Lee Ji-eun, known by her stage name IU, is a South Korean singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born on May 16, 1993, IU began her journey as an artist at a very young age. She signed with LOEN Entertainment, now Kakao Entertainment, in 2007 as a trainee and eventually debuted as a singer at just fifteen years old with her first EP, Lost and Found, in 2008.
Despite her young age, IU has continuously shown her talent as both a singer and songwriter throughout her career. Her follow-up albums, Growing Up and IU…IM, brought mainstream success, but it was her 2010 album Real and its lead single, “Good Day,” that catapulted her into national stardom. “Good Day” spent five consecutive weeks at the top of South Korea’s Gaon Digital Chart, and even after almost ten years, it remains an iconic song loved by fans all over the world. In fact, in 2019, “Good Day” was ranked number one on Billboard’s “100 Greatest K-Pop Songs of the 2010s” list.
IU’s unique voice and style have garnered her fans not just in South Korea, but also in other parts of Asia and beyond. Her success as a musician has also led to numerous opportunities outside the music industry, including acting roles in popular dramas such as Dream High and Crash Landing on You.
