I didn’t see it coming. I never imagined she would become such a towering figure. Even back in 2010, when her songs Nagging and Good Day were huge hits, there were still people who weren’t quite sure about her potential. Now, every last one of them has waved the white flag, and everyone is listening to IU. Myself included. For someone like me, who writes and speaks about popular music for a living, there are very few musicians who transcend the simple matter of personal taste and become someone you simply have to follow. But inevitably, they appear. For example, if you’re discussing the history of 1990s rock, Nirvana is required listening. IU is now held in similar regard. You cannot talk about the K-pop scene of the 2010s and beyond without talking about IU.

Somewhere along the way, IU has become royalty in the Korean music industry. Whenever she releases a new song or album, it reigns over the top of the domestic charts.

Her success is a given. There were many turning points.
As I mentioned, it started with Nagging and Good Day, and continued with You & I (2011) and The Red Shoes (2013). There are now too many iconic IU songs to count. And
she did all of this in a little over a decade. It’s a stunning achievement by any measure.

Of all her incredible moments, if I had to pick just one,
I would say it was her album Palette (2017). True to its name, Palette was a work that showed off IU’s many different sides. You could say it was the moment when she developed her incredible talent for taking genres we all know — jazz, synth-pop, R&B, folk — and making them completely her own. IU doesn’t just use a genre as a formula. She takes it, twists it, bends it and uses it to design something that fits her music perfectly. The true feeling of wonder, I think, doesn’t come from learning something we didn’t know.

It comes from the realization that something we thought
we knew well, we didn’t really know at all. Someone once wrote something along the lines of, “From the moment of its completion, all art begins to separate from its own time… Some of it ages well. Some of it just looks tawdry.” In IU, we see present-day music aging well. That’s how IU handles genre. To do this, you have to know exactly what your own musical desires are in the present moment. And you have to know whose help you need to bring that desire to life, and how you’re going to sync it with your own art. That’s IU. She is the very definition of a musician. This definitive quality is what allows her to build a world that is completely her own. Whether this ability is something she was born with or something she developed is anyone’s guess. But one thing is certain: with every album, her ability has only grown stronger.

I’ve had the opportunity to meet IU in person twice. My impression is that she is someone who wants to express herself honestly, but with refined, carefully chosen words. Her lyrics are much the same. When she writes about love and loss, people often say, “That song could be about my life.”

There’s a famous saying by the writer Jorge Luis Borges that most writers have few original things to say across their entire lives, and I think that’s true of musicians, too. But the next part is what’s important. As you repeat these themes, their shape and quality begin to shift. Even if it’s the same subject, with each new work, it becomes a little broader, a little deeper. I’m not trying to compare IU to Borges. My point is that with Palette, the lyrics in her discography took on a depth they’d never had before. For example, the lyrics to Through the Night — even if you read them without the musical accompaniment, they’re still a work of art. It’s been around 17 years since IU’s debut. I find myself imagining what she’ll be like as a musician at fifty, the new colors she’ll add to her veritable musical palette as the years go by. There’s no doubt that her music will have what people call the mark of a true master.

Through the Night (2017)

Honestly, I thought, “This is it.” The moment I heard it, I just knew this song would be huge. Every singer has a definitive turning point. If IU’s first was Nagging or Good Day, her second was without a doubt Through the Night.

Meaning of You (Feat. Kim Chang-wan) (2014)

If I had to pick an additional turning point, it would be this song. I strongly believe that the past makes the present, but the present also has the power to remake the past. You have to take the legacy of the past and hold it tight, reinvent it before it slips into a space that feels disconnected from a younger audience. That’s why this song, a remake of a classic by Sanulrim, and the EP it’s on, A Flower Bookmark, was such an important effort.

LILAC (2021)

This song feels like a goodbye letter from IU to her twenties. But the mood isn’t sad or gloomy. It’s the exact opposite. Maybe that’s why the funky rhythm and bright melody feel like a joyous tribute to that decade of her life. The lyrics and the sound fit together so perfectly, it’s impossible not to love this song. The burst of brass instruments in the chorus is a true triumph of musical arrangement.

RIIZE, ODYSSEY The First Album

The boy group RIIZE is leading a new generation in K-pop. Since their debut in 2023, they have been building their unique brand around what they call ”emotional pop,” a genre that blends powerhouse performances with deeply personal storytelling. Now, with their first full-length album, ODYSSEY, they are ready to define their identity. If you’re curious about their journey, this new album has it all.

Miley Cyrus, Something Beautiful

An artist who has never been afraid of change, Miley Cyrus is back with another album that feels like a self-portrait. Full of songs about healing and finding beauty in darkness, Something Beautiful moves seamlessly between vintage rock, synth-pop and fantasy sounds, showcasing the many faces of an artist who refuses to be defined by any one genre.

Benson Boone, American Heart

If Benson Boone’s debut album was about standing on the starting line of youth, American Heart is a powerful extension of those feelings. From passionate declarations of love to moments of total vulnerability, he sings about love from a different angle on every track, painting a compelling picture of a wide range of emotions.

Sabrina Carpenter, Manchild

Pop icon Sabrina Carpenter is showing off her unique auditory style once again with her new song, Manchild. It’s a fun country-pop track, but her storytelling is as sharp as ever. Just as the title suggests, the song features witty, clever lyrics that playfully call out immaturity, all wrapped up in a smart melody that tells a captivating story.

Sumi Jo, La Prima Donna

World-renowned soprano Sumi Jo delivers a vocal performance of breathtaking power, moving effortlessly between opera and crossover. The contrast between her delicate emotional expression and her explo- sive high notes delights, making this an album that will capture the hearts of classical music lovers and casual listeners alike.

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