as a father and his own family life.

For the Lee Seung Gi of 2004, 'Father' was a track on a debut album; for the Lee Seung Gi of 2026, it is a song encountered again after passing through the experiences of life. As the song long remembered by the public as Psy's signature track returned through Lee's voice, it carried the weight of 20 years and a man's life.