South Korean singer-songwriter and actress IU, is one of the most successful and highly critically acclaimed soloists of the young generation. Her vocal power is off the charts and she’s unarguably one of the hardest working female soloists within the K-Pop industry. While several K-pop stars came from wealthy backgrounds even before they got famous, there are those whose backstories are more modest, too. And, IU is one of them.
Lee Ji Eun, better known as IU, experienced many financial hardships even before her career kicked off. She had to live with her grandmother in a small, cockroach-infested room after being shuttled around various relatives’ homes because of her parents’ heavy debt. But she knew she wanted to be in the entertainment business from a young age, even as her relatives mocked her big dreams. Her attempts to break into the industry got off to a rocky start – she failed 20 auditions in two years, and was even scammed by many fake agencies. And till now her 12-year (and counting) career wasn’t easy at all.
In 2007 she signed with Kakao M as a trainee and debuted as a singer at the age of 15 with her album Lost and Found. In the beginning, she did not find instant stardom – but she still won the hearts of acclaimed musicians such as YooHee-yeol and Jung Jae-hyung for being a young but talented singer-songwriter with much potential. Since then, IU has released a string of bubbly and vibrant pieces together with Boo (2009) and marshmallow (2009), gradually carving out a presence on the music scene.
The singer marked a turning point in her career solely a year later with nagging and good day. the previous track, during which she teamed up with Seulong of K-pop act 2AM, reigned atop Melon’s daily chart for eighteen days and led IU to win music shows in Korea for the first time since her debut. "Good Day" went on to chart for 5 consecutive weeks at the highest position of South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart. It did so well that she was able to pay off her parents’ entire debt. And again in 2019, years after its release, it had been ranked number one on billboard magazine's 100 Greatest K-Pop Songs of the 2010's.
Her winning streak continued with her next albums – “Real+” (2010), “Last Fantasy” (2011) and “Modern Times” (2013) – all becoming huge successes. In 2015, she stepped up to the next level by releasing her first self-produced album “Chat-shire”, led by the self-written ‘Twenty-three’ in which IU told her own story through the lyrics. In that time, along with being a much-loved singer, she also made her silver screen debut in the massively popular television drama, Dream High. She continued her acting endeavors in a slew of roles in a variety of television drama series, including Dream High 2, The Producers, Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, Persona, and her hit drama Hotel Del Luna.
Her full-length album “Palette”, fronted by The Namesake lead single that includes Big Bang’s G-Dragon and Dear Name, hierarchical No 1 on U.S. magazine Billboard’s list of “Best K-pop Albums of 2017”. She also collaborated with BTS member Suga on the song ‘Eight’ last year. Today, IU isn't only famous for her vocal skills, but additionally for her talents to craft sentimental and relatable music that resonates with listeners. She has been dubbed the most successful female soloist on the K-pop scene today and racked up an estimated fortune of US$28 million. So do you know how does she spend her hard-won fortune? She gives a lot back.
If you didn’t know, there have been many affectionate names given to her, from “nation’s little sister” to “K-pop sweetheart” and even “Santa Claus” because she once donated 100 million won to children in need on Christmas Eve. IU gives generous gifts to her fellow K-pop stars – and gives plenty to charity, too. In December 2019, IU was named one of Forbes Asia’s “Heroes of Philanthropy” for her unwavering commitment to charity. Since the first year of her debut, the angelic singer has donated over ₩1.5 billion KRW (over $1.25 million USD) to dozens of important causes in Korea and internationally.
For Children’s Day last year, she made a donation of US$90,000 to children from low-income families, or who were raised by their grandparents, via the green Umbrella Children’s Foundation. She has also been donating regularly to the global non-profit since 2015. That same month, she donated US$8,150 to children living with single parents and the Hope Bridge Association of the National Disaster Relief under the name of her fan club, Uaena. She has also financially supported five students, helping them from 2013 to 2018. The students were accepted to their chosen universities, however couldn't afford tuition fees. IU funded their education by contributing regular payments. This year, IU has donated 30 million won to the Seocho District. The donation can go towards single parent households and low income households and will facilitate them get disease prevention items. She also gave 4,600 cooling vests to nurses, US$8,150 to low-income families affected by the virus, and US$16,800 to a welfare facility to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. How can anyone not love her after all this?
Recently, she received The Golden Disc Awards (GDA) 2020. The 35th Golden Disk Awards, one of the most prestigious award ceremonies in South Korea has formally revealed the winners for the major categories! Only Songs and albums that were released between November 2019 and November 2020 were eligible for the awards. And in there, IU performed a live rendition of her two biggest songs of 2020 – the sentimental ‘Love Poem’ and the uplifting ‘Blueming’, for which she won the daesang (Grand Prize) for digital song of the year.
IU is now all set to make her much-anticipated comeback! What’s more, is the pop icon has also released the dates for her new song! On 15 January, IU revealed the title of the track 'Celebrity' via social media, alongside the artwork for the song. The icon’s agency EDAM Entertainment announced that the star is in the middle of preparing for her 5th full-length album at the moment and that the idol will be releasing the first track from her much-awaited album as soon as 27 January. Giving more details on what fans can expect from the new track and album, EDAM Entertainment said that the track is bright, cheerful and will leave fans with a very upbeat and feel-good vibe. They admitted that while it is IU’s first time trying her hand on this genre, they are hoping the results will be fruitful and that the fans will love it. All UAENAs are really excited for her new comeback.
IU is one of the most generous idols in the K-industry. At first she started with nothing and after all her hard-works now she’s helping those who have nothing. As her fans many UAENAs are also helping people around them as much as they can. So, are you going to support IU and UAENAs on their long journey?
Rumaiysa M Rahman is a 10th grader at Viqarunnisa Noon School and College, Dhaka