IU And Her Family Love Singapore So Much That Her Brother Is “Seriously Considering Doing An Exchange Semester Here”

Anyone who says K-pop is dying obviously hasn’t been to an IU concert.

The Korean singer-songwriter, whose real name is Lee Ji Eun, wowed her Singapore UAENAs (that’s what her fans are called) during her two-night, sell-out Love, Poem concert at the Star Theatre last weekend.

And boy, were we glad to be in the crowd on the first night (Dec 6) when the 26-year-old singer blew everyone away for four (!) hours with her powerhouse vocals and delighted all with her super cute banter in English.

“Do you guys miss me?” IU chirped. The singer, who is not only one of the most successful singers in Korea but also an accomplished actress, having starred in hit K-dramas like The Producers and most recently, Hotel Del Luna, is back in Singapore after her first concert here in 2018. And there’s no doubting her love for our country.

“I’m really glad to have a concert at the same place as last year. It’s my favourite place to perform, and everything here is truly perfect!” she said.

She kicked off her concert with one of her latest hits from her fifth mini album, 'Unlucky'. Other songs performed included classics such as 'Good Day', 'You & I' and 'Someday', which saw IU showcasing her trademark three-octave vocal range. It's not an overstatement to say that it's almost impossible to differentiate IU singing live from how she sounds on her records ‘cos that how good she is.

And that's not just the only thing we learned about singer during her concert.

So much so that her brother is “seriously considering doing an exchange semester here”.

Throughout her gig, the singer repeated a number of times how much she loves Singapore and that she “will be back next year”.

Even better, she also revealed that she was in town earlier this year on a personal trip with her extended family.

“I was here for a family vacation in January, and we went to the Night Safari, USS and Gardens by the Bay. My whole family loves Singapore, seriously! I have a baby niece and she loves Singapore too. My younger brother wants to come here as an exchange student, and he’s really considering it,” IU said, to the delight of her fans.

When fellow K-pop idols Sulli and Goo Hara passed away earlier this year, many fans were worried that IU would fall into depression too. However, in between songs, IU assured her fans that she would be “stronger” and “happier” in 2020.

“During my past concerts, even though everyone had a great time, there was always a tinge of sadness. But today, we are so happy and filled with love that there's no room for any sadness, the songstress said under a lone spotlight. “When things get tough and you want to end it all, I hope you can remember our promise to meet here again next year.”

“You can breathe slowly and next year will come before you know it. You have to keep this promise, okay? I’ll keep it too,” IU added.

Towards the end of her concert, IU confidently told her fans, “What do you guys want me to sing, I’ll sing anything you guys want!” And the crowd immediately went wild.

And to prove that this part of the concert wasn't scripted, IU’s guitarist even fumbled around looking for the score for 'The Night Of The First Break Up', which IU confessed she “hasn’t sung in years”.

But after a few minutes of awkward silence, IU said to her guitarist, “If you can’t find the score, I’ll just do it without the music.” It was a pity then that her guitarist eventually found it 'cos we would have loved to see the powerhouse vocalist perform the song acapella.

Then there was her encore. 15 minutes after exiting the stage, the singer quietly walked back on stage dressed like she was ready to go for supper. It surprised her fans who had already started streaming out of the venue and they quickly scurried back to their seats.

“This is the real encore!” her voice boomed. I didn’t even have the time to go to the toilet!”

Isn't she the best?

You can also catch IU's dramas for free on Viu, via the Viu mobile app or Viu.com.

Photos: iMe SG and Kakao M