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[TRANS] 211028 Elle Korea Magazine Interview with IU

‘I feel Gucci’ means I feel really good right now. Was there any moment today that you felt that way?

IU: The styling and size (of the photoshoot) suited me well, so I was able to pose confidently. I imagined myself to be a lady who wants to stay single and is quiet and loves riding horses (laughs).

I heard that you finished filming for the movie ‘Broker’ and the overseas shoot for ‘Dream’ has been postponed to next year. I get the sense that as a musician, you take the initiative without a doubt, but as an actress, you willingly offer yourself as a resource (for the film project).

IU: Ever since I took on the role as an album producer, I’ve become someone who tells stories on my own. I think taking on the producer, lyricist and performer roles gives me the benefit of the freedom to express myself independently. Yet, at the same time, the disadvantage is that it is hard for me to bring out something from within me. On the other hand, as an actress, my role is comparatively more defined. In the process of exchanging ideas with the director and other actors, there have been moments that I had unexpected strokes of luck. Both of the roles are always stimulating and tormenting me in their own different ways.

While you have emphasised the range of your abilities, there was a time when the 3-level high note defined who you were. Are you still concerned about improving your vocal techniques?

IU: As I was preparing for my 5th album ‘LILAC’, I put in effort to not neglect that aspect. I felt that at some point, I began to put more focus on conveying a certain message than on the vocals. Thinking that it’s high time that as a singer I should work harder to study vocals, I tried singing every track many times and thought hard about them. Without losing my identity, I plan to keep experimenting with new genres. Besides doing it for the listeners, it’s also something I have to do so that I myself would not get tired of it and can have fun doing music.

I don’t think we would get tired of listening to IU’s music though (laughs). Was there a definite turning point in your career?

IU: It was when I released ‘Palette’ at the age of 25. Back then, I felt that for the first time, I became someone who can’t be easily put aside. I think celebrity IU had taken an exam of a certain level and earned the ticket to be able to proceed to the next level.

You described it as an exam, so there were times when you had to be evaluated or when you received hate right? Although you’ve now become someone that people approve of and feel a sense of affinity towards. What does the public mean to you?

IU: They are people who lived through this era together with me. From writing and sharing honestly about the emotions and changes I felt as a person, I think I was able to naturally develop that sense of affinity. Of course, I think that my heart is more anxious though. The public is represented by different opinions and appearances, depending on the age group, but there’s only one of me standing in front of everyone throughout the past 13 years.

Even so, it is clearly true that for this particular generation, the IU impact is crazy. What’s something you want to tell girls younger than you that “it’s ok, they don’t have to be like that”?

IU: Trying too hard to make others satisfied. It seems that living in our society, at some point we would suddenly have this period when we become cynical or tough. It’s the moment when we realise that trying hard to receive that much favour and concern from others is honestly not that important in our lives. I also want to tell them to not be too afraid of embarrassing themselves. I think I missed out on quite a lot of fun because of that.

In the final song of the final album of your 20s, ‘Epilogue’, you wrote, ‘I won’t be anywhere, but perhaps my traces will be everywhere’. Your lyrics give the impression of being rather aloof. What kind of listeners did you have in mind as you wrote these lyrics?

IU: The listeners (I had in mind) for ‘Epilogue’ are all the people who loved me entirely, even if just for one brief moment. These are people who exchanged sincere feelings with me at least once. While the nuance of the song title might have watered it down slightly, it’s actually words I want to leave behind when I leave this world, which I selected and wrote as a letter, kind of like a final will.* It’s not a subject that came to my mind when I was feeling empty or lonely. Instead, I was in a ‘full’ mental state.

* (T/L note: An epilogue is a section or speech at the end of a book or play that serves as a comment on or a conclusion to what has happened. The meaning is slightly different from a will left behind by someone.)

You once said that there is no opposite to the concept of ‘loneliness’. Have you perhaps found your answer yet?

IU: I feel like my answer is wrong every time. I thought ‘elation’ would be the furthest in meaning from loneliness, but when I’m elated, I actually feel more lonely. What about ‘focus’ then? When I’m in a focused state, I don’t think I’ve ever felt lonely.

How do you feel about so many people laughing and crying and feeling happy and consoled by your songs?

IU: It’s a medal I cherish the most that cannot be replaced by anything else. There are times when I am motivated by the positive feedback of the listeners and also times when I am motivated by my own satisfaction (with my songs). It’s a close match between both types of motivation, I think. Self-satisfaction brings about a more fundamental happiness or sense of achievement. Feedback from others makes me more humble and objective.

Many people look forward to the depth and range of your understanding of emotions. What is it like when others are overflowing with sincerity towards you?

IU: In those moments, I become weak. For some reason, I feel sorry and melancholy as well. That’s why I received it negatively when I was young, since it made me weak and sad. I’m fine with it now though. I like the fact that someone else’s sincerity makes me feel weak and I like that it makes me feel like crying and if I do cry, that’s even better.

The current K-pop scene seems to be dominated by performances with strong visuals. One could say that artist IU’s position is specially regarded (in the K-pop scene).

IU: It’s fascinating. From the perspective of overseas audiences who don’t share the same language as us, it’s only natural that there’s a preference for concerts with amazing performances. My concerts are mainly my voice and narration, yet my concert team and I are proud that my overseas concert audience numbers keep increasing and the concert venues are getting larger. I’m always so touched by the effort that my audience put in to learn Korean and fully understand the lyrics to my songs.

What qualities do the people who assist you in your music and that you trust and work together with have, besides talent?

IU: Producer Lee Jong Hoon is one of my closest friends and who has had a big influence on my way of thinking and values since I was 15 years old, so I will use him as an example. Whether in the past or nowadays, when we meet, we would sit in the studio with delicious food in front of us and talk about this and that for a long time, until we have nothing else to talk about and only then would we start to craft something. We are not embarrassed about worthless ideas or meaningless ‘rubbish’. I think it’s something that is true across all the people around me whom I have worked with for a long time. Besides talking about work, there are many things I want to talk to them about. They are a bunch of very charming people.

[IU’s Homebody Signal 2 with Kim Eana, EP2-2

IU: “I’m sure there are people who do have wrong ideas about me, since there are so many people. But of those people (who like me), there is a good number of people who know about me. As complicated as my thoughts are when it comes to certain matter, other people have complex thoughts as well. So people don’t think that simple (they’re not naive/ one-dimensional creations). For instance, for the reasons that people like someone, they don’t just like that person for their kindness or their wits or smartness (just one aspect of that person). Everyone is complex (three-dimensional) enough to recognise someone/ thing that is complex (three-dimensional).”]

Q. In IU’s Homebody Signal 2, your conversation about “other people (fans) are as complicated and three-dimensional as I do” with lyricist Kim Eana was memorable. When did you begin having this thought?

IU: “Because I myself alone am someone who is three-dimensional and complicated (already). The majority of the people who understand me well also acknowledge that.* Because I feel less suffocating** facing these people, I work hard to look at them and try to understand them (three-dimensional creations) from (a three dimensional perspective) like they do. (IU asking herself) ‘Others think as deeply as I do. Why do you (I) ruminate on what they’re thinking as well?’*** If I think this way, I’ll have less matters to get mad about and less hasty anticipations. I’ll have faith / come to trust that person’s judgement, too.”****

(TL note:

*People in here refers to those who are three-dimensional and complicated. It takes a three-dimensional to recognise another.

**The original wording literally translates to ‘breathe easier’. IU’s trying to say that because these people understand her well, she doesn’t have to worry all the time that they will misinterpret / have wrong ideas about her action / words. When she’s with them, she’s in her comfort zone. (An example would be sharing her thoughts casually on fancafe 😆)

***IU’s trying to reassure herself that these people are not as one-dimensional as she thinks. Because they are three-dimensional, they think as far and complicated as she does, so there’s no need to worry about anything, let alone guessing what kind of ‘one-dimensional’ thoughts they might have.

****Judgement over the things that she worries other people may misinterpret of. Th judgements may also include stuff that she has to make decisions on. These people probably also take into account of all the things she can think of before arriving at a certain decision / choice like she does. She isn’t the only one who’s thought about this and that, weighed the pros and cons of certain matters to come to a certain decision.)

If you were to pinpoint a time when you experienced a really deep affection and love from others?

IU: Occasionally, my concerts last 5 hours. We call it en-encore when I take song requests from the audience and sing them. The audience is so sharp that if I slightly overdo it, they start yelling that it's alright to stop (singing). They would be like "it's fine to stop singing now", "you've worked so hard". During those moments, I would wonder exactly what the feelings of the people sitting in the audience are like. Even though they support me, love me and are proud of me who is standing on stage, they also feel bad for me, worry for me and wish that I don't take on too tough a battle... I sense all of that. I feel grateful for their feelings, which is why I work even harder. When I wrap up my concert, I can't help being filled with a love for mankind.

Just like the lyrics in ‘Spring of a Twenty Year Old’, which you sang at the age of 20, it’s hard to continue to have just innocent feelings as you get older. Do you anticipate that you will meet your soulmate?

IU: I’m actually optimistic about the future of (my) love (life) as I get older. I think I was more defensive when I was young, but nowadays, I’m filled with slightly more anticipation towards (my) love (life). I have occasional thoughts that it would be great if somehow I could meet someone who understands everything and we can give each other a safe sense of happiness. But, well, a really passionate and fiery romance that burns the whole house down would be fine too.

What if one day people don’t listen as much to IU's music?

IU: At 18 years old, I topped the charts for the first time with ‘Nagging’ and right away with ‘Good Day’ again and I thought, “Perhaps my life is going to change from now on”, since then, I have been kind of training for this in my imagination. I’ll feel slightly bitter for a very short while, but I think I’ll be able to accept it soon after that. Since I’m someone who adapts so quickly that it’s like I have no feelings of affection (laughs). “To be honest, for a really long time I’ve taken what doesn’t belong to me*”, I’ll think as I praise myself once and then go and check out the most popular music that people are listening to.

* (T/L note: IU is being humble here and feels that she doesn’t deserve all her achievements, so she has ‘taken’ them without permission, so she is fine with letting go of them.)

I recall that you said during one of your concerts, “I hope that even if there is less affection in the world, people would still love each other as they live on.” Where does this expectation and affection for the world and people come from?

IU: From the flawless type of love that I have received in my life and the love I have given someone else before, I think I became convinced that people are worth loving. Or perhaps that’s what I would like to believe. One might regard humans as not worth loving and that life is purely a punishment, but I wouldn’t want to live my life being so cynical. I want to love and be loved.

Your popular song ‘Dear Name’ comes to mind, so to IU, the name ‘Lee Jieun’ is...?

IU: Reliable. Just like how I have lived, I think (a person with this name) will be able to fight on and lead a good life.

BONUS questions from Elle Korea’s online homepage

You have been constantly keeping in contact and connecting with other musicians. In particular, you’ve really been looking out for musicians who are your juniors, like AKMU and Oh My Girl. What did you have in mind which led to all this?

IU: Initially, I was grateful that they like me (as a singer), so I started paying attention to them and watching them progress. Anyway, they are great people, so as I watched them, I became fans of them too. When I was a rookie, I received a lot of love and support from senior musicians and that gave me motivation. I felt that I wanted to become someone who could pass those feelings on (to others). Even though until now I still don’t quite believe I have the career experience to be called a ‘sunbae’ (senior).

I’m happy that as a Korean, I can understand what IU’s lyrics mean right away. Have you ever felt like you completely understood the meaning of a text being conveyed, with no filter?

IU: A song comes to my mind right now. It’s the song ‘Harim - A New Love Helps You Move On’. When I first heard this song, I recall myself stopping in my tracks to listen to it. I was only about 15 years old then and had no real experience of being in love, yet I felt the empty sadness like someone who broke up with a lover after 7 years of seeing each other. Based on that, it seems that one does not necessarily need to have experienced something to be able to relate to it.

I’ve said that as we get older, we tend to become more stubborn. Do you feel worried that as your influence becomes stronger, it gets harder for people to speak to you frankly or give you advice?

My attitude is that I’m not domineering towards others and I keep watching out for whether the person is just giving me an obligatory response. Even if it might be a totally contrasting opinion, I would say let’s finish listening to it first. Recently, someone told me that even if I intend to add variety to my pronunciation, the person hopes that as a musician whose lyrics are to her advantage, even for a song with a strong rhythm, the lyrics should be conveyed clearly. I paid attention to that during the recording and mixing of my new song and I think what the person said fits this song well. Once again, I felt that the sensible feedback by people who care for me is that important.

Translated by IUteamstarcandy

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