IU / Lee Ji-Eun

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Source:
https://mcjoun.tistory.com

Ms. Lee Ji-Eun (Korean: 이지은)
Born May 16, 1993 -- South Korean singer/songwriter/actress.

Known professionally as IU (Korean: 아이유), Lee Ji-Eun is a South Korean singer-songwriter and actress. She signed with Kakao M (formerly LOEN Entertainment) in 2007 as a trainee and debuted as a singer at the age of fifteen with her album, Lost and Found. Although her follow-up albums, Growing Up and IU...IM, brought mainstream success, it was after the release of "Good Day" (Korean: 좋은 날), the lead single from her 2010 album Real, that she achieved national stardom. "Good Day" went on to spend five consecutive weeks at the top position of South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart, and in 2019 it was ranked number one on Billboard magazine's 100 Greatest K-Pop Songs of the 2010s.

IU has released a total of four studio albums and nine extended plays in her career, scoring three number-one albums and twenty-four number-one singles on the Gaon Music Charts. One of the best-selling solo acts in the group-dominated K-pop industry,[10] she has been included on Forbes magazine's annual Korea Power Celebrity list since 2012 and reached a peak ranking of number three that year. Billboard recognized IU as the all-time leader of its Korea K-Pop Hot 100 chart with the most number-one songs and the artist who has held the number-one position for the most number of weeks. According to a Gallup Korea survey, she was the most popular idol and artist among South Koreans in 2017.

Aside from her music career, IU has ventured into hosting radio and television shows, as well as acting. Following her supporting role in teen drama Dream High and minor appearances in several television series, IU starred in You're the Best, Lee Soon-shin, Pretty Man, The Producers, Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, My Mister, Persona and Hotel del Luna.

Credit: IU (singer) - Wikipedia

 

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More on Lee Ji-Eun's early life:

Source: IU (singer) - Wikipedia

Ms. Lee ("IU") was born in Songjeong-dong, Seoul, South Korea. At an early age, IU became interested in pursuing a career in the entertainment industry and began attending acting classes. Soon after 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 her grandmother and cousins for over a year in conditions of great poverty. IU had little contact with her parents over this period of time but felt reassured under her grandmother's care.

During her middle school years, IU found her passion for singing and decided to become a singer after being applauded for a performance she gave at her school's sports competition. She attended 20 auditions but failed all of them, and was also scammed by fake entertainment companies. IU used to train at Good Entertainment with Uee, Yubin, Heo Ga-yoon, and Jun Hyoseong. After signing with LOEN Entertainment in 2007, she moved to Bangbae, Seoul. Despite the prospect of her being put into a girl group, she made her solo debut, with "Lost Child", in 2008 after ten months of training. Due to her living conditions at the time, IU stated that she "loved being at the studio", where she could eat as much as she wanted and had a place to sleep.

Prior to her debut, LOEN coined her stage name "IU", deriving it from the phrase "I and You" to symbolize the unifying force of music between people.

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

 

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IU really has a nice voice, you can check out her most recent single, "Eight", acoustic version, released just this month, in May 2020.

With English subtitles for the lyrics.



Music video version of "Eight", also with English subtitles for the lyrics:



Source: 이지금 [IU Official]

Just to note IU's popularity in South Korea and worldwide, her official YouTube channel now has more than 3 million subscribers.

 

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For cover story of W Korea April 2020.

Source: wkorea.com

 

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Behind-the-scenes video - W Korea cover story photoshoot for April 2020 issue (with English subtitles).

Photographer -- Kim Hee-Jung
Stylist -- Noh Joo-Hee
Hair Stylist -- Seoyun (Mepci)
Make-up Artist -- Shinae Lee (Mepci)
Location -- Officine Meccaniche (Milan, Italy)

Source: W Korea 더블유 코리아

 

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Cover story -- High Cut (Korea) December 5 - 11, 2019 (Volume 253).

Source: highcut.co.kr

Photographer -- KIM Oi-Mil

Stylist -- NOH Joo-Hee
Hair Stylist -- Seoyun (Mepci)
Make-up Artist -- Shinae Lee (Mepci)






Behind-the-scenes video:

Source: HIGHCUTV

 

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Music videos of two great songs from the latest six-song mini-album "Love Poem" from Ms. Lee ("IU"), which was released in November 2019 -- "Above The Time" and "Blueming".

IU wrote the lyrics for all six songs in the album, and participated in some of the composition process.

For the music videos, turn on closed caption for English subtitles.

Source: 1theK (원더케이)


"Above The Time"




"Blueming"

 

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Photoshoot for Dazed Korea March 2019, with promotion for New Balance.

Source: Dazed Korea (dazedkorea.com) via kpopping.com

 

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For New Balance 2019 advertising campaign.

Source: kpopping.com

 

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For New Balance Spring 2018 campaign.

Source: kpopping.com

 

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Trailer and pictures from IU's latest film work "Hotel Del Luna", a popular Korean TV drama series in 2019, in which she is the female lead actress.

"Hotel Del Luna" aired on Korean TV channel tvN from July 13th to September 1st, 2019, it is the 12th highest rated Korean drama series in Korean cable television history.


Sources:
Viki Global TV
kpopping.com
Hotel del Luna - Wikipedia


Brief information about "Hotel Del Luna" / "Guest House of the Moon"

The Hotel del Luna (formerly referred to as the "Guest House of the Moon"), located in Myeong-dong, Seoul, is not like any other hotel: its clients are all ghosts, and it is not visible in its true form during the day. Humans can only come across the hotel under special circumstances, for example, during a lunar eclipse.

Jang Man-wol (Lee Ji-Eun) is the CEO of the hotel. Due to a huge sin committed a millennium ago, she has been stuck at the hotel catering to the dead before they pass on to the cycle of reincarnation. As a result of manipulation by Mago (Yi-suk Seo), she meets Gu Chan-sung's father and makes a deal for his son to work for her after 20 years in return for his life and money. With his new found fortune and life, his father takes Gu Chan-sung(Yeo Jin-goo) abroad where the young man grows up as a sincere perfectionist who is level-headed, but also has a soft heart. He comes back to South Korea after his father's death to be an assistant manager at a multinational hotel corporation, only to face Jang Man-wol and he ends up fulfilling the agreement and becomes the manager of Hotel Del Luna.

Through Gu Chan-sung, the audience is introduced to the mysteries and the secrets behind the Hotel and its owner.


Trailer of "Hotel Del Luna", with English subtitles.




Promotional Poster:




"Hotel Del Luna" screenshots and behind-the-scenes pictures:

 

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For ELLE Korea October 2018, with promotion for CNP Cosmetics (Korea).

Source: your k-pop index

 

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Pictures from "Love Poem" concert in Busan, South Korea, on November 16th, 2019.

Busan is a major city in South Korea, located on the southern coast of the country.

Source: Kpopping.com: Kpop profiles, photos, upcoming comebacks & debuts

 

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In 2019, besides "Hotel del Luna", IU (Lee Ji-Eun) continues to venture into major film work, with Netflix Korean film series, "Persona", which is pretty good.

For the first season, "Persona" contains four separate short stories, each directed by a different director, and IU plays the female lead in each of them.

The first season was released on April 11, 2019. A second season is set to be released in 2020.

Poster for "Persona"

Source: Persona (TV series) - Wikipedia




Trailer for "Persona", in Korean with English subtitles:

Source: New Movie Releases

 

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Trailers from IU's earlier film works, besides the ones already posted.

All are Korean television series.

Source: viki.com

"You Are The Best" - 2013

Rakuten Viki - Watch Korean Dramas, Chinese Dramas and Movies Online


"Bel Ami" (November 2013 - January 2014)

Rakuten Viki - Watch Korean Dramas, Chinese Dramas and Movies Online


"The Producers" - 2015

Rakuten Viki - Watch Korean Dramas, Chinese Dramas and Movies Online


"Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo" - 2016

Source: Drower TV




"My Mister" - 2018

Source: Viki Global TV

 

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For Dazed Korea Fall 2019 Edition:

Source: DAZED KOREA 데이즈드 코리아

Editor -- LEE Jonghyun
Text -- YANG Boyeon
Fashion -- NOH Joohee
Photography -- MOK Jungwook
Hair -- Seo Yun
Makeup -- Shinae
Assistant -- CHOI Sojeong




Behind-the-scenes video for Dazed Korea's Fall 2019 Edition photoshoot:

Source: DAZED KOREA

 

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For Dazed Korea May 2018, with promotion for New Balance.

Dazed Korea and New Balance surely love IU.

Editor -- JONG Hyun Lee
Fashion -- JOO Hee No
Photography -- JUNG Wook Mok
Hair -- Seo Yun
Makeup -- Shinae
Set -- YEO Jung Yoo

Source: dazedkorea.com via kpopping.com




Behind-the-scenes:

Source: DAZED KOREA

 

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"NICE TO MEET YOU" -- For Marie Claire Korea August 2019.

With Lee Ji-Eun ("IU") and Yeo Jin-Goo, lead actress and actor for "Hotel del Luna" (2019), plus interview (video).

Sources:
Pictures -- 마리끌레르
Video -- Marie Claire Korea




Interview for the editorial, turn on closed caption for English subtitles:

 

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Screenshots and behind-the-scenes pictures from Netflix Korean drama series "Persona" (2019).

Source: 씨네21

 

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For cover story of Cosmopolitan Korea August 2016 -- Along with fellow lead cast members of "Scarlet Heart Ryeo" (2016), a popular Korean romantic drama.

Sources: www.cosmopolitan.co.kr via IU Italia