Lee Chan Hyuk's punk Christmas carol "We Wish" strikes a chord without saying "Christmas"

“May miracles fall on hospitals like white snow.”

Lee Chan Hyuk’s musical instinct is as sharp as ever. With a familiar yet refreshing melody and lyrics that pierce the heart, the song instantly captivates listeners. Once again, AKMU’s Lee Chan Hyuk proves a simple truth: great content resonates regardless of platform. His punk-style carol “We Wish,” created through a collaboration with Hyundai Motor Company, is quickly winning over the public.

“We Wish” serves as the featured track for the first chapter of Hyundai Motor’s year-end brand campaign, “Hyundai Wish Tale.” The “Wish Campaign,” launched in 2011, was designed to cheer on customers’ New Year wishes. In this installment, Lee Chan Hyuk takes on the role of the main character, the “Snowish Man,” overseeing both acting and music production. The approximately 11-minute advertisement features an original song composed by Lee himself, conceived as music content that expands the campaign’s core message.

“Punk carols are rare,” Lee Chan Hyuk explained. “I wanted to capture both warmth and energy. I hope it becomes a time for people to share warm feelings with those they love.”

Although it is a Christmas carol, the word “Christmas” never appears in the lyrics. Instead, lines such as “insomnia,” “gentle sleep,” “may love exist amid the busy commute to work,” and “may miracles fall on hospitals like white snow” lend the song a grounded, deeply moving quality. Reimagining “I Wish You a Merry Christmas” through Lee Chan Hyuk’s unique sensibility, the track has an enduring charm that remains engaging no matter how many times it is heard.

Simple yet powerful, the song delivers profound emotional impact—prompting praise for showcasing the strength of a true artist. In an ironic twist, even viewers who pay for ad-free YouTube Premium find themselves watching the full 11-minute commercial just to hear the song. For those quietly wishing for miracles in hospitals, the lyrics unexpectedly bring tears to their eyes. The video, accompanied by “We Wish” and images of people making heartfelt wishes as the first snow falls, holds viewers’ attention from start to finish.

The song has not yet been released as a standalone track and is currently available only on Hyundai Motor Company’s official YouTube channel. In less than a week, the full-length campaign video surpassed 1.03 million views, while the music-only version reached 400,000 views—an impressive achievement for a channel with 370,000 subscribers and no major promotional push.

Since his debut, Lee Chan Hyuk has consistently expanded his own artistic universe, turning his childhood wish—“to make the world happier”—into music. His participation in “The Wish Snowman” project naturally stems from that belief.

“I joined because I felt this was a project where I could indirectly help bring messages of wishes and love into reality,” Lee Chan Hyuk said.