Not everyone would choose to spend their hard-earned weekends cramped outside the baking heat of the Philippine Arena, lacking sleep, and nourishment, their vehicle parked way away, squeezed among crowds of young people, risking being enveloped in an unpleasant blend of body odor and cologne.
Not many would choose that indeed, except of course, when IU has come to visit.
The Korean sensation, who is adored by many, has held a nearly godlike status in the country for quite some time. This is remarkable, given that she has only visited once before, back in 2019 before the pandemic.
The show, which was a meticulous curation of the singer’s extensive music catalog, was a comprehensive experience. It showcased her versatility, encompassing both familiar classics and her latest releases. IU’s setlist demonstrated her renowned wide-ranging vocal abilities.
The major highlight was a local gift – a carefully, rehearsed rendition of Sunkissed Lola’s “Pasilyo,” a song she recently discovered and has grown to love. The local group was deeply appreciative, and the audience was naturally enthralled, and it was just the beginning.
So on that warm, first Saturday evening of June, the stadium transformed into a sea of lights and music to accommodate perhaps the biggest solo artist living near our shores. Most have arrived early, many booking hotel rooms overnight, simply to get their first glimpse of her arriving at the venue.
“Worth it, talaga siya,” says Liddy, 22, a call center rep from Cebu City. “The minute I heard she was coming, my friend and I dropped everything, filed our vacation leaves, and reserved our plane tickets right away. This was a once-in-a-lifetime thing for us.”
For Hans, 27, a registered nurse in Makati, it was simply the thrill of seeing her live. “I work graveyard at the hospital (from 10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m.), and just got back from duty,” he says. “Meron na naman akong shift tomorrow, pero I just can’t miss this.”
It is, indeed a common line among UAENAs (the affectionate nickname for her fans), where this type of devotion to IU has made her recent HEREH World Tour a resounding success. Her concerts sell out within hours after tickets are made available.
Hits like “Blueming”, “Eight”, “Bbibbi”, and the recent “Strawberry Moon”, “Celebrity”, and “Holssi” have already blossomed into modern-day classics, just as her albums seem to have reached the top of the charts.
People just can’t get enough of her, never mind her second exposure as an already established, multi-awarded actress in K-dramas, or the fact that she rarely, if ever, grants interviews with the mainstream media that encapsulates her growth as a world-class entertainer. She is all her own doing.
Born into a poor, working-class family, IU (Lee Ji-Eun) faced significant challenges on her path to success. Despite possessing a naturally soulful voice and attractive features, she didn’t fit the conventional standards of beauty. She encountered rejection numerous times during talent show auditions, and when she did succeed, she often fell victim to scams, losing money in the process.
She remained, however, strong, ambitious, and willing to go that extra mile. All it took was an awe-inspiring fortitude to believe, and an unmistakable luck and timing.
In fact, it wasn’t until “Good Day” in 2010 – a song considered by Billboard Magazine to be the best K-pop song of the last decade, one she had just ‘retired’, and one that Filipino UAENAs (MAAENAs) memorized and sang a capella before her encore (to her surprised delight) that ultimately propelled her into superstardom.
Most, if not all, solo K-pop artists typically start their careers as part of a group (think New Jeans), and then break out to pursue solo endeavors once they’ve gained recognition. IU, however, never followed this path, which is why she stands out as an enigma—an unexpected anomaly in the Asian music industry. And it’s this uniqueness that ensures she’ll continue to stand out.
Family and friends of this writer, to be honest, were quite bewildered when I proclaimed myself to be a fan of IU. Growing up in an environment of classical musicians and so-called classic rock enthusiasts, one could see their confusion. The fact that I am not a fan of either Blackpink or BTS adds to it.
Perhaps it has something to do with her attributes—her politeness and genuine character, the meticulous preparation for her shows, and her ability to disregard any concerns about how she might be perceived, thereby shifting the focus to positive aspects. The way she handles these elements more than compensates for the occasional distortion in the sound system at the Philippine Arena, which is often necessary due to the overwhelming screams or shrieks that occasionally overshadow her voice.
“Basta nakita ko ulit siya, that’s all that matters po, para sakin,” Hans says, waving goodbye with his souvenir and memorabilia from IU’s mother given to all her fans who attended the concert. “Good luck po sa aking pag-uwi, kasi kayod na ulit bukas!”
In the end, IU was and is all that she is hyped up to be, and the type to give it her all: Lovely, cultured, wonderfully and hilariously patronizing at times (“Sobrang galing ninyo lahat kumanta!”). But mostly, she is herself. And she is back – BO and cologne be damned!
Presented by PLDTHome, IU’s HEREH World Tour was staged at Philippine Arena in Santa Maria, Bulacan on Saturday, June 1. Images from Pulp Live Facebook page