After 15 years of debut, IU has become one of the biggest stars in South Korea. Now, the singer-actress is ready to mark 2024 as the most influential year in her career on the international stage.
In fact, within just the first month of 2024, IU has shown significant efforts to target the global market.
Specifically, on January 12, IU kicked off the new year with a major appearance at the Gucci Ancora Fashion Show during the Men’s Fall/Winter 2024-2025 Fashion Week in Milan. Serving as a global ambassador for Gucci, IU’s presence at the event emphasized her influence as she sat in the front row alongside Gucci CEO and Chairman Jean-François Palus.
On January 14, IU officially launched her TikTok account, which has garnered nearly 1 million followers to date. Her first post on the platform reached 18.5 million views, highlighting IU’s commitment to engage more with her international audience.
IU’s global ambitions for this year were most evident in her January 16 update, which announces her 1st world tour, “IU H.E.R. World Tour”. This groundbreaking tour includes arenas across Asia, Europe, and North America, marking IU’s first global performances in a decade since her appearance at the 2014 KCON in Los Angeles.
Furthermore, on January 24, IU made her official return to the music scene with her latest single, “Love Wins All.” This emotionally charged ballad not only showcases IU’s singing, songwriting, and heartfelt lyrics, but also features a notable collaboration with BTS’s V, who co-stars with the singer-actress in the “Love Wins All” MV.
The collaboration between the two helped the “Love Wins All” MV amass over 33 million views on YouTube within a few days of its release, becoming viral on various social media platforms both domestically and internationally. The song also topped charts in South Korea and achieved a Perfect All-Kill within five days of release. Internationally, the track reached #1 on iTunes in 30 countries, debuted at #129 on the Billboard Global 200, and achieved numerous other impressive milestones.
Then, at the end of January 29, IU announced the release of her sixth mini-album titled “The Winning” on February 20.
Finally, on January 30, Netflix unveiled images from the script reading session of IU and Park Bo gum, who will play leading characters in the TV series “When Life Gives You Tangerines.” The show is confirmed to be streamed on the Netflix platform in 190 countries and territories, and is expected to be a huge boost to IU’s global influence.
In each moment of January 2024, IU seems committed to reaching out more to her international audience, attempting to transcend new boundaries, and striving to assert herself through quality products, from music to film.
Source: Forbes
