Lee Hyori is Back With Miss Korea!

After three years the queen herself is back!  Those of you who are newer to K-Pop might not know Lee Hyori but she's been around for a very long time, first debuting all the way back in 1998 with the girl group Fin. K. L.  She went solo in 2003 and was immensely successful throughout the decade.  Her comeback has been long anticipated so it's great to see she's finally back!

Despite her iconic status, I've never been a huge Lee Hyori fan though I do like U-Go-Girl (2008) and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (2010).  Still I wouldn't call any of her songs personal favourites.  I wasn't totally sure what to expect with her comeback or if I would even like it.  So I was pleasantly surprised when I first watched Miss Korea.

It's a lot different from her other songs which are more electronic, hip hop and dance focused.  Miss Korea is so retro and it really channels a 1950's feel with the outfits, makeup, and set.  It has a real jazzy feel to it that I personally love and I was sold on the song by the end of the first chorus.  It's got an easy beat and melody, especially in the chorus that makes it easy to sing along to.  Which is probably why it's been stuck in my head all day.  I was also surprised by the lyrics which cover a more serious topic on what it means to be beautiful by society's standards and the price people are willing to pay to achieve that beauty.  So while it's different from what I'm used to hearing from Lee Hyori, I really like it's mellow vibe and retro feel.


The video is simple and matches the retro feel of the song.  Again, very different from Lee Hyori's past work which tended to be more flashy, loud and in your face sexy.  Everything is more toned down in this video.  Lee Hyori is sexy as ever, though in a classy and grown up way that again suits the entire video and song really well.  I love her makeup in this video and all of her outfits channeled the 1950's/1960's in a way that reminded me a lot of the musical Dream Girls.  Also there are drag queens in this video!  I didn't even notice until the end but it was a cool and surprising addition to the video.  I can't think of another Korean music video that has incorporated drag queens.


To sum it up, I really like this song.  While it's different from Lee Hyori's previous work its smooth, jazzy sound had me hooked from the beginning.  If you haven't seen Lee Hyori's Miss Korea than check it out below!



So what did you think?  Do you like Miss Korea or do you prefer Lee Hyori's more wild dance tracks?  Let me know in the comments!