appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Kim Soo-jin

Lee Ji-eun, better known by her stage name IU, is a force to be reckoned with.
Born on May 16, 1993, the singer is already an accomplished singer-songwriter and a veteran in the fast-moving K-pop scene.
K-pop singer IU explores her ‘Persona’ with 4 roles in 1 in film debut on Netflix
During her 11-year (and counting) career, IU has paved her own way with her own brand of niche indie music style that goes against the mass-produced, commercial K-pop genre.
Keep on reading to learn more about IU.
She wasn’t always a commercial success


Her first single, Maya (which had “Lost Child” as its English name), released in 2008, but it wasn’t a commercial hit.
While the song showed off her potential and talent, it wasn’t until her pop-y and girlie song, Marshmallow, was released the next year that she received commercial recognition.
She is a successful actress


IU made her silver screen debut in the massively popular television drama, Dream High, in 2011, playing the role of Kim Pil-suk.
K-pop Good Samaritan IU gets her fingers burnt helping the ‘needy’
She continued her acting endeavours in a slew of roles in a variety of television drama series, including Dream High 2 (2012), The Producers (2015), and Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016). This year she also starred in Persona, an anthology series exclusively released on Netflix on April 11.
She is more than just a pretty face


She’s more than just a pretty face who can sing.
Lee Min-ho reunites with writer of K-drama series The Heirs Kim Eun-sook for new Korean TV show
IU is also an accomplished songwriter, having composed several hit singles, such as Nagging, Twenty-Three and Palette, just to name a few.
She is the queen of commercials


Thanks to her sweet image, IU has had no trouble signing profitable advertisement and endorsement deals.
Since she started her career in 2008, she has been the face for a number of companies, including Samsung, Sony Korea, SK Telecom and even HiteJinro’s brand of soju, Chamisul.
Want more stories like this? Sign up here. Follow STYLE on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter


Viral Jennie clip tests limits of South Korea’s AI deepfake laws

South Korean police seek tycoon behind K-pop supergroup BTS to be indicted

Can Southeast Asian artists replicate K-pop’s global success with SEA-pop?

BTS members face backlash for attending Chris Brown concert

K-pop idols

Why K-pop star IU is more than just a pretty face who can sing

K-pop singer and actress IU celebrates her 26th birthday on May 16. Photo: Instagram@dlwlrma

Will K-pop star Seungri be arrested? Seoul court poised to decide former BIGBANG member’s fate

Seungri walks into Seoul Central District Court to attend a hearing on his arrest warrant on Tuesday. The court has yet to decide whether to issue an arrest warrant for him on embezzlement and pimping charges. Photo: Yonhap

Yonhap

Is it an earthquake? No, just K-pop phenomenon BTS, as boy band takes to the stage at sold-out Rose Bowl

K-pop boy band BTS, which started its extended world tour at Saturday’s sold-out Rose Bowl concert in Pasadena, also performed (above) at this month’s Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas. Photo: AP

Fans inside the Rose Bowl. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

LAS VEGAS, NV - MAY 01: J-Hope, Jimin, Jin, RM, and V of BTS accept the Top Duo/Group award onstage during the 2019 Billboard Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 1, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ethan Miller/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==

The hit K-pop band BTS performs to a crowd of more than 52,000 Saturday night at the Rose Bowl. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

Fans hold their Army Bomb light sticks while the K-pop sensation BTS performs. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

Pyrotechnics erupt on stage. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

Imploring the audience to clap, BTS performs at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

BTS performs for a sold-out show Saturday at the Rose Bowl. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

K-drama Goblin star Kim Go-eun and actress Go Joon-hee deny involvement in K-pop sex party

From left, actresses Kim Go-eun and Jung Eun-chae. Photo: Korea Times

FILE PHOTO: Seungri, a member of South Korean K-pop band Big Bang, arrives to be questioned over a sex bribery case at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in Seoul, South Korea, March 14, 2019. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo

Magazines

Style

Celebrities

The singer-songwriter, who celebrates her 26th birthday on May 16, is known for her niche indie music style, success as an actress and Samsung and HiteJinro brand endorsements


The singer-songwriter, who celebrates her 26th birthday on May 16, is known for niche indie music style, success as an actress and Samsung and HiteJinro brand endorsements
