2014 might be barely a week old, but the most anticipated performance of the year has undoubtedly been American-born K-pop singer Ailee's return to the stage on Wednesday following a two-month hiatus.

The 24-year-old singer performed her new hit "Singing Got Better," written and produced by Korean R&B vocalist Wheesung, on the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) program "Show Champion."

Ailee appeared confident in the performing the ballad while sitting atop a white draped platform against a whimsical starry set, with the accompaniment of a grand piano and a 19-piece string section.

Allie's performance, though a bit raw or flat in spots, had all the fire and impressive vocal power that she is known for.

As the crowd chanted "Ailee! Ailee!" it was clear that the scandal that caused her brief retreat from the spotlight has only strengthened the singer's career, not weakened it, as some fans feared.

And the recent chart performance of "Singing Got Better," debuting at number one on Monday on the Korean music charts Mnet, Soribada, Naver music and Daum music, appears to confirm that fact.

As most Ailee fans know by now, she became K-pop's most talked about star when the New Jersey-based website allkpop published unauthorized nude photos of the singer on Nov. 10.

The Ailee nude photos had been censored with black bars before being taken down completely from the site a month later, following thousands of negative reader comments.

6Theory Media, the parent company of allkpop, claims to have gotten the images from the anonymous image board AnonIB. But the fact that Ailee's ex-boyfriend Daniel Lee, who is the vice president of content for allkpop, admitted that he attempted to sell the photos to Dispatch, has left many readers convinced that he leaked the photos.

Outrage over the incident has led some allkpop readers, most notably the editors of the British online publication Beyond Hallyu, to boycott the website completely.

Although she has appeared in public twice to accept honors at the MelOn Awards and the Mnet Asian Music Awards, the singer had not performed since the scandal broke two months ago.

Watch Ailee's comeback performance of "Singing Got Better" on the MBC program "Show Champion" RIGHT HERE