IU - Here's a look at her incredible success story!
IU - A look at her incredible success story!
Author: Helen Bosch / Jan 20, 2022
K-Pop Blog > Artists > IU
IU is one of the most successful solo artists on the charts dominated by idol groups. The singer made her debut over 13 years ago and, in addition to her unparalleled singing career, she also has an impressive acting career!
You can find a selection of IU's albums here in our shop! ^-^
If you want to find out more about “The Nations Sweetheart”, you’ve come to the right place. We have summarized their greatest successes and most interesting milestones for you here.
The road to the debut
IU, whose real name is Lee Ji Eun and was born in 1993, is now one of the biggest stars in the Korean music industry, but her path to the top was anything but easy. She grew up in poor circumstances and as a child moved with her brother to live with her grandmother because her parents had to worry about debts.
When she realized that her dream was to become a singer, Lee Ji Eun went to countless auditions where she was rejected. While looking for an agency, she was even scammed out of her grandmother's hard-earned money by fake companies.
In 2007 she finally signed a contract with “LOEN Entertainment” and after ten months of training she made her solo debut in September 2008. At the time she was just 15 years old. Today it's not uncommon for 14-year-olds to debut in idol groups, but back then IU was one of the few to make her professional debut so young.
Lee Ji Eun debuted in 2008 under the stage name “IU”. The name is a combination of the English words “I” and “You” and means: “You and I become one trough music.” (You and I become one through music)
The beginning of a great career
IU has released 23 albums throughout her career - including 5 singles and 3 best-of albums - and has also contributed to a number of soundtracks and collaborations.
IU made her solo debut with the album “Lost and Found” and the title track “Lost Child” in September 2008. The album brought her a “Rookie of the Month” award in November, but was not a commercial success. IU herself said in later interviews that it was a failure.
The following year, she changed her approach and released two albums - "Growing Up" in April and " IU...IM " in November - whose title songs "Boo" and "Marshmallow" are cheerful and sweet, in contrast to the melancholic ballad "Lost Child". The two albums were well received and IU was featured in several entertainment shows thanks to her rising popularity. She also recorded her first soundtracks for the K-dramas "Strike Love" and "Queen Seondeok".
In 2010, IU achieved its big breakthrough!
In June, IU sang a duet with 2AM's Lim Seulong that served as the theme song for the show "We Got Married." The single called “Nagging” stayed at number one in the charts for three weeks!
In December 2010, her fourth album “Real” was released with the title song “Good Day”, which is probably one of her most famous songs to this day! With “Good Day”, IU won several music shows and topped the Gaon Digital Charts for five weeks! In addition, the song was named the best K-pop song of 2010 by Billboard Magazine and is still one of the best-selling singles in South Korea!
"Good Day" is particularly known for the three high notes that IU sings in semitones during the song's climax. Other singers also have difficulty holding three notes in one breath as long and powerfully as IU. It goes without saying that she received a lot of praise for her singing talent back in the day. Of course, this still applies today, because the singer continues to prove what she is capable of with beautiful and sophisticated songs.
2011 to 2017: One success after another!
In the years that followed, IU regularly topped the charts and celebrated countless big and small successes, a few of which we would like to introduce to you here:
Already in November 2011, IU was able to almost surpass the success of “Real” with her new album “Last Fantasy”. No fewer than eight of the thirteen songs from “Last Fantasy” placed in the top 10 of the Gaon Digital Charts! The album itself topped the Gaon Album Charts. The title song “You & I” has sold over 5.5 million digital copies, almost a million more than “Good Day”! It also topped the “Gaon Charts” and the then newly introduced “Billboard K-Pop Hot 100 Charts”.
In the following years, IU continued to release one hit after another, including “The Red Shoes” from the album “Modern Times” (2013), “Friday” from “Modern Times - Epilogue” (2013) and “My Old Story” from “ A Flower Bookmark ” (2014). And these are just the title songs. As before, B-sides also repeatedly made it into the top 10 of the charts.
Her album “ Cat-Shire ”, released on October 23, 2015, stood out as a new milestone, as IU was more involved in the whole process than before. She wrote the lyrics for all nine tracks on the album, composed the music for five of them, and was also listed as a producer in the credits. That's why it was probably a special joy for IU this time around that several songs placed in the top 10 of the Korean charts, with the title track “Twenty-Three” reaching the top.
From the end of March to the end of April 2017, IU topped the charts not just once or twice, but three times: With the two pre-release singles “Trough the Night” (March 24th) and “Can't Love You Anymore” (April 7th) , as well as the single “Palette”, which was released together with the album of the same name on April 21st. The album also saw IU reach the top of the Billboard World Album Charts for the first time!
The solo singer has repeatedly won major prizes and awards throughout her career, but in 2017 she really won: she was recognized not only for her music (the album “Palette” and the song “Trough the Night”) but also for her Talented producer and songwriter. IU was also named “Best Female Artists” by the Mnet Asian Music Awards.
2019: Strokes of fate
IU's album “ Love Poem ” was supposed to be released on November 1, 2019. However, the release was postponed to November 18 after the singer “Sulli”, who became known as a member of the girl group f(x), died in mid-October. IU and Sulli were close friends.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the only stroke of fate, because on November 24th, another close friend of IU took her own life: Goo Hara, solo singer and former member of Kara. IU was playing a concert that day and got the bad news right before the end.
Fans were understandably worried for the singer after two friends took their own lives in such a short space of time. In addition, SHINee's Jonghyun, with whom IU was also very close friends, also committed suicide in 2017.
But IU stayed strong, confirming a film role in January 2020 and releasing new music in February; a soundtrack for the hit drama “Crash Landing On You”.
On May 6, 2020, the single “Eight” was released, which was sung and produced by BTS Suga. The song conveys a nostalgic mood and the lyrics talk about memories and longing.
In the partially animated music video, IU watches with tears in her eyes as a girl flies away on a kite. Many fans interpret this as a tribute to their deceased friends and are convinced that the dragon represents Jonghyun, who was often referred to as "Dino" and embodies the girl Sulli. IU hasn't commented on the matter, but either way, "Eight" is a song that touches the hearts of her fans.
2021
IU started 2021 with a new hit! The pre-release single “Celebrity” gave fans a taste of the new album, which was due out in March. “Celebrity” topped several charts, including the Gaon Digital Charts. There she had long held the record for the most “number one songs” and extended it even further with “Celebrity”. The lead is big because while the singer can now look back on 29 number-one songs in the Gaon Digital charts, the runner-up - the boy band Big Bang - only has 10.
On March 25, 2021, the new album “Lilac” was released with the title song of the same name. The title “Lilac” means “memories of youth” in the language of flowers. With this, IU wants to say that she is moving on to the next chapter. She says goodbye to her
In October the singer presented us with the single “Strawberry Moon” before ending the year with the special album “Pieces”. The digital album was released on December 29th and contains five previously unreleased songs. IU wrote some of these two to three years ago, but didn't have the opportunity to show them to her fans. Now we can listen to them on a loop. as we eagerly wait to see what the singer will bring to us this year!
Acting
IU made her acting debut in the K-drama “Dream High” in 2011. The series was filmed from December 2010 to February 2011, when the singer was just starting out with her song “Good Day”. In the drama, IU plays a student at “Kirin High,” a school that trains future idols. For the series, she recorded a song called “Someday,” which topped the charts and is now one of her best-selling soundtracks!
In 2011 and 2012, IU made several guest appearances in K-dramas, including the second season of Dream High. This was followed by her first leading role in a drama titled “You’re the Best” in 2013. She once again impressed with her acting skills and secured another leading role in the same year. This time in the series “Bel Ami”.
IU has now made a name for herself as an actress and sometimes makes her viewers forget that she is actually a singer. Her works include hit dramas such as the historical fantasy romance “Moon Lovers” and the fantasy drama “Hotel Del Luna”. “Hotel Del Luna” aired in the second half of 2019 and is her last role to date. We hope to see her in a series again this year!
Moderation
In March 2011, IU accepted her first hosting job. Until July 2013, she was the host of the music show “Inkigayo”. She stayed in her position for an unusually long time and worked with many different partners. Meanwhile, she also hosted a quiz show called “Quiz Show Q” (2012) and the annual music festival “SBS Gayo Daejeon” (2012).
So IU proved early in her career that she has many talents. She is a composer, songwriter, singer, actress, presenter and model.
She is also known for her big heart because she regularly donates money to various aid institutions. For example, she funded several scholarships for students at her old school. Most recently, she donated clothing and food to those in need and money to clinics fighting Covid-19.
IU is almost a K-pop legend. She has enjoyed unbroken popularity for over 10 years and never rests on her success. She will definitely continue to gift us with new, unique music this year. We're looking forward to it!
Bonus
As mentioned at the beginning, IU took part in countless auditions before finally landing at LOEN Entertainment. JYP is one of the agencies she unsuccessfully applied to. Founder Park Jin Young later jokingly said in interviews that he would like to fire the person who rejected her back then. He recognizes her talent and probably regrets a little that he missed it.
We can understand that very well. Who wouldn't want to work with IU?
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Tanti auguri 🎉 buon compleanno
IU tu est la meilleure. Je suis contente d’être l’une de tes fans. Toutes tes chansons me réchauffe le cœur ❤️. Merci a toi et fithing m🥰🥰🥰!!!!