IU Talks About Entering Her 30s, Her Goals For The Next Decade, Her Musical Direction, And More

Feb 21, 2022

IU recently shot a pictorial for Marie Claire Korea, where she gave an interview about entering her 30s.

IU was born in 1993, which means she has turned 30 by Korean reckoning in 2022. Asked if she felt her age, she said, “Musically, yes. I think that from a musical perspective, it’s a good concept to consider how you think and feel different things as your age changes. ‘LILAC’ was my farewell to my 20s and a commemoration of me being 29, and ‘Twenty-three,’ ‘Palette,’ and ‘eight’ were also about my age as well.”

Asked if anything had changed upon turning 30, she said, “I was watching an end-of-year awards show at home on New Year’s Eve. I wasn’t thinking of anything in particular, but when they started the countdown, I suddenly felt excitement blossoming in my chest. In the second half of my 20s, I felt a bit of lethargy and malaise, so it was the first time in a while that I’d felt excited. I felt so good that it suddenly gave me confidence that I could do anything. Maybe it’s because it’s still early in the year, but I still have that feeling.”

Asked if that feeling had inspired her to make a goal, she said, “There’s something I’ve been dreaming of in the abstract since my 20s. I want to open a small studio or concert space where people can perform or work. Rather than a private studio workspace, I want to make a space where you can show your work to the public. It was just a dream, but now that I’m 30, I’ve resolved upon it and I’m in the process of making it concrete.” She added, “As I’ve worked in this industry, there have been many cases where opportunities to perform, to work in collaboration with other artists, to film video content have fallen through because of a lack of space. Due to COVID-19, it’s even harder to borrow a concert arena or studio.”

Although her age plays a major role in her music, IU has taken a lot of diverse roles regardless of age as an actor. She said, “When I make music, I’m a producer, and I can use music to express and leave behind the thoughts I have in that moment of my life. But acting isn’t about me or my creation. In order to be an actor that can play any role, I think it’s best not to put limits on myself.”

Asked about her hopes and dreams for the next 10 years in her 30s, she said, “Through my mom’s influence, I work hard to donate to various causes. I’ve been thinking these days that while it’s important to support children and older people, the blind spot of welfare tends to be youth. I’ve been talking with my mom about how to help people in that stage of life in a more concrete way. As san actor, I want to be an actor that the public is willing to invest their time in. I want to be an actor where you are willing to make the time to watch them no matter what project they’re doing. At the same time, I want to be a musician that continues to make people curious.”

The interviewer asked, “Have you ever asked yourself, ‘How long will I be able to act and make music?'” IU replied, “I have. Last year, I realized that my ears won’t always be what they are, and thought, ‘What if I can’t make the sounds that I want to make?’ I’m searching for methods now, but I’ve felt fear at the idea that I won’t always be able to work in the physical condition that I desire. When you think about it, I don’t have great stamina, and I’m smaller than other people, so working as hard as I have was bound to take a toll on my body. I realized I had to take better care of myself in order to work longer, and in various ways, I realized that health was the most important. They said that you’d think of this in your 30s, and they were right. It must be science, haha.”