Lee Ji-eun is a South Korean singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress who goes by the stage name IU. She became a trainee with LOEN Entertainment (now Kakao Entertainment) in 2007 and released her first mini-album, Lost and Found, at the age of 15. (2008).
Growing Up and IU…IM, her next two albums, did well in the mainstream, but it wasn’t until “Good Day,” the lead single from her 2010 album Real, came out that she became a national star.
“Good Day” then stayed at the top of South Korea’s Gaon Digital Chart for five weeks in a row. In 2019, it was ranked number one on Billboard’s list of the “100 Greatest K-Pop Songs of the 2010s.”
| Net Worth: | $20 million |
|---|---|
| Age: | 40 |
| Born: | January 11, 1982 |
| Country of Origin: | Sang-dong, Daegu, South Korea |
| Source of Wealth: | Actress |
| Last Updated: | 2022 |
Early Life
Lee Ji-eun was born on May 16, 1993, in the Songjeong-dong neighborhood of Seoul, South Korea. IU started taking acting classes when she was young because she wanted to work in the entertainment business.
Soon after she finished elementary school, her family’s finances got worse, and they had to move to the nearby city of Uijeongbu in the province of Gyeonggi. She and her younger brother lived without their parents for more than a year in a studio room with their grandmother and cousin.
They were very poor. IU didn’t talk to her parents much during this time, but she felt safe in her grandmother’s care. IU fell in love with singing when she was in middle school. She decided to become a singer after she was praised for a performance at her school’s sports competition.
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She went to 20 auditions, but none of them worked out. She was also taken advantage of by fake entertainment companies. She later trained with Uee, Yubin, Heo Ga-Yoon, and Jun Hyo-Seong at Good Entertainment. She moved to Bangbae, Seoul after she signed with LOEN Entertainment in 2007.
Career
After ten months of training, IU debuted in 2008 under her stage name, which was made up by LOEN to mean “I and You become one through music.” She sang her first single, “Lost Child” (in Korean: ), live for the first time on September 18, 2008, on the music show M Countdown. This was her first performance as a professional singer.
“Nagging,” a duet between IU and Lim Seul-Ong of the group 2 AM, came out on June 3, 2010. The single started out at number 12 on the Gaon Digital Chart. The next week, it shot up to number one, where it stayed for three weeks.
As promotions for Last Fantasy and its lead single “You & I” continued in South Korea in 2012, IU started getting ready for her debut in Japan by playing two shows at the Bunkamura Orchard Hall in Shibuya, Tokyo, on January 24, 2012, in front of about 4,000 people.
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IU started 2013 by playing the title character in the TV show You’re the Best, Lee Soon-shin. This was her first lead role in a TV show. Her character was called a “loser” and seemed average in every way except for her bravery and optimism, which helped her get through hard times.
A Flower Bookmark is IU’s sixth Korean EP and a first cover album. It came out on May 16, 2014. The album has seven versions of songs from the 1980s and 1990s, including ballads, dance songs, folk songs, and rock songs.
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In 2015, two years after her last acting job, IU starred in The Producers with Kim Soo-Hyun, Cha Tae-Hyun, and Gong Hyo-jin. This was one of South Korea’s most-anticipated TV shows of the year.
Palette, IU’s fourth studio album, came out on April 21, 2017. She wrote most of the lyrics and was the executive producer. Three singles from the album came out before the album itself. The lead single, which had the same name as the album, featured G-Dragon from Big Bang. “Through the Night” and “Can’t Love You Anymore” were also released before the album.
On April 11, 2019, IU made her film debut in the Netflix series Persona, which is a collection of short films. She played different roles in each of the four short films, which were written and directed by Lee Kyoung-mi, Yim Pil-sung, Jeon Go-woon, and Kim Jong-Kwan, all of whom have won awards and praise from critics.
IU Net Worth
IU’s net worth in 2022 is expected to be between $35 and $45 million, according to a number of sources and websites. At age 15, the diva released a small album called Lost and Found, which was her first work for Kakao Entertainment.
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Years after her first song, “Good Day,” from her 2010 album Real, made IU famous all over the world. So far, IU has put out five studio albums and nine EPs. Five of her albums have been number one on the charts. Lee, on the other hand, is the only South Korean artist to have thirty number ones.
Awards and Achievement
Since her first album came out in 2008, IU has been nominated for more than 200 awards and won more than 100 of them.
She has won 18 Melon Music Awards, 16 Gaon Chart Music Awards, 5 Korean Music Awards, 11 Mnet Asian Music Awards, 7 Seoul Music Awards, 8 Golden Disc Awards, and 1 Grammy Award.
The singer has also won several awards for her work as an actress. For her role in You’re the Best, Lee Soon-shin, she was named “Best New Actress” at the 2014 KBS Drama Awards.
How Much Money does She make From Music and Tv Shows?
IU is a big brand name because she is one of South Korea’s national treasures and helps spread Hallyu around the world. The “Hotel Del Luna” star is always seen as a high-profile endorser of things like gadgets, appliances, sportswear, fashion wear, food, drinks, and more.
She was also on the covers of a lot of fashion magazines. Most of her physical albums sold out, and many of her songs were at the top of different music charts in Korea and around the world.
Since social media is how most artists talk to each other, the “Producer” actress set up accounts on Instagram and YouTube. She posts and creates content often.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is IU Called in Korea?
Lee Ji-eun is a South Korean singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. She was born on May 16, 1993, and her stage name is IU.
What Is the Meaning of IU in Korean?
Her real name is Lee Ji Eun, but she goes by IU on stage. IU means “I and U,” which stands for how music brings people together.
Why Is IU So Popular?
Music. The main reason IU is so popular is, of course, because she makes great music. She not only has a beautiful, unique voice, but she is also a musical genius. IU used to just write the words to her songs, but now she also makes her own music.
Conclusion
Lee Ji-eun is a singer, writer, record producer, and actress from South Korea. Her next two albums, Growing Up and IU…IM, did well in the mainstream, but it wasn’t until “Good Day,” the lead single from her 2010 album, that she became a household name. IU has been nominated for more than 200 awards since her first album came out in 2008.