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IU (singer)

In this Korean name, the family name is Lee.

IU
IU in August 2024
Born
Lee Ji-eun

(1993-05-16) May 16, 1993 (age 31)
Seoul, South Korea
Occupations
  • Singer
  • actress
  • songwriter
Years active2008–present
Musical career
Genres
InstrumentVocals
Labels
Korean name
Hangul
이지은
Hanja
李知恩
Revised RomanizationI Ji-eun
McCune–ReischauerYi Chiŭn
Websiteedam-ent.com
Signature

Lee Ji-eun (Korean: 이지은; born May 16, 1993[1]), also known by her stage name IU (아이유), is a South Korean singer-songwriter and actress. She signed with LOEN Entertainment (now Kakao Entertainment) in 2007 as a trainee and debuted as a singer at the age of fifteen with the EP Lost and Found (2008). Although her follow-up albums brought mainstream success, it was only after the release of "Good Day", the lead single from her 2010 album Real, that she achieved national stardom. "Good Day" went on to spend five consecutive weeks at the top of South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart, and in 2019, it was ranked number one on Billboard's "100 Greatest K-Pop Songs of the 2010s" list.[2]

With the success of her 2011 albums, Real+ and Last Fantasy, IU established herself as a formidable force on the music charts of her native country and further cemented her girl next door image as Korea's "little sister".[3][4] Her musical style matured and evolved with subsequent releases, deviating from mainstream K-pop styles, exploring and mixing various music genres, with IU exerting more creative control over her music, both as lyricist and producer,[5][6][7] at the same time consistently retaining her dominance on South Korean music charts.[8][9][10] Her 2020 single "Eight" (prod. by Suga) became her first to reach number one on Billboard's World Digital Song Sales chart.[11]

Aside from her music career, IU has ventured into acting and hosting radio and television shows, starting with a supporting role in the hit teen series Dream High (2011). IU's role as a desperate office worker in My Mister (2018) received critical acclaim, and she earned her first Best Actress in Television nomination at the 55th Baeksang Arts Awards.

IU has released a total of five studio albums and nine EPs, five of which have reached number one on the Gaon Album Chart, and thirty-one number-one singles, making her the artist with the most number-one songs in South Korea. One of the best-selling solo acts in the group-dominated K-pop industry,[12] IU became the first solo female K-pop act to perform at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena during the Seoul leg of her 2018 dlwlrma concert tour for her 10th anniversary[13] and also the first Korean female artist to hold a solo concert, The Golden Hour, at Seoul Olympic Stadium in Seoul on September 17 and 18, 2022.[14]

Rolling Stone named her the 135th greatest singer of all time in a 2023 ranking.[15] She has been included five times in the top ten of Forbes magazine's annual Korea Power Celebrity list since 2012 and attained a peak ranking of number three that year.[16] In 2014, Billboard recognized IU as the all-time leader of its K-pop Hot 100 with the most number-one songs and the artist with the most weeks at the number-one position on the chart.[17] She was named Gallup Korea's Singer of the Year in 2014 and in 2017.[18][19] In 2024, media outlets such as NME and Billboard referred to IU as the "Queen of K-pop," highlighting her widespread influence and consistent success in the industry.[20][21]

  1. ^ "열애설 생길만하네" 아이유의 여자 연예인 '1위' 재산 수준. GY News (in Korean). October 30, 2022. Archived from the original on November 25, 2022. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  2. ^ Billboard Staff (November 25, 2019). "The 100 Greatest K-Pop Songs of the 2010s: Staff List". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  3. ^ Benjamin, Jeff (September 17, 2012). "IU: 21 Under 21 (2012)". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 5, 2013. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  4. ^ Oak, Jessica (October 9, 2013). "IU Exudes Maturity on New LP 'Modern Times'". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 10, 2013. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
  5. ^ "The 25 Greatest K-Pop Albums of the 2010s: Staff List". Billboard. December 17, 2019. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  6. ^ Benjamin, Jeff (October 26, 2015). "IU Details the Toils of Being 'Twenty-Three' in Most Personal Single Yet". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 28, 2015. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference chosun-20151012 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Sohn, Ji-young (May 16, 2014). "IU sweeps charts with covers album". The Korea Herald. Seoul. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
  9. ^ "IU tops eight domestic charts with new song "Twenty-Three"". The Korea Times. South Korea. October 23, 2015. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  10. ^ Benjamin, Jeff (May 18, 2017). "IU's 'Palette' Proves the Power of Personal K-Pop". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 15, 2022. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
  11. ^ Zellner, Xander (May 13, 2020). "K-Pop Star IU Debuts on Emerging Artists Chart, Thanks to SUGA Collab 'Eight'". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 15, 2022. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
  12. ^ Faughnder, Ryan (August 24, 2015). "Korean pop fans get intimate with the music at KCON". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. Archived from the original on February 6, 2016. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
  13. ^ "IU announces Asia tour in celebration of 10th anniversary". Kpop Herald. September 18, 2018. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  14. ^ Jang, Jin-ri (July 28, 2022). 아이유, 9월 잠실주경기장 콘서트...여성 솔로 가수 최초 [IU's September concert at Jamsil Main Stadium... First female solo singer] (in Korean). spoTV News. Archived from the original on July 28, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2022 – via Naver.
  15. ^ "The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time". Rolling Stone. January 1, 2023. Archived from the original on January 1, 2023. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  16. ^ References for Forbes magazine's Korea Power Celebrity 40:
  17. ^ Benjamin, Jeff (May 5, 2014). "IU Earns Fifth K-Pop Hot 100 No. 1, Becomes All-Time Chart Leader". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 25, 2014. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  18. ^ Sung, So-young (December 18, 2014). "IU tops poll for singer of the year". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on June 12, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  19. ^ 2017년 올해를 빛낸 가수와 가요 - 최근 11년간 추이, 아이돌 선호도 포함 [2017, Outstanding Singer and Songs This Year – Including Trends and Idol Preferences For The Last 10 Years] (in Korean). Gallup Korea. December 19, 2017. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  20. ^ Daly, Rhian (December 11, 2024). "THE 25 BEST K-POP SONGS OF 2024". NME. Retrieved December 31, 2024.
  21. ^ Benjamin, Jeff (December 6, 2024). "The 25 Best K-Pop Albums of 2024: Staff Picks". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2024.

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آي يو (مغنية) Arabic آى يو ARZ ای یو AZB IU BAN IU BCL АЮ Bulgarian IU (cantant) Catalan IU CEB ئیو (گۆرانیبێژ) CKB IU (zpěvačka) Czech

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