The number of albums he has released -- 16 full-length efforts -- speaks to Lee Moon-sae’s singing career of nearly 40 years. Having debuted in 1978, the veteran singer-songwriter has been heralded as an icon of Korean pop, with many of his hits covered in recent years by a new generation of singers. While the soulful singer is best known for emotional ballads like “Old Love” and “Standing Under the Shade of Roadside Tree,” Lee strayed away from his old classics and tuned into a trendier sound by teaming up with younger musicians for his 16th full-length album, “Between Us.” “When I received about 200 songs from younger musicians who sent their works to collaborate with me, I didn’t see their names at first in order to throw out prejudice, like a ‘blind test.’ I wasn’t aware of who I was going to work with,” said Lee during a press conference for his new album in Seoul on Monday.

After endless selection and contemplation, Lee narrowed it down to five contenders: Gaeko, Heize, Sunwoo Jung-a, band Jannabi and Km Yoon-hee, Lee’s previous duet partner on music program “Fantastic Duo.” With rapper Gaeko, Lee made “Free My Mind,” a feel-good song with hopeful messages to young people, while he teamed up with Heize for “Blurry,” an emotional ballad about the fading scar of broken love. Lee confessed he didn’t know who Heize was at first. He added that the song was especially meaningful to him as it took him the longest time and most effort while recording among other tracks. He went on to explain he initially rejected working on “Our Relationship,” composed, written and produced by Sunwoo, as he thought the song did not fit his style. What changed his mind, however, was a request from a young staff member.

“The staff member, the youngest one in our company, came over to me one day and shyly asked, ‘Lee, I have a favor to ask. Could you reconsider “Our Relationship” one last time?’ I went back home, listened to the song over and over, and finally decided to include it in the album,” he said. And that funky song, which talks about the relationship between two people, became the lead track, he explained. The album also features three new songs crafted by Lee, including “Andalusia” and “Remember Me.”“For those who think I intentionally chase trends, I would like to tell them that we should learn and listen to trendy music. If I don’t do so, there won’t be any development,” he said.“Maybe it’s the difference of speed, but I’ve always sought for changes during my music life.” ()