Lee Hyori’s ‘Miss Korea’ dominates charts

K-pop diva Lee Hyori has made her way back to the stage after a three-year hiatus from the music scene with her newest single “Miss Korea,” which was unveiled on Monday.

“Miss Korea,” a pre-release single from her soon-to-be-released fifth studio album, achieved an “all-kill” almost immediately upon its release by topping all the major Korean music charts including Melon, Daum, Bugs and Mnet.

“Miss Korea” was both written and composed by the diva herself and arranged by her jazz guitarist boyfriend Lee Sang-soon.

The retro-jazz rhythmic track shows a new and more sophisticated side of the artist, especially compared to the typical energetic dance tracks that Lee is known for. The full-version music video was also released on the same day as a black and white video depicting the star as a circa 1950s-type glamorous Miss Korea pageant crown holder.

By taking the matters of writing and composing “Miss Korea” into her own hands, the 33-year-old singer known as both a fashion icon and a veteran K-pop star appears to have bounced back from plagiarism scandals involving a producer who worked on Lee’s previous album “H-Logic,” which led to her musical hiatus.

Lee’s agency B2M Entertainment previously announced that around five music videos are planned for the star’s long-awaited music comeback. The yet-to-be titled full album is expected to be released on May 21.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)