When veteran singer Ailee first heard “Golden,” the standout track from Netflix’s smash hit animation film “Kpop Demon Hunters,” she knew she had to sing it herself — so did her fans, with one popular comment on her cover video calling her rendition “the shiniest 'Golden' of them all.”

“I only cover songs that I really like to sing,” said the Korean American vocalist during an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily in western Seoul on Sunday. “It really has to ring in my heart for me to like singing it.”


So far, listeners seem to agree with her instinct. Ailee’s stripped-down rendition of “Golden,” which highlighted her powerful, emotive delivery, has already drawn more than 3.4 million views on YouTube with fans flooding the channel with comments like, “I knew the song’s gonna be Ailee-style,” and “It's crazy, close that Honmoon!”

Many of her colleagues were part of the “KPop Demon Hunters” project, such as Kevin Woo, Danny Chung and Andrew Choi, with whom she worked several times on her previous albums.

“The first day it came out, I watched it,” Ailee said, adding that she loved the film so much. “It was a great success and a big step forward, once again, for K-pop itself and K-culture.”


Proven voice in K-pop

Ailee debuted in 2012 with “Heaven” and has since become one of Korea’s most prominent female soloists, known for her soaring ballads and powerhouse performances. She’s best known for hits like “I’ll Show You” (2012), and “U & I” (2013), as well as beloved TV series soundtracks like “I Will Go to You Like the First Snow” from “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God” (2016) and “Breaking Down” from the TV series “Doom at Your Service” (2021).

Born and raised in the United States, she first gained traction online predebut with her covers of pop songs such as “Hero” (1999) by Mariah Carey and “The Climb” (2009) by Miley Cyrus, coloring songs with her own style, which carried through to her renditions of BTS’s “Dynamite” (2020) and now “Golden.”

Ailee wanted her version of the powerful song to be “a rest stop.”

“Every artist has their own style and it's not something that could really be compared,” she said, when asked if there’s pressure in taking on songs already considered iconic. “I just enjoyed singing it and I'm pretty sure other artists enjoyed doing that cover as well.”


Breaking ground abroad

Ailee will soon head to South Africa, where she will become the first K-pop soloist to perform in the country for “Ubuntu with K-Culture: Korean Culture Festival” on Sept. 6. The event, hosted by the Korean Embassy in South Africa, the Korean Cultural Center and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, is held in commemoration of the Group of 20 Summit in South Africa.

"It means a lot to me, and it's also a big pressure because it's the first,” she said with a smile, adding that she hoped this would serve as an opportunity to broaden cultural exchanges between the two countries.

Ailee recently wrapped up a solo concert in the United States as well, where she sang in front of a deaf audience. She learned the signs for “I love you” and “thank you” for the occasion to make sure everyone could enjoy the concert to the fullest.

Seize the moment

Later this year, Ailee will appear as a judge on SBS’s upcoming global audition program “Veiled Cup: Asia Grand Final” alongside Tiffany Young of Girls’ Generation, Henry and 10CM. Her advice to aspiring singers is simple: Enjoy the stage.

“I feel like every time an artist is on stage, you can tell if the artist is enjoying it or not,” she suggested. “I feel like that energy really mirrors to the audience.”

It must be difficult for contestants to actually enjoy themselves in such a nerve-wracking moment, she admitted, but “it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” the singer said, stressing that “if [your] energy matches your amazing talent, then that’s a star.”

Aspiring musicians from major cities in Asia will compete for the top spot in the third season of the blind audition YouTube program “Global Veiled Musician,” and top contestants from each region will then compete in “Veiled Cup: Asia Grand Final,” which will air on SBS. The airing date for the show is yet to be announced.

‘Albums are disappearing’

Looking back on her 13-year journey as a musician, Ailee has witnessed K-pop’s explosive growth from the inside. While the Korean music industry’s rapid rise on the global stage is celebrated as a major leap for the nation, it has also made competition to stay relevant far more intense, she noted.

“Idol groups these days have no rest,” she said. “Everything moves so fast, I feel like [we have] less time to sit down and feel the music that’s been put out.”

And that breakneck pace of music consumption has also made it harder for artists to put out full-length albums, she said, adding, “These days, I feel like a lot of albums have been disappearing.”


Turning a new chapter

This year has been a monumental one for Ailee both personally and professionally. In April, she tied the knot with Choi Si-hun, a former participant of the Netflix dating reality show “Single’s Inferno” (2021).

She says she is now striving to find a balance between her career and her new role as a wife, with hopes of adding motherhood into the mix someday.

On a professional note, Ailee released her latest and seventh EP, “(Me)moir,” in March, marking marks a significant milestone for her.

“It’s called ‘(Me)moir’ not because the songs are really about me or my life, but because that’s the type of music that I enjoyed singing before I debuted,” she said.

The album, therefore, is her return to her roots in R&B and pop with English lyrics, which she believes she can deliver the best.

“For the past 13 years, I’ve been trying to do music that pleases the audience, that makes the listeners happy — but I feel like I haven’t done the kind of music that I really enjoy,” Ailee shared. “In the future, if my fans are willing to still support me, I want to do music that makes me happy as well. That’s my main goal, and my album, ‘(Me)moir,’ was the first step.”

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]