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, she has released four studio albums, six extended plays, 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, and Seoul Music Awards. 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”, recorded for the soundtrack of the television drama series 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.

Ailee was born in Denver, Colorado, on May 30, 1989, and grew up in New Jersey. She attended Palisades Park High School before moving to nearby Leonia. After her Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School graduation, she studied communications at Pace University 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 and New Jersey. Under that label she collaborated with several artists, including Johnnyphlo and Philadelphia-based rapper Decipher.[citation needed] Before moving to South Korea, Ailee created the YouTube 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 during the audition and was recruited for YMC Entertainment on the spot. During her training, YMC featured her in the label’s Wheesung song, “They Are Coming”, which it released in October 2011. She also sang in Decipher and Jay Park’s song “Catch Me If You Can”.[citation needed] In September 2011, Ailee and Wheesung were featured on the MBC’s Chuseok special episode of Singer and Trainee. Ailee performed “Halo” 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.

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 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, Swings and Simon Dominic.

In 2012, Ailee was awarded the Best New Artist Award at the Seoul Music Awards, Melon Music Awards, Mnet Asian Music Awards, and Golden Disk Awards, 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. Ailee at the 22nd Seoul Music Awards, where she received the award for Best New Artist. 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.

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 received the Digital Bonsang at the 2015 Golden Disc Awards.