Lee Hoyang, prolific K-Pop producer and songwriter, dies at age 40

Lee Hoyang, a prolific producer and songwriter of South Korean pop music known professionally as Shinsadong Tiger and who helped create some of the biggest K-pop hits of the 2010s, died in Seoul on Friday. He was 40.

His management agency confirmed his death in a rack. It did not mention the cause of death but said a private funeral was held in Seoul. The agency, TR Entertainment, did not respond to an emailed request for comment. A police detective in Seoul also confirmed Mr Lee’s death but would not release further details.

Mr. Lee was often credited with shaping the musical style that defined K-pop in the early 2010s: catchy, upbeat and repetitive with a strong hook. He produced many commercially successful songs over the past decade, mainly for young female artists. Among the hits were “Roly-Poly” and “Bo Peep Bo Peep,” both by T-ara; “NeeNeeNee” by Apink; and “Bubble Pop!” by HyunA.

“He created an exciting, funky, beat-driven K-pop style that has been repeated over and over again,” said Do Heon Kim, a pop music critic in South Korea. “There is no place where his influence has not been felt.”

Mr. Lee was born on June 3, 1983 in Pohang, a city on the southeast coast of South Korea. Without formal music education, he immersed himself in music starting in high school, when he played in a band and remixed songs with his friends, he said in a interview in 2011.

He debuted as a songwriter in 2004, when he produced a song called “Man and Woman” for South Korean pop band Jadu, he said. The song, with a touch of Brazilian bossa nova, was released in 2005.

Mr. Lee’s career took a downturn in the late 2010s as his music was increasingly seen as repetitive and he faced accusations of plagiarism, which he denied, Mr. Kim said. The songwriter focused his energy more on producing and helped form the girl groups EXID, which debuted in 2012, and Tri.be, which debuted in 2021.

Jin Yu Young reporting contributed.