IU Profile, Bio, & Facts

IU (아이유) is a South Korean singer-songwriter and actress under EDAM Entertainment. She debuted on September 18, 2008, with the song “Lost Child”. 

IU Profile

IU Facts:

Early Life

– IU was born in Seoul, South Korea.
– She transferred from Seoul Guui Elementary School to Hanam Cheonhyeon Elementary School before graduating from Seoul Yangnam Elementary School.
– She later transferred from Gwangjin Middle School to Siandngok Middle School but transferred again and graduated from Eonju Middle School.
– She faced financial difficulties during her elementary school and for a year lived in poverty with her younger brother in Uijeongbu in a studio room with her grandmother and cousin.
– Her family’s financial situation deteriorated after her parents signed as a guarantor on the loan contract for their relatives. The relatives ran away with the money leaving her family in debt. (Dinggle)
– Her parents left IU and her younger brother at her grandmother’s house as both parents had to work and also because the loan collectors would frequently appear at their house.

Personal Life

– Her fandom name is Uaena (You love me).
– She graduated from Dongduk Women’s High School.
– Her stage name stands for the phrase “I and You”.
– Her mother started a small accessories shop when IU was young and now has started doing wholesale.
– When she travels, she doesn’t plan her trip down to every detail but she doesn’t think she is the type of person that can enjoy without planning anything beforehand. (ELLE KOREA)
– She has many older male fans (ahjusshi fans).
– Her mother’s favorite song is “Gates of Dawn” by Wax and IU sang the song for her mother and she started supporting her singing. (W Korea)
– She can play various musical instruments, including the guitar, piano, recorder, and drums.
– IU thought her blood type was A but found out it’s actually O during a medical check-up in early 2020.
– Her grandmother bought her a Walkman when she was young and she used to carry it around everywhere.
– If she watches a movie she doesn’t enjoy, she gets angry and the rest of the day is ruined. (Dazed)
– The most memorable songs from her school days are god’s “Sky Blue Ballon” and “One Candle”. She bought all the albums released on tapes or CDs.
– Jungkook from BTS is a huge fan of IU and considers her his Ideal type.
– Her bodyguard is famous among her fans for being handsome.
– She drew inspiration from f(x)’s Sulli when writing her song “Peach” and said that she wrote that song by imagining Sulli from a male’s perspective. (me2day mobile chat session)
– She gets her songwriting inspiration when she gets into the shower. (ELLE KOREA)
– She often gives out cookies to her fans.
– She would rather be remembered by IUAENA for life than the other way around because she would feel really lonely and sad.
– She paid off all of her parents’ debt in 2011.
– She considered getting nose surgery, but her doctor advised against it, as her nose is already low.
– Her bag items often include scrunchies, herbal medicines, a wallet, Air pods, and a mask. (집콕시그널)
– Her fandom color is Neon/Lime Green.
– She doesn’t enjoy photoshoots but likes having her candid photos taken.
– She used to live in a small, one-bedroom place with cockroaches for a year.
– She considers the song “Dear Name” to be the most challenging one for her to sing.
– She got interested in rock music because of her father and often used to visit the karaoke with her father.
– She revealed that she struggled with bulimia, an eating disorder, before becoming a star, during an appearance on “Healing Camp.”
– The word she likes writing in her diary is “responsibility”. (Dazed)
– IU’s ideal type changes with time, but she used to have a special fondness for BIGBANG’s TAEYANG.

Multiple Rejections & Signing with LOEN Entertainment

– IU faced great difficulty living with her grandmother due to poverty and condescending remarks from relatives.
– She even recalled her relative stating that she is no good as a singer and would never succeed. At that time, she felt that she wanted to prove everyone otherwise.
– She discovered her passion for singing during middle school and decided to become a singer after receiving praise for a school performance. But everyone was against her dream except for her grandmother. (Koreaboo)
– IU faced rejections at 20 auditions including JYP Entertainment.
– She once even got scammed out of all her money during an audition with a fake company but at that time her grandmother gave her a sum and told her to eat something, encouraging her to move forward.
– She eventually signed with LOEN Entertainment in 2007.
– In her early training days, she recalled that she loved being in the studio because she could eat as much as she wanted and had a place to sleep. (Korea JoongAng Daily)

Career

– IU debuted on stage with the song “Lost Child” on September 18, 2008, on M Countdown. She faced insults from the crowd during her debut performance, but now she considers it a valuable experience.
– Her first album, “Lost and Found,” was released on September 24, 2008.
– She gained nationwide recognition with her song “Good Day” from her 2010 album “Real.”
–  CEO of JYP Entertainment, Park Jinyoung later regretted letting IU go and wanted to rehire her. He often says he wants to know the person who didn’t accept her in the audition.
– She debuted as an actress in the drama “Dream High” in 2011.
– She has appeared in several popular South Korean dramas including “Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo”, “Persona”, and “Hotel Del Luna”.
– She appeared in the movies “Broker”, “Dream” and “Shades of the Heart”.
– She has hosted a number of shows including “Inkigayo”, “SBS Gayo Daejeon” and “Tray Relay Song”.
– In January 2020, she signed a contract with EDAM Entertainment.

Achievements

– She is considered an artist with the most number-one songs in South Korea as out of her five released studio albums and nine EPs, she has achieved five number-one albums and thirty number-one singles in the country.
– IU also became the first Korean female artist to hold a solo concert, “The Golden Hour,” at Seoul Olympic Stadium in 2022.
– She has ranked five times in Forbes magazine’s Korea Power Celebrity list and held the top spot on Billboard’s K-pop Hot 100.

Endorsements & Influence

– IU has been featured in advertisements for prominent brands such as Samsung, Gucci, Chamisul Soju, and Binggrae Banana Flavored Milk.
– In April 2022, she became an advertising model for Woori Financial Group, one of South Korea’s major banks, and following her endorsement, the monthly active users (MAU) of WFG services increased by 500,000 users in a couple of months.

Likes & Dislikes

– Her favorite color is purple.
– She has a favorite scrunchie that was knitted by Mina from Gugudan. (집콕시그널)
– Her favorite fashion item as a child was jelly shoes and bolero.
– She loves key rings as fashion items.
– IU enjoys old music and her favorite old songs to sing are from the artists, Yoon Do-Hyun and Sanulrim and Choi Baek-ho’s “About Romance”.
– She loves scrunchies and collects them of all colors. (W Korea)
– She likes reading novels and poems but considers herself more of a prose type.
– Her favorite season is winter.
– She is a fan of the movie Melancholia. (Dazed)
– She also likes cream color.

Food Preferences

– She dislikes chocolates with almonds, nougats, and caramel. (Dazed)
– She likes drinking carbonated drinks.
– She only likes eating mint chocolate in ice cream form. (ELLE KOREA)
– Her favorite foods are raw fish and sweet potatoes.
– She likes sweet and sour foods.
– She only loved to eat sweet-flavored food when she was young. (W Korea)
– Her favorite snack as a kid was “Apollo”.
– She dislikes chocolates that are too bitter and likes chocolates that are clean and thick because they’re easy to bite off. (Dazed)
– She loved to eat beer-flavored candy a lot.
– She hates drinking whiskey.

Nicknames

– She is nicknamed “Nation’s Little Sister” and “Nation’s Sweetheart”.
– She was nicknamed “Lee Jigeumeundong” by her friend Ko Seonjae from elementary school. She later used that name for her Instagram ID. (W Korea)

Personality & Habits

– She doesn’t have a hobby and only becomes interested in something for a short while. (W Korea)
– She said that IU is different from Lee Jieun as even if one is not a celebrity, it is only normal to be different at home and work.
– She describes IU as alert, responsible, and good at work while Lee Jieun is not very cheerful, makes a lot of mistakes, is only good at work, and spends most of her time lying down. (W Korea)
– She considers herself inquisitive and if she is hooked on something she has to find out about it.
– She thinks INFJ suits her personality more than INFP.

Celebrity Friends

– IU is close friends with actress Yoo In Na, and they share a nickname, “IU In Na.”
– She was friends with Sulli f(x) and Jonghyun (SHINee).
– She is also close with V from BTS.

Dating History

– IU was involved in dating rumors with Super Junior’s Eunhyuk after she accidentally posted a photo on Twitter of him shirtless while she was in her pajamas in 2012. She deleted the photo shortly.
– In August 2013, she was rumored to be dating actor Lee Hyun Woo after a viral picture of them at a movie theater, but her agency clarified that they were just friends.
– She dated Chang Kiha for 4 years from 2013–2017 but broke up since their relationship would go on and off frequently. They were 11 years apart in age.
– She is currently in a relationship with actor Lee Jong Suk, as both their agencies, EDAM Entertainment and HighZium Studio, announced it in 2022.

Philanthropy

– IU is a dedicated philanthropist, having donated over ₩4.3 billion since her debut and ₩1.5 billion in 2022 alone. (Sports Khan)
– She has often donated all proceeds from her fan meetings. (Naver)
– She was recognized by Forbes as the youngest to be featured in “Asia’s 2019 Heroes of Philanthropy.” (Forbes)

Major Works

– Her popular songs include “eight” (Prod.&Feat SUGA of BTS), “BBIBBI”, “LILAC”, and “Blueming”.

Awards

– Since her debut in 2008, IU has received over 200 award nominations and won more than 100 awards, including ten Daesang (grand prize) awards from various award shows like the Melon Music Awards and Golden Disc Awards.

SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES
Instagram: @dlwlrma
Youtube: 이지금 [IU Official]
Twitter:  @lily199iu (Personal) |  @_IUofficial (Official)
Facebook: 아이유(IU)
Fan Cafe: IU

Streaming Platform Links
Genie | Spotify | Bugs | Melon | Apple Music | Deezer

IU Photos

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