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.

secret
IU Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

오늘도 난 손끝으로
네 앞에서 몰래 편지를 써
유리잔에 맺힌 물로
하나씩 써내려 내 마음을

마주 앉아 나를 본다
고개는 또 숙여지고 (숙여지고)
숨길 맘이 더 많은 난

마치 잘못한 아이 같아

비밀이 참 많아진 나
꺼내기 어려운 얘기만 쌓여간다
그래도 난 꿈을 꾼다

날개를 단 내 맘
밤하늘에 날아가 날아간다
매일매일 거울 앞에
네 맘이 되어서 날 비추며

안 한 듯이 화사하게
어설픈 화장도 배워가며
다가온다 나를 본다
딴 델 봐도 네가 보여

돌아보지 못하는 난
마치 겁 많은 아이 같아

비밀이 참 많아진 나
꺼내기 어려운 얘기만 쌓여간다
그래도 난 꿈을 꾼다

날개를 단 내 맘
밤하늘에 날아가 날아가
너에게 들려진다

한 걸음 (한 걸음) 한 걸음 (한 걸음)
좀 더 가볍게 가고 싶어
한 마디 (한 마디) 한 마디 (한 마디)
내겐 왜 이리 힘든 건지 oh

네 향기가 불어온다
내게로 보내는 나 같은 맘인 걸까 ooh
네 마음이 (네 마음이) 내게 온다 ah
오늘도 그렇게 외우며 꿈속으로
내 마음을 듣고 있다

간절한 바람이 온 방 안을

채우고 채우다 흘러간다 흘러간다 ah ah ah
비밀이 또 늘어간다

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of IU's song Secret express a sense of secrecy and vulnerability as the singer writes letters to her love interest in secret. The opening lines, "Today, too, I write a letter in secret in front of you with my fingertips. I write down my heart, one by one, with the water in a glass," convey the singer's desire to express her feelings, but her fear of being rejected or misunderstood. The singer is aware of the complexity of her feelings, but she is unable to articulate them fully.

The chorus, "My heart with wings, flying away in the night sky, becoming your heart and reflecting me in front of the mirror every day," reflects the excitement and freedom of the singer's emotions despite the weight of the secrets she carries. She yearns for the lightness of confessing her love and being free of the secrets that consume her. The bridge of the song, "I want to take one more step, one more step, and walk more lightly. Why is it so hard for me to say a word?" shows that the singer is not only afraid of revealing her secrets but also of facing rejection.

Overall, the song Secret portrays the inner turmoil and conflict of a person who wants to express her love but is weighed down by secrets and fear of rejection. It is a relatable and emotional song that conveys the universal human experience of unrequited love.

Line by Line Meaning

오늘도 난 손끝으로
Today, once again, I secretly write a letter in front of you with my fingertips

네 앞에서 몰래 편지를 써
I write a letter secretly in front of you

유리잔에 맺힌 물로
I write down my feelings one by one with the water droplets on the glass

하나씩 써내려 내 마음을
I write down my heart, one by one

마주 앉아 나를 본다
Facing each other, you look at me

고개는 또 숙여지고 (숙여지고)
You lower your head again

숨길 맘이 더 많은 난
I have more things to hide, like a frightened child

마치 잘못한 아이 같아
I feel like a guilty child

비밀이 참 많아진 나
I have too many secrets

꺼내기 어려운 얘기만 쌓여간다
Only stories that are hard to tell keep piling up

그래도 난 꿈을 꾼다
But I still have dreams