Amy Lee (born May 30, 1989), known professionally as Ailee, is an American singer and songwriter based in South Korea. Amassing digital sales success in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

, she has released four studio albums, six

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

s, and twenty one singles, six of which charted within the top five of the Gaon Digital Chart. Following a short stint at Muzo Entertainment in New York City, Ailee moved to South Korea in 2010 and signed with YMC Entertainment. She debuted in 2012 with her first single " Heaven", which peaked at number three on the Gaon Digital Chart and earned her Best New Artist Awards at the Melon Music Awards, Golden Disc Awards,

Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards The Circle Chart Music Awards (), formerly known as the Gaon Chart Music Awards, are a major music awards ceremony that is presented annually in South Korea by the Korea Music Content Association primarily based on the commercial performance of t ...

, and

Seoul Music Awards The Seoul Music Awards (; SMA) is a major South Korean music awards show presented by the newspaper ''Sports Seoul''. The award winners are selected based on a combination of criteria, including music sales, popular votes, and expert judges' op ...

. She won four consecutive Mnet Asian Music Award for Best Female Vocal Performance titles from 2013 to 2016, with "U&I", "Singing Got Better", "Mind Your Own Business", and "If You" respectively. Her 2017 single, "

I Will Go to You Like the First Snow "I Will Go to You Like the First Snow" () is a song recorded by Korean American singer-songwriter Ailee, serving as an original soundtrack (OST) for the 2016 hit television drama '' Guardian: The Lonely and Great God''. The song was written by Mi ...

", recorded for the soundtrack of the

television drama series In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

'' Guardian: The Lonely and Great God'' (2016), won several awards and was the most digitally successful song of that year, becoming the best-selling record in movies and dramas in the Korean sound record market.

Life and career

1989–2011: Early life, career beginnings

Ailee was born in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

, on May 30, 1989, and grew up in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. She attended Palisades Park High School before moving to nearby

Leonia Leonia is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 8,937,Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School (or SPFHS) is a comprehensive regional four-year public high school in Union County, New Jersey, United States, which serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from the Township of Scotch Plains and the ...

graduation, she studied communications at

Pace University Pace University is a private university with its main campus in New York City and secondary campuses in Westchester County, New York. It was established in 1906 by the brothers Homer St. Clair Pace and Charles A. Pace as a business school. Pace ...

before dropping out to pursue a career in music. Before her K-pop debut, Ailee was signed under Muzo Entertainment, an independent agency in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

and New Jersey. Under that label she collaborated with several artists, including Johnnyphlo and

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

-based rapper Decipher. Before moving to South Korea, Ailee created the

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

channels "mzamyx3" and "aileemusic" to bring attention to her singing on the web. Ailee moved to South Korea in 2010 after she landed a music label audition through her uncle's connections. She sang "Resignation" by

Big Mama Big mama () is a Chinese language neologism for an Internet censor on web bulletin board systems in the People's Republic of China. Big mamas are human censors and moderators on different online platforms who remove politically sensitive inform ...

during the audition, and was recruited for YMC Entertainment on the spot. During her training, YMC featured her in the label's

Wheesung Choi Whee-sung (; born February 5, 1982), known professionally as Wheesung or by the stage name Realslow, is a South Korean R&B singer, record producer, and musical theatre actor. Career 1982: Early life and education Wheesung was born on ...

song, "They Are Coming", which it released in October 2011. She also sang in Decipher and

Jay Park Jay Park (Korean name: Park Jae-beom (Hangul: 박재범; Hanja: 朴載範); born April 25, 1987) is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer and entrepreneur of based in South Korea. He is a member of the Seattle-based b ...

's song "Catch Me If You Can". In September 2011, Ailee and Wheesung were featured on the MBC's

Chuseok ''Chuseok'' (; , literally "autumn evening"), also known as ''Hangawi'' (Hangul: ; ; from archaic Korean for "the great middle (of autumn)"), is a major mid-autumn harvest festival and a three-day holiday in South Korea celebrated on the 15th ...

special episode of ''Singer and Trainee''. Ailee performed "

Halo Halo, halos or haloes usually refer to: * Halo (optical phenomenon) * Halo (religious iconography), a ring of light around the image of a head HALO, halo, halos or haloes may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Video games * ''Halo'' (franch ...

" by Beyoncé to a positive reaction from the audience. Following her performance of "Halo", judge BMK said, "Wherever she goes, she has the potential to be a big star. She definitely has the voice." After the judges had graded all the participants, Ailee was the first-place winner.

2012: Debut and commercial success

On February 9, 2012, Ailee released her debut single " Heaven" along with the music video, which featured Gi Kwang of Beast. On the same day, she made her debut stage performance of "Heaven" on '' M Countdown''. ''Billboard'' commented, "From her debut single, Ailee proved that she had an ability beyond her years to communicate the deeper experiences one feels in love. In this dedication track, Ailee's partner protected her and taught her how to love in a harsh world." The success of the single, helped Ailee win her first award at the 2012

Cyworld Digital Music Awards The Cyworld Digital Music Awards () was a South Korean music awards ceremony. It was established in 2006 to recognize songs with the largest monthly digital sales on the Cyworld social network service. Monthly awards were also given to popular son ...

. The single received the Song of the month (February) and Rookie of the month at the award ceremony. On October 16, 2012, Ailee released her debut EP, '' Invitation'', with the title track "I Will Show You". The EP contained a total of six tracks. It was produced by producers such as Kim Do-hoon, Lee Hyun-seung, Park Guen-tae, Duble Sidekick, Wheesung, and featured artists such as

Verbal Jint Kim Jin-tae (Hangul: 김진태; born December 19, 1980), better known by his stage name Verbal Jint (Hangul: 버벌진트), is a South Korean rapper, record producer and musician who is known for his groundbreaking innovations in Korean hip hop ...

, Swings and

Simon Dominic Jung Ki-suck (; born 9 March 1984), better known by his stage name Simon Dominic (), is a South Korean hip hop recording artist. He debuted in 2009 as a member of the hip-hop duo Supreme Team, which disbanded in 2013. As a solo artist, he has ...

. In 2012, Ailee was awarded the Best New Artist Award at the

, Melon Music Awards, Mnet Asian Music Awards, and

Golden Disk Awards The Golden Disc Awards (, formerly spelled the Golden Disk Awards before 2015) is an annual South Korean major music awards ceremony that honors achievements in the local music industry. The awards ceremony was founded with the purpose to promo ...

, as well as the New Female Solo Artist Award at the Gaon Chart Music Awards. She has also received the Mnet America Rising Star Award, a special award presented by Mnet America at the pre-show of

55th Grammy Awards The 55th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 10, 2013, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2011 through September 30, 2012. The show was broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. E ...

2013–2014: Commercial popularity

On July 12, 2013, Ailee released her second Ep, titled '' A's Doll House''. The EP's title track, " U&I" topped various music charts within four hours of release. On November 6, 2013, Ailee made her Japanese debut with Japanese-version of "Heaven" and "Starlight" under

Warner Music Japan Warner Music Group's labels include the following. Flagship labels *Atlantic Records * Elektra Records *Parlophone Records * Warner Records Atlantic Records Group * 1st & 15th Entertainment * All Money In * Artist Partners Group * Asylum ...

. On January 6, 2014, Ailee released a single titled "Singing Got Better", produced by Wheesung. The song peaked at number one upon released on various music chart. The single has received the Best Vocal Performance at the 2014 Mnet Asian Music Awards. On September 25, 2014, Ailee released her third EP, titled ''Magazine''. The EP's title track, "Don't Touch Me" peaked at number one upon released on various music chart. The single has received the Digital Bonsang at the 2015 Golden Disc Awards.

2015–2016: Breakthrough with ''Vivid''

After wrapping up her joint ''Unite the Mic Tour'' with Jay Park and

San E Jung San (; born ), more commonly known by his stage name San E (), is a South Korean rapper. He debuted in 2010 under JYP Entertainment, where he was the label's first solo rapper. He left the company in 2013 to sign with hip hop label Brand Ne ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

in March 2015, plans were revealed for Ailee to hold a solo concert three years after her debut. Her first solo concert, titled ''Fatal Attraction'', was held on July 4, 2015, at the

Olympic Hall Olympic Hall is a music venue located within the Olympic Park, in Bangi-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, South Korea. In 2011, the Olympic Hall was renovated as a concert hall by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Sports Promotion ...

. Ailee was joined on stage several times by different artists, who helped her sing her many duets and collaborations. She sang "Shut Up" with Showry, "Like Nobody Knows" and "Comma 07" with

Cheetah The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large cat native to Africa and central Iran. It is the fastest land animal, estimated to be capable of running at with the fastest reliably recorded speeds being , and as such has evolved specialized ...

, "Wash Away" and "Officially Missing You" with

Geeks The word ''geek'' is a slang term originally used to describe eccentric or non-mainstream people; in current use, the word typically connotes an expert or enthusiast obsessed with a hobby or intellectual pursuit. In the past, it had a generall ...

, "NimA" and "Shower of Tears" with

Baechigi Baechigi (Hangul: 배치기; stylized as BaeChiGi) is a South Korean hip hop duo formed by Sniper Sound in 2005. The duo moved to YMC Entertainment in 2012. They debuted on February 17, 2005, with the album ''Giant''. Members * Muwoong (Hangul: ...

, and "Touch My Body" and "Let"s Go Travel" with Shin Bo-ra. Ailee's first full-length album ''

Vivid Vivid may refer to: Music * Vivid (band), a Japanese rock band * "Vivid" (song), by Electronic, 1999 *"ViViD", a 2016 song by Loona from '' HeeJin'' Albums * ''Vivid'' (Vivian Green album), 2015 * ''Vivid'' (Crystal Kay album), 2012 * ''Vivi ...

'' was released on September 30, 2015. She won her first trophy for this promotion on October 7, 2015, on '' Show Champion''. Ailee was awarded the Best Female Vocal Award for the third consecutive year at the

2015 Mnet Asian Music Awards The 2015 Mnet Asian Music Awards ceremony, organized by CJ E&M through its music channel Mnet, took place on December 2, 2015, at AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong. The ceremony was the sixth consecutive Mnet Asian Music Awards to be hosted outside o ...

, for "Mind Your Own Business". On July 13, 2016, Ailee was confirmed to participate as a judge on Superstar K 2016. On August 23, 2016, Ailee released her single "If You", which subsequently topped the Gaon Weekly Chart for Digital Download. On October 5, 2016, Ailee released her EP '' A New Empire'', along with the music video for "Home" that was officially released on LOEN and YMC Entertainment's official YouTube channel. ''A New Empire'' peaked at number 10 on the Gaon Album Chart, and number nine on the US World Albums ( ''Billboard'') Chart. On December 2, 2016, Ailee was again awarded with Best Vocal Performance at the

2016 Mnet Asian Music Awards The 2016 Mnet Asian Music Awards ceremony, organized by CJ E&M through its music channel Mnet, took place at the AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong. The ceremony was the seventh consecutive Mnet Asian Music Awards to be hosted outside of South Korea ...

, this time for "If You", a record-breaking fourth consecutive win in the category.

2017–2018: OST success and solo concert tours

On January 7, 2017, Ailee released her debut American single "Fall Back" through WestSide Entertainment under the alias A.Leean. She also released the ballad "

" (첫눈처럼 너에게 가겠다) on the same day as part nine in a series composed of singles for the South Korean cable television series '' Guardian: The Lonely and Great God''. The single topped the Gaon Digital Chart for three consecutive weeks. The single earned Ailee the Best OST Award at the 2017 Korea Cable TV Awards. The soundtrack has also received several accolades, including the best original soundtrack award at the

Seoul International Drama Awards Seoul International Drama Awards (), simply known as SDA, is an annual award ceremony based in Seoul, South Korea which honors excellence in television drama productions worldwide. Winners Grand prize (''Daesang'') Program Winners are given ...

, the Mnet Asian Music Awards, the Melon Music Awards, the

and the Golden Disc Awards. Ailee 'Shaking Movement' Project 1 in Myeongdong

Ailee previously held two Christmas concerts in Seoul titled ''Welcome Home'' at Kyunghee University's Grand Peace Palace on December 24–25, 2016. Due to the success of the concerts, it was announced that Ailee would be holding her first nationwide tour, titled ''Welcome Home Tour'', which started in Daegu on April 1, 2017. On June 25, 2017, in The City Hall at

Taipei International Convention Center The Taipei International Convention Center (TICC; ) is a convention center in Xinyi District, Taipei, Taiwan. The convention center is an integral part of the Taipei World Trade Center. Except for renting for conferences and exhibitions, the ven ...

, Ailee held her first solo concert in Taiwan titled ''Ailee – Hello Taipei 2017''. On November 18 and 19, Ailee held two concerts at the Pechanga Theater in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, selling out a total of 2,600 tickets combined. On March 18, 2018, Ailee performed "I Will Show You" at the closing ceremony of the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games at the

Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium The Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium () was a temporary venue for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2018 Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Pyeongchang County, Gangwon Province, South Korea. The stadium was demolished after the Games. Backgrou ...

. On September 14, 2018, Ailee was chosen as a member of the South Korean cultural delegation, alongside other selected South Korean artists, for the third inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang, North Korea, where she performed her OST "I Will Go to You Like the First Snow". On November 23, 2018, Ailee announced her second nationwide tour, titled ''I Am: Ailee''.

2019–present: ''Butterfly'', continued touring, ''I'm'', ''Lovin'', ''Amy'' and ''I'm Lovin' Amy''

Ailee released her second studio album, titled ''Butterfly'', on July 2, 2019, with the lead single "Room Shaker". On September 10, 2019, Ailee announced on Instagram that she started a new company named, "Rocket3 Entertainment" after being signed with YMC Entertainment for eight years. On December 13, 2019, Ailee released her first English language single under American label, Sun and Sky Records. The single, entitled "Sweater", was hailed as "a heart-wrenching-yet-soothing ballad" by ''Billboard''. Ailee released her fifth extended play titled ''I'm'' on October 6, 2020, with the lead single "When We Were In Love". The music video was released on October 12, 2020, and was directed by Will Kim. On November 8, 2020, Ailee released "Blue Bird", an OST that would be part nine of singles for the South Korean drama Start-Up. On May 7, 2021, Ailee released her sixth extended play titled '' Lovin''', ahead of the release of her third studio album. The extended play includes two lead singles, "Make Up Your Mind" and "Spring Flowers". On July 22, 2021, Ailee joined The L1ve as their first official artist. On October 14, 2021, it was announced that Ailee will be releasing her third studio album ''Amy'' on October 27, with the lead single "Don't Teach Me". On March 7, 2022, Ailee released her English studio album ''I'm Lovin' Amy''. In July 2022, it was announced that Ailee's contract with The L1ve would expire later this month. On November 3, 2022, Pop Music (A2G Entertainment) announced that the '2022 Ailee National Tour Concert 'One Step More', scheduled to take place on the 5th and 6th, has been postponed to January 28 and 29, 2023 on the aftermath of the

Seoul Halloween crowd crush On the night of 29 October 2022, a crowd crush occurred during Halloween festivities in the Itaewon neighborhood of Seoul, South Korea. At least 158 people were killed and 196 others were injured. The victims were mostly young adults. The crow ...

Awards and nominations

Discography

Korean albums * ''

'' (2015) * ''Butterfly'' (2019) * ''Amy'' (2021) English albums * ''I'm Lovin' Amy'' (2022)

Filmography

Television drama

Television shows

Web shows

Tours and concerts

Welcome Home Tour

Welcome Home Tour was the first nationwide tour by Ailee, in support of her fourth extended play '' A New Empire.'' The tour visited six cities through 2016 and 2017. ;Set list ;Tour dates

I AM: Ailee Tour

I AM: Ailee Tour was the second nationwide tour by Ailee. The tour visited four cities in South Korea, starting on December 8, 2018.

I AM: Re-born Tour

I AM: Reborn Tour was the third nationwide tour by Ailee. The first leg of the tour visited seven cities in South Korea, starting on December 7, 2019.

Show Tok

Show Tok was the fourth nationwide tour by Ailee. The first leg of the tour visited seven cities in South Korea, starting on May 1, 2021.

Solo concerts

Co-headlining tours and concerts

* 2014: ''Winter Concert'' with

Eric Benet The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...

* 2014: ''Someday Concert'' with

* 2015: ''Unite the Mic Tour'' with

and

* 2015: ''Back to School Concert'' with

* 2016: ''Come Here! Concert'' with Yoon Min-soo * 2017: ''Superstage Concert'' with

Brian McKnight Brian Kelly McKnight (born June 5, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, radio host and multi-instrumentalist. He is most recognized for his strong head voice, high belting range and melisma. McKnight is known for h ...

and

Zion.T Kim Hae-sol (born April 13, 1989), known as Zion.T (), is a South Korean Hip Hop Music, hip hop and Contemporary R&B, R&B singer signed to The Black Label, a subsidiary label of YG Entertainment managed by Teddy Park and Kush. He has released ...

* 2018: ''Best of Best Concert in Taipei'' with

Taeyeon Kim Tae-yeon (; born March 9, 1989), known mononymously as Taeyeon, is a South Korean singer. She debuted as a member of girl group Girls' Generation in August 2007, which went on to become one of the best-selling artists in South Korea and on ...

and

Taemin Lee Tae-min (born July 18, 1993), better known mononymously as Taemin, is a South Korean singer, actor and dancer. He debuted as a member of the boy band Shinee in May 2008 and the supergroup SuperM in 2019, both under SM Entertainment, and ...

* 2018: ''Concert'' with Dynamic Duo

References

External links

Official YMC Entertainment website

Official Warner Music Japan website
{{Authority control 1989 births Living people 21st-century American singers American women pop singers American women singer-songwriters American musicians of Korean descent American people of South Korean descent American sopranos Japanese-language singers of the United States Spanish-language singers of the United States Korean-language singers of the United States American K-pop singers Singer-songwriters from New Jersey Pace University alumni People from Leonia, New Jersey Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School alumni Singers from Denver MAMA Award winners Warner Music Japan artists Melon Music Award winners 21st-century American women singers Singer-songwriters from Colorado American expatriates in South Korea