How popular is IU Korean?

Lee Ji-Eun, also known by her stage name IU, is a South Korean singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She signed with LOEN Entertainment in 2007 as a trainee and debuted as a singer at the age of fifteen with her first extended play Lost and Found.

IU was born Lee Ji-eun on May 16, 1993, in Songjeong-dong, Seoul, South Korea. At an early age, IU showed interest in pursuing a career in the entertainment industry and began attending acting classes. Following her elementary school years, her family’s financial situation deteriorated, and they eventually moved to the nearby Uijeongbu, in Gyeonggi Province. She and her younger brother lived apart from their parents in a studio room with their grandmother and cousin for over one year in conditions of great poverty. IU had little contact with her parents over this period but felt reassured under her grandmother’s care.

IU is one of Korea’s most popular and well-known female artists. Her popularity in Korea is comparable to Beyonce’s or Taylor Swift’s in the US.