IU

At 30 years old, IU has this physical status:

Lee Ji-eun (Korean: ; born May 16, 1993), also known as IU (Korean: ), is a South Korean singer-songwriter and actor.

IU auditioned for various talent companies with aspirations of becoming a singer while still in middle school.

She began her music career as a teenager with Kakao M (formerly LOEN Entertainment) in 2007 and began her music career at the age of 15. Lost and Found was her debut album.

Growing Up and IU...IM, her sister's, made her mainstream success, but it wasn't until "Good Day" (Korean: ), the lead single from her 2010 album Real, that she rose to national prominence.

"Good Day" spent five weeks on the top of South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart, a joint venture with Psy's "Gangnam Style," and in 2019, it was ranked number one on Billboard's 100 Greatest K-Pop Songs of the 2010s, with her 2011 albums, Real+ and Last Fantasy establishing her as Korea's "little sister."

"Hold My Hand," which was written for the television series The Greatest Love, was her first foray into songwriting in 2011.

Early life

Lee Ji-eun was born in Songjeong, South Korea, on May 16, 1993. Early on, IU showed an interest in pursuing a career in acting and began attending acting classes. Following her elementary school years, her family's financial situation worsened, and they eventually relocated to Gyeonggi Province. She and her younger brother were homeless in a studio apartment with their grandmother and cousin for more than a year under extreme poverty. During this period of time, IU had no contact with her parents, but she was reassured under her grandmother's care.

After being lauded for a performance she gave at her school's sports competition during her middle school years, IU discovered her passion for singing and decided to become a singer. She attended 20 auditions but failed all of them, and was also robbed by bogus entertainment companies. She later worked at Good Entertainment in Uee, Yubin, Heo Ga-yoon, and Jun Hyo-seong. She moved to Bangbae, Seoul, after signing with LOEN Entertainment in 2007. IU said she "loved being at the studio," where she could eat as much as she liked and had a place to sleep due to her poor living conditions at the time.

With the exception of Korean literature, her burgeoning career resulted in reduced attendance at school and declining grades. IU decided not to pursue post-secondary education in tandem with her singing career after graduating from Dongduk Girls' High School in 2012.

Personal life

According to the South China Morning Post, her net worth stands at US$31–45 million, making her the richest female Korean idol artist.

Source

Career

IU made her debut in 2008 under her stage name, LOEN's meaning "I and You become one through music." "Lost Child" (Korean: ), her debut single on the music show M Countdown on September 18, 2008, marking her debut as a professional singer. During the performance, IU recalled that the audience yelled insults at her, prompting her to leave it feeling disengaged by it, although she now sees it as a positive learning experience. "Lost Child" is the lead single from her debut extended play (EP) Lost and Found, which was released on September 24, 2008. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in South Korea awarded the "Rookie of the Month" on the album in November of the same year. However, the album did not do well commercially. "My first album failed, but I'm grateful for it," IU said during an interview in 2011. I wouldn't be grateful to my coworkers and the renown that I'm enjoying right now if I had been prosperous as soon as I made my debut.

IU's Growing Up, her first studio album, debuted on April 23, 2009, with "Boo," the lead promotional song. On KBS2's Music Bank, she began her album promotion the next day. The song was known for its drastic change in musical style to "Lost Child," which was described as a "heavy" and "dark" ballad in comparison to "Boo" in 1980s "retro sound." The dance choreography, stage costume, and hairstyle shown in live performances were all used to emphasize her youth and create a "cute" image, which was characterized as a "strategic" change. Despite the fact that the photograph received a positive reaction from the public, IU, a fifteen-year-old college graduate, admitted that the photograph made her feel uncomfortable. Several songs from Lost and Found, including "You Know" (Korean: ); a new rock-style version of the song was released as the follow-up to "Boo." IU IM> | IU, a member of the University of Bruton, published her second extended play, IU...IM>. "Marshmallow" (Korean: ), the company's lead single, began in 2009, and it was on music radios from November 13, 2009. On a 2013 episode of Happy Together, IU recalled the performances, saying she disliked having to wear the girlish costumes and hairstyle fashioned for the song promotions. The performances were well-received and were dubbed "cute" once more, reminiscent of "Boo" reviews.

IU made more regular appearances on variety shows, including Star Golden Bell, Kim Jung-eun's Chocolate, and You Heel's Sketchbook as her fame continued to rise. Her acoustic covers of other artists' songs, including Girls' Generation's "Gee," Super Junior's "Sorry, Sorry," and Big Bang's "Lies," piqued huge attention online, as her live performances attracted a lot of attention. For the first time since becoming a television presenter on numerous radio shows including Kiss the Radio, Volume Up, MBC Standard FM's Best Friend Radio, and MBC FM4U's Best Friend Radio, she became a television presenter on Gom TV for the first time in late 2009, she appeared as a regular guest on Kiss the Radio, MBC Standard FM's Best Friend Radio.

On June 3, 2010, IU released "Nagging" (Korean: ), a duet that she performed with 2AM's Lim Seul-ong. On the Gaon Digital Chart, the single debuted at twelve on the Gaon Digital Chart and shot to the number-one position the following week, where it stayed for three weeks. The pop ballad duet, written by Kim Eana and produced by Lee Min-sooo, was used as one of the show's second season's theme tune, We Got Married. "Because I'm a Woman" was released by IU soon after (Korean: ), one of MBC's historical drama, Road No. 9, was released shortly thereafter. 1. On the Gaon Digital Chart, the song reached number six. "It's You" by IU's joint venture with Sung Si-kyung (Korean: ) debuted at number one on the Gaon Digital Chart, ranked first.

Real, IU's third EP, was released on December 9, 2010. Real debuted on the Gaon Album Chart, and it was produced by Jo Yeong-cheol and Choi Gap-won. With lyricist Kim Eana and composer Lee Min-soo, who will work with again on the lead singles of her next two studio albums, she rejoined IU with lead singer "Good Day" (Korean: ), reunited IU with lyricist Kim Eana and composer Lee Min-soo. Kim Eana's description of the song is about "a shy girl who is afraid of revealing her feelings to the boy she loves." IU also dominated the charts on the music services M Countdown, Music Bank, and Inkigayo during the album's promotional period. Both Kim Eana and Lee Min-soo considered the key factors in the song's success to be the use of the word oppa (Korean: ) in the chorus, as well as three high-pitched notes that IU sings in semitone increments during the climax. In addition to being lauded for her vocal abilities, IU's following grew to a more diverse audience as compared to other K-pop groups. "Good Day" was ranked as one of Billboard's "100 Greatest K-pop Songs of the 2010s" atop the top one on their list.

IU joined the Heroes cast of the variety show Heroes, which aired from July 18, 2010 to May 1, 2011. Despite the hectic two-day shooting schedules that only gave them two hours of sleep, IU recalled the camaraderie she created with the other regular cast members. IU was cast in the teen drama Dream High just shy of joining Heroes. Filming spanned December 2010 to February 2011, during which she remained committed to Heroes and her current promotions for "Good Day" continued. Kim Pil-sook, a shy and overweight school girl who aspires to be a professional singer, was her first acting role. IU confessed to being skeptical about her potential to play, and would later describe the experience as a thrilling one. She debuted "Someday" on the series's soundtrack, and she became the first single on the Gaon Digital Chart during the week of January 30 to February 5, 2011. The single had sold 2,209,924 digital copies by the end of 2011 and was one of IU's top-selling singles for a soundtrack.

On February 16, 2011, a sequel to Real was announced, with the name Real+ containing three songs. "Only I Didn't Know" was the lead song on "Korean: by singer-songwriter Yoon Sang with lyrics written by Kim Eana. After spotting her momentary sad expression on a television broadcast, Yoon Sang wrote the song for IU. The ballad's tone was a departure from her earlier debuts, with IU describing it as grim, sad, and sentimental, which is closer to her musical taste. The album debuted on the Gaon Digital Chart, achieving a strong commercially, debuted at number one on the Gaon Digital Chart.

After the completion of Dream High, IU embarked on various side-projects. IU performed as the opening act for British singer-songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae's first solo concert in Seoul on March 10, 2011, before joining Bailey Rae in her appearance of "Put Your Records On." Bailey Rae, IU's role model, said of IU, "It's remarkable that her voice is so deep even though she's young." IU was selected in Inkigayo, one of the new hosts of the music program, in the same month, a position she held until July 2013. For the romantic-comedy television series The Greatest Love, IU released "Hold My Hand" (Korean: ). In 2011, the song reached its peak on the Gaon Digital Chart and sold 2,031,787 digital copies. IU was a celebrity contestant until she was eliminated in the eighth episode between May and July 2011 as a celebrity contestant. During this time, she appeared in Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend, but she later had to cancel after recording one episode due to her insane schedule. IU remarked that although singing, acting, and variety are all difficult, she finds variety to be the most exhausting of her wide variety of entertainment pursuits.

Last Fantasy, IU's second studio album, was released on November 29, 2011. The Korea JoongAng Daily said that the album would "suit all kinds of musical tastes and admirers," while Billboard characterized the album's "cinematic feel" as shown by the album's opening track, "Secret." The album was produced by Jo Yeong-cheol, who appeared on Real, and Ra.D. Despite this collaboration with singer-songwriters such as Yoon Sang, Lee Juck, and Ra.D. Within the first two weeks, the number of download orders made from the album's tracks surpassed ten million. The album debuted at number one on the Gaon Digital Chart, with eight out of the album's thirteen songs debuting on the top ten on the Gaon Digital Chart, while the album debuted at number one on the Gaon Digital Chart. "You & I" (Korean: ) was the University's most commercially profitable single, with almost 5.5 million digital copies sold by the end of 2012. At the time of publication, it topped the Gaon Chart as well as the newly established Billboard K-pop Hot 100 chart.

IU signed EMI Music Japan (now part of Universal Music Japan) as a precursor to her Japanese market entry. A collection of her previously released songs was put together in an extended play named IU that was released in Japan on December 14, 2011.

IU began planning for her debut in South Korea in 2012 by attending two shows at the Bunkamura Orchard Hall in Shibuya, Tokyo, to a crowd of around 4,000 people on January 24, 2012. She performed six songs, including her debut album, "Lost Child" and the Japanese version of "Good Day" with the help of either a live orchestra or her own acoustic guitar accompaniment. Both "Good Day" and "You & I" were released as new singles in Japan, with translated lyrics achieving modest success. According to Oricon Singles Chart in Japan, the single album of Good Day sold 21,000 physical copies in the first week of release, with the single debuting on the charts at number six. "Good Day" reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, the highest ranking on the Billboard Japan Hot 100. On the Billboard Japan Hot 100, "You & I" topped the Oricon Singles Chart and ranked at number four and number eleven. IU visited five towns in Tokyo, Sapporo, Nagoya, Osaka, Fukuoka, and Fukuoka in support of her Japanese single releases, namely the IU Friendship Showcase, Spring 2012.

In June 2012, IU embarked on Real Fantasy, her first concert tour. She appeared in six different cities around South Korea, beginning with two shows in Seoul. Within 30 minutes of the tickets going on sale on April 17, the first shows on June 2–3 were sold out within 30 minutes. According to the government, 43.8 percent of ticket buyers were between the ages of 20 and 29, while 71% were male, which was unusual for a K-pop concert. The tour continued to Ulsan, Jeonju, Suwon, Busan, and Daegu before returning to Seoul on September 23, 2012. Ra.D., Lim Seul-ong, and Lee Seung-gi were among the guest performers.

IU was unable to make television advertisements for her fifth Korean extended play, Spring of a Twenty-year Old (Korean: ) which was announced on May 11, 2012. The album, which was released to commemorate IU's 20th anniversary, features three songs, one of which is "Peach" is the lead single (Korean: ). "Peach" by IU reached number two on the Gaon Digital Chart and number three on the Billboard K-pop Hot 100, and at number two. "Every End of the Day" was the second single from the album, as well as the Billboard K-pop Hot 100 for four weeks. A 26-minute documentary-style music film was shot in Venice and Burano and released alongside the album, featuring both "Peach" and "Every End of the Day" instead of the usual 4–5 minute music video that follows a single launch.

On September 17, 2012, IU Friendship Special Concert titled IU Friendship Special Concert — Autumn 2012 — to a crowd of over 5,000 people. IU performed "Juliette" by Shinee, "Mates" by Anzen Chitai and "Aishiteru" from the Natsume's Book of Friends anime series, with Sunny Hill as a guest artist. As promotional digital singles, live recordings of "Friend" and "Aishiteru" from the performance were later released as promotional digital singles. IU returned to Inkigayo after a three-month absence due to concert commitments, nearing the end of her Real Fantasy tour and Japan promotions. Along with Park Myeong-su and Sun Bom Soo, she also became the host of MBC's short-lived television quiz show Quiz Show Q. Along with Bae Suzy and actor Jung Gyu-woon, IU hosted the 2012 SBS Gayo Daejeon, an annual music festival on December 29, 2012. She was chosen by the program's programmer for her MC skills, which she displayed on Inkigayo.

IU received two accolades at the 2012 Seoul Music Awards; Last Fantasy was named Record of the Year; and ten musical artists were selected among the ten performers to receive the Main Prize. "Good Day" was named Song of the Year and Best Pop Song at the Korean Music Awards, while she was named Female Musician of the Year (Netizen Vote). In 2012, Billboard magazine named IU as one of the best performers under 21 years old [that] have made her a bona fide celebrity].

IU began 2013 with her first appearance in a television series, with Lee Soon-shin playing the title role. Her character was described as a "loser" who is ostensibly average in every way except for her daring and positive personality, which aids her in overcoming challenges. Despite fears of casting someone who is better known as a singer in the role, director Yoon Sung-sik decided to cast IU after seeing her performance in Dream High and deciding that she suited the role he had imagined. Go Doo-shim and Lee Ji-hoon, as well as the film crew, lauded her performance, especially during emotional scenes. Despite early reservations regarding her role, IU's success earned praise critical reviews as the series progressed, with viewership ratings reaching a high of 30.8%. At the 2013 KBS Drama Awards, she was nominated for the Excellence in Acting Award (Best Actress in a Serial Drama). She released "Beautiful Song" (Korean: ), which was not included on the official soundtrack for the drama.

Can You Hear Me?, IU's second Japanese extended-play album containing her first original Japanese songs, was released in the same period. Two songs from the album were released as singles; "Beautiful Dancer" and "New World" reached number 66 and 76 respectively on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, significantly lower than her Japanese-translated versions of "Good Day" and "You & I" which were top ten hits, respectively; two songs from the album were released as singles; "Good Day" and "You & I" were top ten on the Billboard Japan Hot 100; these were released as singles Rolling Stone Japan gave the album a positive review, citing "Beautiful Dancer" and "Truth" as standout tracks. In an interview with Oricon, IU recalled how shocked and touched she was to hear "Beautiful Dancer" and "Truth" from R&B producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. "Monday Afternoon," her new Japanese single, debuted on September 11, 2013, debuting at number 27 on Billboard's top 100 chart and number nine on Japan's Oricon Daily Chart.

Almost two years after Last Fantasy, IU released Modern Times, her third studio album, on October 8, 2013. It was described as "a big change from the young singer's K-pop roots" who displayed a "more mature and sophisticated look and image" than her previous work. Two out of the album's 13 songs, ranging from swing to jazz, bossa nova, Latin pop, and folk, were written by IU. In Billboard and The Korea Herald's reviews, the breadth of jazz styles and the mix of collaborative tracks were emphasized. Billboard characterized the album as one that features "throwback vibes with a modern twist a la Christina Aguilera's Back to Basics," with IU demonstrating "deeper sensibilities than that of a typical 20-year-old." "Vintage sounds and modern effects are woven artfully into a new but familiar collection of songs," the Korea Herald wrote. Modern Times has a distinctly carefree feel that is reminiscent of jazz in the 1920s. Modern Times debuted at number one on the Gaon Album Chart, while seven of the company's tracks, "The Red Shoes," climbed to the top ten positions on the Gaon Digital Chart, debuting in the top ten position on the Gaon Digital Chart, claiming first place in the top ten (Korean: ), placing in the top ten positions. In the same way, the album debuted at number four on Billboard's World Albums Chart, with twelve tracks included in the K-pop Hot 100 chart. The album debuted on Billboard's "25 Greatest K-Pop Albums of the 2010s" list, ranked second on the list.

IU decided to join the romantic-comedy series Bel Ami during the second week of her Modern Times' promotion. Kim Bo-tong, a carefree teenager in her twenties who has had an unrequited crush on the male protagonist since high school, played her in the "quirky" and "playful" role. At the 2014 Seoul International Drama Awards, IU was nominated in the Outstanding Korean Actress category for her appearance. IU held her second concert tour, supporting Modern Times, on November 23-24, 2013. The Peace Hall at Kyung Hee University in Seoul opened on November 23-24, 2013 and ended on December 1, 2013. The promotion for Modern Times began in 2014, with IU performing in Hong Kong for the first time in a solo concert. On December 20, 2013, a repackaged version of Modern Times, titled Modern Times — Epilogue, was released: "Friday" (Korean: ) and "Pastel Crayon" (Korean: ). "Friday," her self-composed track, was originally meant to be included in Modern Times, but it was later revealed as the Lead single of Modern Times — Epilogue. "Friday" ranked at number one on the Billboard Korea K-Pop Hot 100 chart for two weeks after being characterized as a "mid-tempo, bossa nova number." The lead single was a hit on the Gaon Digital Chart, peaking at number one, and it became the 10th best-selling digital single of 2014.

On May 16, 2014, IU launched A Flower Bookmark, her sixth Korean extended-play and first cover album. (Korean: ) There are seven interpretations of songs that appeared from the 1980s and 1990s with a mix of genres including ballad, dance, folk, and rock. Fans and followers wanted to hear her cover songs again, so the album was born out of necessity and thanks to the excellent feedback she had previously received for her cover songs. On the week of its debut, three tracks debuted in the top ten of the Gaon Digital Chart, with "My Old Story" (Korean: ), eventually peaking at number two. However, it was her collaboration with Kim Chang-wan on the reimagining of his 1984 album "The Meaning of You" (Korean: ), which was also her best-selling single of 2014. The Korea Times praised the album for being a "good, calming repriet of today's mainstream music" and praised IU for her reinterpretations: "IU maintains a careful balance between preserving the song's original sentiments and arranging it in her own style and arrangement." "Pierrot Smiles at Us" (Korean: ), as the "most original song she tackled) and one that showcased her versatility as a performer, according to Billboard.

"Just One Step... That Much More" was IU's attempt to stage a more personal and smaller scale concert. The concert series lasted eight nights at Sogang University's Mary Hall, which had a capacity of 450 people, from May 22 to June 1. Within ten minutes of reserving tickets on May 7, 2014, all eight shows were sold out within ten minutes of being announced. IU performed all the seven songs from A Flower Bookmark, as well as on stage for the first time. Kim Jong-hyun, Jung Yong-hwa, Hwang Kwanghee, Kim Bum-soo, Lim Seul-ong, Jo Jung-suk, Ha Dong-kyun, and Akdong Musician were among the guest performers. The proceeds from the concerts were donated to the victims of the Sewol Ferry Disaster.

IU made her debut appearance in the United States at the KCON music festival in Los Angeles on August 9-10, two months after her solo concerts ended. IU was the only female act to appear on the first day of KCON, and she performed "The Red Shoes," "You & I," and "You Know" on Friday. In their review, Los Angeles Times reported that IU had a "sprightly stage presence" and that as a solo female singer, she was breaking the K-pop molds. In a Billboard interview, IU talked about her appearance at the festival: "I always get anxious when I'm performing at international shows..." For the next trip to the United States, I think I'll need to learn English. "Not being able to engage with fans is suffocating."

IU's collaborations with other musicians produced "Not Spring, Love, or Cherry Blossoms" (Korean: ), the debut of IU's lead vocalist and songwriter's on the Gaon Digital Chart in 2014, debuted at number one on the Gaon Digital Chart and Billboard's debut, and "Without Love" (Korean: ), a duet with her labelmate Yoon Hyun-sang's debut on the te a t et a t's) on the a a te a 'song eans o ); "Gore sung ; "Song (Korean) on the Gaon Digital Chart; "Sol &'sung hetean ); "Korean a a, UNEI & v); "Sing for a a) ), released by )'song; IU debuts its "all-time chart king" with five number-one songs and the artist who has spent the most weeks at number one since the chart's launch in September 2011.

In 2015, two years after her last acting role, IU appeared in The Producers, which was rated as one of South Korea's most awaited TV series of the year. Cindy, a diva-like actress who wants to be involved in a variety show to raise her public image, starred. Analysing her character's icy demeanor, IU claimed that she could relate to her character's "biting attitude" and how similar her appearance was to herself. The series and IU's portrayal of Cindy received skepticism at the premiere, but both the viewership and critical reaction increased over the course of the series, with peaking at 17.7% viewership for the last episode. "Twenty Three" and "Heart" were two of her character's "Moreans: a single track on her 2015 album, Chat-Shire, were later included as bonus tracks. She wrote the lyrics for both songs but she also produced the music for "Heart," which was released as a digital single on May 18. On its first appearance, "Heart" dominated the charts and went on to become South Korea's tenth best-selling digital single of 2015. During the dramatic standoff between South Korea and North Korea in August 2015, "heart" was one of a slew of K-pop songs used by the Defense Ministry in its propaganda broadcasts to North Korea, with the intention of promoting the "South Korean youth culture." Through The Producers, IU's fame in China soared—reportedly receiving bids for several Chinese firms.

Following the conclusion of The Producers, IU performed in the Infinite Challenge, a biennial music festival competition hosted by the variety show Infinite Challenge, in which every participating singer-songwriter is partnered with one of the six hosts to create a song for the festival. Over the course of seven episodes, the preparations and the festival celebration were broadcast. She was partnered with Park Myeong-su, with whom she recorded and performed "Leon" (as inspired by the film Léon: The Professional). According to the final episode of the live performance festival in Alpensia Ski Jumping Stadium, which attracted a 21.1 percent viewership on its August 22 airdate. "Leon" was released along with other festival songs as a digital track and on the official festival album, which was postponed subsequent to the final episode's airing. On its first appearance, "Leon" reached number one on all of South Korea's music charts.

Chat-Shire, the university's seventh extended play, was released digitally on October 23, 2015, the first Korean extended play, before its physical release on October 27. IU claimed greater creative influence on the album, composing the music for five tracks either individually or collectively, with writers who wrote the lyrics for all seven tracks (as well as the physical album's two bonus tracks). She was also listed as the album's executive producer. Following its debut, "Twenty-Three" (Korean: ), the album's lead single, topped the national music charts, with several of the album's songs also ranked in the top ten, with several of the album's tracks also ranked in the top ten. The album debuted at number four on Billboard's World Albums chart, gaining a top spot. Billboard referred to the album as a "must-hear" release, with "some of [IU's] most personal music to date" on the album as its standout track.

Despite positive critical feedback and success in the music charts, the album became unpopular due to "Zezé"'s lyrics and the audio samples used in the bonus track "Twenty Three" (not to be confused with the similarly named lead single). The Korean publisher of My Sweet Orange Tree, from which IU drew inspiration for the song "Zezé," reignited controversy in the entertainment industry on freedom of interpretation when it leveled criticism at IU for portraying the five-year-old protagonist as a "sexual object." "I did not mean to convert Zeze into a sexual term, but I am aware that my songs have offended many people, and I apologize for this." The publisher released an apology on November 10 for failing to acknowledge "diversity of interpretation." Voice samples from Britney Spears' "Gimme More" were reportedly used without permission for the bonus track "Twenty Three." "IU knows how to take the sounds of yesterday and bring them to new heights," Billboard ranked Chat-Shire as the sixth best K-pop album of 2015.

LOEN revealed that IU will not be participating in broadcast advertisements for the album and that instead, it will be staging a national tour from November to December 2015. On November 21, the Chat-Shire tour began in Seoul and then continued to Busan, Daegu, and Gwangju before returning to Seoul, where it came to an end on December 31. IU also expanded promotional efforts in Hong Kong, China, and Taiwan, staging fan-meetings and concerts in several cities, as well as releasing a compilation album, Smash Hits, to Taiwan's Taiwanese market on December 11, 2015. Smash Hits, a collection of 16 previously released songs, was released by Warner Music Taiwan and topped the K-pop album chart of Taiwan's top online music store, KKBOX, in the first week. Tickets to her concert on January 10, 2016 in Taiwan sold out within two minutes of being released. Gayo Daejeon, IU's annual end-of-year music collection, was held on SBS's annual end-of-year music collection, with Shin Dong-yup. "IU has been lauded for her musical abilities, transcending the image of 'Korea's cute younger sister,'" the program's presenters said. Ize named IU as one of the year's finest individuals, while GQ Korea named her as the "Woman of the Year" for her 2015 work.

Hae Soo, the lead role in Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, a Korean interpretation of Bu Bu Jing Xin's Chinese novel Bu Bu Jing Xin, starred in September 2016.

Palette, IU's fourth studio album, debuted on April 21, 2017, of which she served as the primary lyricist and executive producer. Earlier this year, three singles from the collection were released; the lead singer of the same name featured G-Dragon from Big Bang; as well as two pre-release tracks "Can't Love You Anymore" (Korean: ) and "Can't Love You Anymore" were among the album's tracks. Palette (Korean) debuted atop the Billboard World Albums chart, the first for the singer, and led local charts in both album sales and downloads. Billboard introduced and lauded IU's increased creative control on the album, saying that it enabled listeners to learn more about her and eventually paved the way for more success in Korea and around the world. Palette was a commercial success, with all three singles from the album peaking at the top of the Gaon Digital Chart, with the main single, "Palette," spending a total of two weeks at number one. Nevertheless, it was her first pre-release song, "Through the Night," that became the album's best-selling track and also her best-selling single of 2017.

Palette was also highly praised and received multiple accolades, including "Best Pop Album" at the 15th Korean Music Awards, "Album of the Year" at the Melon Music Awards, and "Record of the Year (Album)" at the 27th Seoul Music Awards; IU itself was named Best Female Artist at the Mnet Asian Music Awards; At the 7th Gaon Chart Music Awards and a "Producer of the Year" award for herself and her production team, the album also received a "Best Songwriter" award at the Melon Music Awards, a "Lyricist of the Year" award by the University. At the 32nd Golden Disc Awards for her hit song "Through the Night," IU also received the "Song of the Year" award. "Palette" appeared on Billboard's list of "Best K-Pop Songs of 2017," revealing, "The mellow-dy belies a topsy-turvy world of self-satire, idiosyncratic sound effects, and throwbacks to earlier times." The New York Times published "Palette" on its list of "25 Songs That Tell Us Where Music Is Going," making IU the only Asian artist to make the list while still lauding IU's ability as a singer-songwriter to portray authenticity in K-pop. In addition, Billboard named Palette as the best K-pop album of 2017, claiming that "incorporating an artist's personal experiences into their music will result in their best work to date." IU joined the reality show Hyori's Homestay during Palette's promotional period.

On September 22, 2017, IU released A Flower Bookmark 2 her second cover album. The album featured a variety of genres, including folk, retro, ballad, and nu-disco, as did its predecessor. A single titled "Autumn Morning" was released without notice on September 18 to celebrate the singer's ninth anniversary, ahead of the album's debut. Kim Kwang-seok's album "With the Heart to Forget You" had been supposed to be included on the album, but due to recent events surrounding the singer's family, it was ultimately decided that the track would be deleted out of respect for the continuing investigation. She then went on a tour around Korea, as well as Hong Kong from November to December 2017 to promote the album. IU was also included in Epik High's ninth album, We've Done Something Wonderful, released on October 23, 2017. Gallup Korea ranked her as the most popular K-pop artist of 2017 (she previously ranked in the top 10) and also the year's most popular K-pop celebrity.

In March 2018, IU appeared in My Mister, a tvN show starring Lee Ji-an. The series was commercially and critically successful, with peak audience ratings of 7.3% making it one of the highest-rated Korean dramas in cable television history, as well as positive comments about IU's results. IU continued to perform on Zico's "Soulmate," which was released on July 23, 2018. Following its debut, the single topped the daily and real time charts of all six major Korean music websites, as well as the number one on the Gaon Digital Chart.

In October 2018, IU released "Bbibbi" to commemorate her tenth anniversary of debut. On October 10, 2018, the music video was released alongside the single. Only 16 hours after its debut, Kakao M announced that "Bbibbi" had surpassed one million unique listeners on Korea's largest music website, Melon. By 23 hours in, the team had already broken the previous 24-hour unique listener record set by her duet "Leon" with Park Myung-su in 2015. In the first 24 hours of its debut, "Bbibbi" hit a total of 1,462,625 unique listeners. The single debuted at number one on the Gaon Digital Chart and at number five on the Billboard's World Digital Songs Chart, with the single at number one and number five. "Bbibbi" appeared on Billboard magazine at number 87 on its list of "Best Songs of 2018," not only does it include a recap of IU's public life, but also acts as a universal rights anthem, not only sharing one's worth and personal rights." The single debuted at number four on Billboard's list of "The 20 Greatest K-pop Songs of 2018" list. On October 28, 2018, IU's first Asian tour, named IU 10th Anniversary Tour Concert, opened in London. IU published "Fairytale" by Kim Dong-ryul, which ranked at number four on the Gaon Digital Chart two months later, two months later.

IU's Persona, a Netflix anthology film, premiered on April 11, 2019. In each of Lee Kyoung-mi, Yim Pil-sung, Jeon Go-woon, and Kim Jong-kwan's four short films, she played different characters. In 2019, it was the sixth most popular show on Netflix in Korea. IU starred in the fantasy mystery drama Hotel del Luna, written by the Hong Sisters, during the summer. "Happy Ending" was also performed by the singer on the soundtrack. The drama was a commercial success, with the highest ratings in its timeslot throughout its run. On November 1, the University of Indiana was scheduled to unleash Love Poem, the university's ninth extended play. However, she decided to postpone the EP's release to November 18 after her close friend Sulli's death. Sulli's album "Peach" (2012), inspired by Sulli, re-entered charts as a tribute to the late singer. The EP's eponymous lead single was released as planned, eventually debuting at number one on the Gaon Digital Chart and #9 on Billboard's World Digital Songs Chart. In Gwangju, IU launched Love Poem, her second Asian tour. During her two-month tour, nearly 90,000 people attended ten towns.

It was revealed on January 3, 2020, that IU will star alongside Park Seo-joon in the film Dream. It will be led by Lee Byeong-heon and will tell the tale of people who are participating in the Homeless World Cup. For the first time in nine years, IU participated in a soundtrack album for the hit romantic comedy Crash Landing on You. It debuted on February 15, 2020, number 71 on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart, a leading player in the Korean Electronic Chart, rising and reaching first the following week. IU's "Eight" single, starring and produced by BTS' Suga, was released on May 6, 2020. It comes from IU's previous singles "Twenty-Three" (2015) and "Palette" (2017), which together form her "coming-of-age" collection. The song's name derives from the last digit of the Korean age "twenty-eight" for both performers. "Into the I-LAND" by IU on June 19, 2020 as the show's flag for the survival reality show I-Land.

IU captured Song of the Year at the 35th Golden Disc Awards for "Blueming" on January 9, 2021, becoming the first female soloist to receive two grand prizes in the award show's history. While onstage presenting her award, she teased that she would be back with a new single titled "Celebrity" shortly and that the new song would have a refreshing and optimistic pop sound. Edam Entertainment announced her return with the pre-release single "Celebrity" on January 27, 2021. On March 3, she launched Lilac, her fifth studio album, which was launched on March 25 with immediate commercial success; the album debuted atop the Gaon Album Chart; and all tracks were simultaneously charted in the top 30 of the Gaon Digital Chart. In October, IU revealed that her digital single "Strawberry Moon" would be released on October 19. Pieces, an IU special album that was released on December 29, was revealed later.

The first project of IU in 2022 was the collaborative single "Ganadara" with Jay Park, which debuted at number one on both the Gaon Digital Chart and the Billboard K-pop Hot 100. Pieces:29th Winter, her first film, was supposed to be released on March 16, but it was postponed to March 23. IU completed the filming of her first feature film Dream in Hungary on April 13. "It was my first feature film shooting," she said after reflecting on her encounter with the film. It has more memories than any other job, so I expect it will stay in my memory for a long time."

In the upcoming month, IU starred in the film Broker, a single mother who initially decides to leave her baby at a baby box but later changes her mind and tries to retrieve her child. Hirokazu Kore-eda, the director of IU after seeing her moving appearance in My Mister (2018), as he felt she was the only actor capable of portraying So-young's character. The Palme d'Or competition was chosen by a broker, and its premiere took place at the 75th Cannes Film Festival. As she performs her heart out, film critic Ben Rolph lauded IU's performance, writing that "it is K-pop singer-turned actor Lee Ji-eun who leads the ensemble down the path of brilliance." At the 27th Chunsa International Film Festival, her appearance earned her a nomination for Best New Actress.

On July 27, 2022, it was announced that IU would hold The Golden Hour: Under the Orange Sun, the first Korean female artist to perform there.

Source