Photo by Rocket3 ent
By Akemi Tamanaha, AsAmNews Associate Editor
Unbeknownst to some American fans, many of the K-pop artists they listen to are Americans like them. One of those artists is Korean American singer Ailee, who recently released an English-language song.
Ailee spoke with AsAmNews about her experience as a Korean American K-Pop artist and her new English-language single Sweater.
The 30-year-old singer was born in Denver, Colorado, but grew up in New Jersey. Being a Korean American in New Jersey wasn’t always easy for her.
“Growing up as a Korean American was confusing at times because I couldn’t figure out which culture I needed to absorb,” Ailee said in an email. “As I grew older I realized I can absorb the best of both cultures which is probably why my mind is very open to many things and very flexible with everything I do.”
Growing up, Ailee listened to several different music genres. Some of her favorites were pop, K-pop and R&B. Ailee began promoting her own music on two YouTube channels “mzamyx3” and “aileemusic.” She said that once the views starting going up she knew that this was “what she wanted to do for the rest of her life.”
Ailee left Pace University to pursue music. She signed with Muzo Entertainment in New York, where she collaborated with different artists. In 2010, she moved to South Korea to further her career.
“I wanted to start my music career where my roots were and felt like at the time I could possibly relate to a lot more of the Korean audiences with my music,” Ailee said in an email.
Photo by Rocket3 ent
Ailee made the decision despite having to move away from her family and friends. The transition, however, was surprisingly easy.
“A lot of my closest friends actually moved out to Korea for their own careers, around the time that I did, and that helped me a lot with the loneliness in the beginning of my life altering move,” Ailee said.
In South Korea, Ailee signed with YMC entertainment. She has released several hit singles like Heaven, U&I and If You. She recorded and released two albums Vivid and Butterfly.
While Ailee has done most of her solo touring within South Korea, she has fans all across the globe. Some of her fans are Korean Americans themselves.
“I’m not positively sure exactly how many Korean American fans I currently have, but the ones that I’ve encountered so far have been extremely supportive and have complimented me and given me so many positive feed-backs about my music,” Ailee said. “I’m so grateful and I hope that they continue to show their love and support for my music and my career in the future.”
Sweater is Ailee’s first English-language single and is a gift to her international English-speaking fans.
“I felt like it was about time that my international fans got the English single they deserved from the beginning,” Ailee said in an email. “My international Aileeans have been asking for an English single for quite some time now, and my team and I felt like Sweater was the perfect song to gift to my fans this holiday season.”
Sweater is a song about missing loved ones during the holiday season. While the song is holiday-themed, the message can be appreciated year-round.
“I want the listeners to stop their day for a couple of minutes to think about the person they miss and reminisce about the good times they shared with that person,” Ailee said in an email.
Several K-pop bands and artists, like the popular BTS, have produced English-language singles. Ailee hopes to continue making English language songs like Sweater.
“I have recorded a few songs in the past, however, I definitely want to try to record more songs in the near future to figure out what kind of sounds I want the listeners to hear and to see which direction I see myself going in,” Ailee said in an email.
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