IU visits theaters despite health issues to meet fans

Singer and actress IU has arranged a way to meet her fans in person to celebrate her 18th anniversary since debut, even though she had to postpone her large-scale concert and full-length album schedules due to health issues. Instead of taking the stage herself, she is connecting with the audience through concert films of her past performances. Given that she has suspended her official activities, her decision to hold stage greetings shows her special commitment to her fans.

CGV announced on the 15th that the concert films 'IU CONCERT [The Golden Hour]' and 'IU CONCERT [The Winning]' will hold 'I-K Concert' screenings and stage greetings. 'The Golden Hour' began its re-release on the 9th and is currently playing, while 'The Winning' will meet audiences again starting from the 16th.

The core of this event is the 'I-K Concert,' held together with the fandom. It will be conducted in a sing-along format where fans can wave 'I-K,' IU's official light stick, inside the theater and react freely just like at a real concert. Lyrics will also be provided as subtitles so that the audience can recreate the live atmosphere of the performance.

The screenings will be held for three days from September 18 to 20, marking IU's debut anniversary. All attendees will be provided with different unreleased photocards for each work, and reservations are scheduled to begin through CGV at 5 PM on the 15th.

Even more eye-catching is the stage greeting where IU will personally stand before the audience. The stage greetings, held at CGV Yongsan IPark Mall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the 20th, will consist of a total of 6 sessions, including the 2nd session of 'The Golden Hour' and the 4th session of 'The Winning.' This is different from a simple movie promotional event, as it is a moment where IU, celebrating her 18th anniversary, and her fandom, UAENA, meet directly in one space.

Above all, the background of this event gaining attention lies in IU's recent health issues. IU personally revealed that it became difficult to proceed with the Goyang Stadium concert scheduled for September as her chronic patulous Eustachian tube condition worsened. Her agency also announced that they would adjust the concert, subsequent performance schedules, and the 6th full-length album schedule, judging that it would be difficult to proceed with the performance considering her ear condition at the time.

Patulous Eustachian tube refers to a condition where the Eustachian tube, which connects to the space behind the eardrum, remains abnormally open. IU explained that while her symptoms had fluctuated between improvement and worsening, recently the symptoms have persisted day and night, making it difficult to find her condition when singing. In particular, since environments like concerts require singing and moving the body for long periods, which places a greater physical burden compared to studio work, the decision to delay her activity schedule is interpreted as a choice to prioritize health as well as the quality of the performance.

Originally, IU's activities for the second half of the year were planned on a very large scale. The plan was to continue a tour starting with the Goyang concert in September while simultaneously presenting her 6th full-length album, but due to health issues, both pillars—the performances and the album—had to be pushed back. IU explained that since the main promotions for the new album are designed around performances and tours, it was difficult to separate the two schedules.

However, this does not mean her musical activities have completely stopped. On the 10th, IU released her first digital single in a year, 'From This Star.' This is her first new song since 'Bye, Summer' last September, and it features two title tracks, 'From This Star' and 'Dear my crazy soulmate,' both of which were written by IU herself. It also serves as a pre-release for her upcoming 6th full-length album.

The performance of the new song confirmed IU's enduring public influence. 'From This Star' topped the Melon Hot 100, Genie Music Top 200, and Bugs real-time charts on the day of its release, and it also ranked number one on the Melon Top 100 the following day. This means she maintained her presence in the music release market even while scaling down her activities.

The music video also reflects IU's identity as someone who has balanced music and acting. In the 'Dear my crazy soulmate' music video, IU and actress Shim Dal-gi appear as police officers, and actress Kim Young-ok joins to create an unexpected narrative. The music video for the other title track, 'From This Star,' is scheduled to be released on the 16th.

The two works returning to the theater are also records that compactly show IU's performance history. 'The Golden Hour' is IU's first concert film capturing the concert held at the Seoul Olympic Main Stadium in 2022, and 'The Winning' captures the encore performance of her first world tour and 100th concert held in 2024.