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Tribune News Service

“How many minutes do we have left?” IU urgently called offstage to her staff.
Los Angeles was the last stop of her first world tour and she was determined to grant as many song requests from fans as she could before her time in the Kia Forum ran out.
IU, whose real name is Lee Ji-eun, may not be a household name in America just yet, but the K-pop singer is an icon in South Korea.
Dubbed the nation’s little sister (Korea’s version of “America’s sweetheart”), she debuted when she was just 15 and climbed her way to the top not only of Korea’s music industry, but also its television industry as a respected actress, with roles in hit dramas including My Mister and Hotel del Luna.


Now 31, she is as popular as ever. Fans attending the concert on August 2 noted the longevity of her career and her smart songwriting, with several calling her the Taylor Swift of K-pop.
“She’s the national pop queen,” Hannah Park, 27, said.
Others drew parallels to Ariana Grande and Beyoncé, alluding to IU’s powerful vocals and dominance as a solo female artist in K-pop. Some said there is just no equivalent.
“It’s hard to draw a comparison,” Joshua Misa, 27, said.
IU’s HEREH World Tour, which began in March in Seoul, the city where she grew up, stopped in 17 other cities including Hong Kong, London and Atlanta. Its final stop was full of odes to LA, where she performed her hit song “Celebrity” as more than 10,000 fans held up pink banners that read, “In the city of stars, you’re our celebrity.”

She opened the concert with the song “Holssi” from her latest album, The Winning, noting that the music video was filmed in LA and that the child backup dancers were LA natives.
She went on to perform other hits, such as “BBIBBI”, “eight” and “Shopper”, whose music video was also filmed in LA. She also performed hits including “Blueming”, “You and I” and “Love Wins All”.
At the end of some songs, she would make the LA hand sign as the crowd roared.
Her dreamy but powerful vocals filled the Forum as she sang some of her signature ballads, including “Obliviate”, “Through the Night”, and her latest single “Love Wins All”, earning extra cheers from fans as scenes from the music video featuring BTS’ V were projected onto the screen.
In between sets, the K-pop star poured out heartfelt words of gratitude and awe at the love she has received on tour, switching between English and Korean.
Leading up to the tour, she said she had sleepless nights, worried about whether she could stay healthy enough to complete all the scheduled shows.

“There wasn’t a single show where I didn’t feel immense happiness as I walked off the stage,” she said in English from a script she had written, memorised and practised repeatedly so she could get the words just right.
“Every single show and city was so precious. Fans always love me purely and always make me want to improve my shortcomings.”
At times, she seemed lost for words and just bowed to the audience in respect and gratitude. But language never seemed to be a barrier for the K-pop star and her global fans.
Even when the crowd stumbled through the verses to “Celebrity” as they called her back to the stage for an encore, she found it endearing and showered fans with endless praise.
The two-and-a-half-hour show ended with a half-hour encore, during which IU scanned the crowd for fan-made signs of songs they wanted to hear.
She sang a string of shortened versions of requested songs including “Hold my Hand”, “Lilac”, and the song that propelled her to stardom in 2010, “Good Day”.
“Hurry up, what’s the next song before they kick me off the stage?” IU said half-joking, constantly checking the time.
It’s fair to say she soaked in every last moment.


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‘Taylor Swift of K-pop’ IU’s first world tour ends in LA with song requests and fan love

K-pop star IU’s emotional finale in Los Angeles was filled with hit songs, shout-outs to the city and song requests from her rapturous fans. Already beloved in Korea, IU has won new fans in the US. Photo: Instagram/ @lee._iu

K-pop star IU’s emotional finale in Los Angeles was filled with hit songs, shout-outs to the city and song requests from her rapturous fans. Already beloved in Korea, IU has won new fans in the US. Photo: X/ @icy_iu

IU makes the LA hand sign. A number of videos for her songs have been recorded in the city. Photo: Instagram/ @lee._iu

IU sang requests based on fan-made signs that she saw in the audience. Photo: Facebook/hally-IU

How K-pop group Stray Kids sang and danced their way to global success

South Korean K-pop group Stray Kids onstage at Seoul Festa 2022 in Seoul, Korea. Photo: AFP

K-pop stars Stray Kids have found global fame with their wide range of musical styles, and thrilled fans with their live performances. Now, they just need to equal that success in South Korea. Photo: AFP

Stray Kids onstage at Seoul Festa 2022 at Jamsil Stadium, in Seoul, Korea. Photo: AFP

Stray Kids arrive for the MTV Video Music Awards in Newark, New Jersey, in September 2023. From left: Changbin, I.N, Han, Felix, Lee Know, Seungmin, Hyunjin and Bang Chan. Photo: AFP

Stray Kids attend a red carpet event in Osaka, Japan, in November 2022. Photo: AFP

The best new K-pop music dropping in August 2024 from Le Sserafim, Taemin, Nmixx and more

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K-pop singer and actress Lee Hye-ri on why her new film role, in Victory, was ‘intense’

Lee Hye-ri at the 2024 New York Asian Film Festival. Photo: Chris Kammerud

Lee Hye-ri at the 2024 New York Asian Film Festival, where Victory, in which she has the lead role, had its world premiere and the actress won the Asia rising star award. Photo: Raymond Tisch

Lee (front) in a still from Victory. Photo: Mindmark & Annapurna Films

Lee in a still from reality series Agents of Mystery, currently on Netflix. Photo: Boram Park/Netflix

Lee after receiving the rising star Asia award at the 2024 New York Asian Film Festival. Photo: Rom Choi

Lee in a still from the 2021 K-drama My Roommate Is a Gumiho.

Lee in a still from the 2022 K-drama May I Help You.

A still from Victory. Photo: Mindmark & Annapurna Films

Lee (second from right), Park Se-wan (right) and Park Beom-su (second from left) at the 2024 New York Asian Film Festival. Photo: Chris Kammerud

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IU may not be a big name in the US yet, but the Korean singer/actress has been winning new fans on world tour that just ended in Los Angeles


K-pop star IU’s emotional world tour finale in Los Angeles was filled with her hits, shout-outs to the city and song requests from rapturous fans. Already beloved in Korea, IU has won new fans in the US.
