Lee Ji-eun (이지은; born 16 May 1993), better known by her stage name IU (아이유)… Read Full Bio ↴Lee Ji-eun (이지은; born 16 May 1993), better known by her stage name IU (아이유), is an award-winning South Korean singer-songwriter and actress signed to EDAM Entertainment. She debuted in 2008 to much acclaim for her vocal ability but did not find mainstream success until 2010 with 잔소리 which became her first number one hit. As of 2017, IU has fourteen official #1 singles on Gaon, Korea's national chart, and four #1 singles on Billboard's K-Pop Hot 100. She also charted in the top ten of Gaon's annual singles chart for two consecutive years from 2010-2011. On top of her commercial success, her music and artistry are also critically acclaimed winning multiple Daesang awards for Song of the Year (for 좋은 날) and Artist of the Year from 2011-2012.

2008: Debut
IU debuted on a Korean music program called M! Countdown in September 18, 2008. On September 23, 2008, she released her first mini-album, Lost and Found, in which the most famous song was the title track, "Missing Child." However, the album was not commercially successful. It wasn't until her follow-up album that she succeeded in breaking into the mainstream.

2009
On April 16, 2009, IU launched her first full album, titled Growing Up, with the lead promotional number "Boo." Within three weeks, "Boo" went up to the #1 contenders for SBS Inkigayo, and her name also went up twice on Take 7 together with other notable artists like SG Wannabe and Younha. The song also did well on KBS Music Bank K-Chart, on Mnet M!Countdown chart, and on various online music charts.

In 2009, IU sang the ending title song, "Araro", for the acclaimed MBC drama Queen Seon Duk, where she was recommended by the director, Sam Kim, citing her "clear tone and her lyrical sensibility." She was also featured on Mighty Mouth's album Love Class in the song "희망사항." In late 2009, IU recorded MC Mong's song "Love Letter For You (Neoyege Sseuneun Pyeonji)," featuring SHINee's Key as a rapper in the song.

2010
IU recorded the song "잔소리" (Nagging / Scolded) with 2AM's Seulong for the TV show We Got Married. On June 27, 2010, IU won her first award since her debut on SBS Inkigayo for "Nagging." On July 2, 2010, she won another award for that song on KBS Music Bank K-Chart. Soon after, IU was chosen to sing the main OST song for the MBC drama Road No.1 titled "여자라서" (Because I'm A Woman). IU's other collaborations include duets with Yoo Seung Ho ("사랑을 믿어요" (Believe in Love)), Sung Shi Kyung ("그대네요" (It's You)), and Big Bang's Seungri ("I Know").

IU worked with some of South Korea's most famous musicians and producers for her third mini-album, REAL, released in December 2010. Lee Min Soo and Kim Eana, the creators of IU's previous hit "Nagging", helped produce her award-winning song "좋은 날" ("Good Day"). IU received three SBS Inkigayo Mutizen awards for her performances of the song (on December 18 and December 26, 2010, and January 2, 2011), three awards from KBS Music Bank K-Chart (on December 24 and December 31, 2010, and January 7, 2011), and one award from Mnet M!Countdown on December 23, 2010.

2011
IU often covers other pop artists' songs with her guitar and features her friend Thunder from MBLAQ, most notably renditions of SHINee's "Juliette," Big Bang's "Lies," Super Junior's "Sorry, Sorry" and Girls' Generation's "Gee."

Soribada, an online music service, combined the music downloads and streams from January 1 to March 30, 2011, to name IU's song, "Good Day" as the number one song of the first quarter. Her song "Someday" from the KBS Drama Dream High OST and her ballad "The Story Only I Didn't Know" placed 4th and 7th place, respectively – showing that IU got 3 of the top 10 digital spots for the first quarter. Her first original composition, "Dreaming" was used in the drama "Dream High", but not released officially.

On June 18, 2011, IU held her first official fanmeeting and mini-concert at AX-Korea. It also marked the 1004th day since she debuted.

IU also sang a self-composed OST called "Hold my Hand" for drama series The Greatest Love.
On November 29, 2011, IU's second full length album Last Fantasy was released and achieved an ‘all-kill’ as all 13 songs immediately swept most of all the charts. The track list was revealed on November 22, 2011.

2012
On January 24, 2012, IU held a live showcase at Tokyo's Bunkamura Orchard Hall. On March 1st, 2012, she released a promotional video for the Japanese version of "Good Day", the title track of her Japanese single album. The album, which includes DVD footage from the showcase, was later released on March 21, 2012.

In early April, 2012, it was announced that IU will be holding her first solo tour, "Real Fantasy", starting in June. The tour features performances in six different cities across South Korea, including Seoul and Busan.

IU released the single album, "Spring of a Twenty Year Old" ("스무 살의 봄"), on May 11th, 2012.[16] The album contains three songs, one of which is self-composed by IU. This song, entitled "Peach" ("복숭아"), was digitally released before the album, on May 4th, 2012. A 26-minute-long documentary-style music video film was released alongside the album, featuring several interviews with IU that showcase her personal thoughts and experiences. This film contains footage of IU as she visits Venice, Italy.

2021
On January 11, 2021 IU, and her agency EDAM Entertainment, officially announced that they will be releasing a single from her upcoming album on January 27, 2021.

On January 27, 2021 at 18:00 KST (UTC+9) EDAM Entertainment globally released IU's comeback single entitled "Celebrity". The track was released in major online streaming platforms in South Korea and worldwide and achieved multiple All-Kills in Korean charts every hour.

Modern Times
IU Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

유쾌한 걸음 새까만 콧수염
어딜 바삐 가나 또 뭔 일이
시계토끼처럼 늘 급한 얼굴로
나를 지나쳐 가요

난 그댈 알아 그댄 날 몰라
늘 같은 시간 우린 같은 길을 걷는데
시간 좀 내요 얘기 좀 해요

한 마디 없이 꼭 다문 입술
나 그 목소리를 꼭 들을래요
다음에 보면 꼭 인사해요
또 봐요 미스터 채플린

바람에 날린 동그란 저 모자
달리기를 하나 왜 서둘러
시계톱니처럼 똑같은 모퉁일
돌아돌아 뛰네요
어디서 와서 어디로 갈까
말고도 궁금한 게 이렇게 난 많은데
잠시만 서서 얘기 좀 해요

한 마디 없이 꼭 다문 입술
나 그 목소리를 꼭 들을래요
다음에 보면 꼭 인사해요
또 봐요 미스터 채플린

어두운 얼굴 무슨 일이 있나요
말 건네면 대답할까요
나는 알아요 슬픈 그댈
온 세상 사람들 그대를 보면서 웃어도

못 살게 구는 사람들 없는
먼 길을 떠났다고 난 믿을래요
이젠 웃어요 다 괜찮아요
또 봐요 미스터 채플린
그대가 부른 즐거운 넌센스
나 슬픈 날엔 꼭 그 노랠 해요

언젠가 보면 꼭 인사해요
또 봐요 미스터 채플린

꼭 봐요 미스터 채플린
그 이름도 내겐 사랑스런 채플린

Overall Meaning

IU's song "Modern Times" talks about a busy world where people are always in a hurry, like a clock rabbit always running with a worried face. The lyrics describe a narrator who knows the man with the black mustache but he doesn't recognize her. They walk the same path at the same time every day, but he doesn't even look at her. She wants to talk to him and hear his voice, and hopes to see him again and say hello. The lyrics then describe the man with the mustache running with a hat blown by the wind and always looking worried. The singer is curious about where he's coming from and where he's going. She wants him to stop and talk to her but he never does. The song then ends with the singer expressing her love for the man with the mustache and the joy she feels when she hears the song he sings.

The song is reflective of modern times, where people are always in a hurry and don't have time to stop and smell the roses. The song is also about loneliness and longing for human connection, even if it's just a simple hello. The character of Mr. Chaplin, named after the famous actor Charlie Chaplin, is used as a symbol of joy and happiness. The song is a mix of jazz, swing, and bossa nova, which gives it a unique sound.

Line by Line Meaning

유쾌한 걸음 새까만 콧수염
With his cheerful footsteps and black mustache,

어딜 바삐 가나 또 뭔 일이
Where is he rushing to and what happened?

시계토끼처럼 늘 급한 얼굴로
Like a watch rabbit, always with a hurried face,

나를 지나쳐 가요
He passes me by.

난 그댈 알아 그댄 날 몰라
I know him, but he doesn't know me.

늘 같은 시간 우린 같은 길을 걷는데
We always walk the same path at the same time,

시간 좀 내요 얘기 좀 해요
Can you spare me some time and talk to me?

한 마디 없이 꼭 다문 입술
With closed lips and no words,

나 그 목소리를 꼭 들을래요
I really want to hear his voice.

다음에 보면 꼭 인사해요
Next time, I'll definitely greet him.

또 봐요 미스터 채플린
See you again, Mr. Chaplin.