During K-pop's ascendance in the last several years from local phenomenon to international sensation, western media outlets used words like "flashy" and "polished" or even "over-the-top" in an attempt to explain the genre's appeal.

The description is at best incomplete, when one considers the prevailing influence of folk styles on recent K-pop chart toppers like Akdong Musician and Lyn.

But it could ring true for an American pop fan that has only heard of major K-pop acts like Psy and Girls' Generation.

Enter Lee Hyori.

Everything about the 33-year-old former teen idol's new single "Miss Korea" and the accompanying video is pure understated class, as Hyori reaches back into the jazz songbook to rewrite the rules on how a K-pop song can sound.

Dizzy Gillespie once said "you have to keep one foot in the past and one foot in the future."

Lee Hyori's "Miss Korea" succeeds in doing this to dazzling affect.

The production dials in the 1940s jazz sound without sounding forced but also has a hip-hop infused dance beat that feels of the current moment.

The marriage of the two is no small feat.

A first-time listener waits for the point that the producers push the joke too far (a cheesy horn break, a ridiculous chorus).

It never happens. "Miss Korea" stays classy from start to finish.

A former member of the girl group Fin.K.L., Hyori has had a successful solo career, becoming the highest-paid female in South Korea in 2006 after signing a lucrative contract with Mnet Media.

Perhaps it is her legacy of success that has given her the confidence to go against the grain. In a genre dominated by teenagers, Hyori shows that see is 100 percent woman.

The video for "Miss Korea" is shot tastefully, with dazzling but subtle styling.

Almost entirely black and white, Lee Hyori is reimagined as a diva from the classic 1940s jazz era of Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald.

Yet, there is also a cheeky aspect the "Miss Korea" video that keeps it from becoming pretentious.

In one sequence, Hyori dances in front of two beauty queens that are men in drag.

Like the rest of the video, the choice is played down. Hyori and the director of the "Miss Korea" video are not having a laugh at these drag queens' expense.

Rather, by shooting them with the same classic, golden Hollywood-era glitz they employ throughout the video, they become a heartwarming addition to "Miss Korea."

Hyori is celebrating their beauty as well.

It is also worth noting that the lyrics contain an extremely positive message for young fans: be okay with you. You are beautiful.

"Everyone is great...anyone can be Miss Korea."

Check out the video for Lee Hyori's new song "Miss Korea" RIGHT HERE