Lee Hi breaks down crying while singing “Breathe” at Golden Disc Awards

“My life’s top artist. He was a friend, a hyung, a colleague. He was Jonghyun-hyung. You’ve done well with everything. I love you so much.”

Lee Hi began crying as she sang “Breathe”, at the Golden Disc Awards. The song was written by Jonghyun and carries a deep emotional connection for Lee Hi.

She eventually had to stop singing for a whole minute, looking visibly overcome with emotion after singing the line “No one will blame you.” The orchestra continued to play behind her and she caught up to the song, after gaining her composure.

Her performance was immediately after a heartwarming tribute video was shown, in dedication to Jonghyun. The video had messages from Taeyeon, EXO, and SHINee’s Key.

The heartfelt, emotional messages came from some of Jonghyun’s closest friends. The tribute video selected a few lines from their original messages posted soon after his funeral.

Read the translated messages below:

“My life’s top artist. He was a friend, a hyung, a colleague. He was Jonghyun-hyung. You’ve done well with everything. I love you so much.”

— Key

“I’m so sorry for not being able to hug you as much as I wanted. I love you, I’m sorry and I’m also thankful. I miss you so much, I want to hold you hands.”

— Taeyeon

A true artist, Jonghyun sunbae-nim. We miss you so much and love you so much. We will forever remember you

— EXO

You can watch the emotional tribute performance here:

2018 Golden Disc Awards