After successfully auditioning for K-pop Star Season 1 in 2011, she was eventually signed to YG Entertainment as part of a new girl group called SuPearls.

She grew up in Paju with her older sister and mother, as her father returned to the United States prior to her birth following her parents' separation.

and Toni Braxton cassette tapes while trying to match their voices to the pitch of the tune, occasionally even trying to learn the dance moves.

However, like fellow Black-Korean musicians Insooni and Yoon Mi-rae, Lee faced constant discrimination for her biracial identity in school.

[4] She gathered early praise from the 3 judges who are also representatives of SM, YG, and JYP, and was recognized as a strong contender to win the contest along with Park Ji-min.

[3] The music video for "Without You" features a young girl (portrayed by Egypt Yoona) writing racial slurs on a wall covered with graffiti.