IU appeared as a guest on KBS 2TV's talk show "Art of Conversation," where she talked about her music and how she recovered through difficult times on her career over the past 10 years. IU, whose real name is Lee Ji Eun, is a popular South Korean singer-songwriter and actress. She debuted in 2008 and gained popularity with her single "Lost Child" and her follow-up debut studio album "Growing Up," and debuted her acting career in 2011 in the TV series "Dream High."
Looking back at her career, Soompi reported, UI worked hard and did what is necessary to survive whatever is on the way. She booked jobs for herself, wherein she was once a VJ for a game channel and appeared as a regular guest on 10 radio shows.
The success of her hit song "Good Day" turned her career well. IU shared she thought the three-level high notes were impossible to hit and felt pressured, so she had to breathe longer for it to last. During her concerts, she sings this as her last song because it's her biggest hit song. She said her three-hour concert would be a failure if she can't hit the three-level pitch.
IU then talked about her bad days through her career, saying she had a "big slump" at the age of 22. That's the year where she released "A Flower Bookmark," which also had a good result like the "Good Day. She said the public thought she was successful at that age, but she mentally considered it as her worst year - and she doesn't know the exact reason as to why she felt that way.
IU said she was nervous coming at the stage, scared of TV shows and cameras. She said her face is turning red and she started sweating when receiving a lot of attention, making her unable to sing. She even said there was a time where she needed to take mood stabilizers for her to perform.
When asked what she did to recover on this big slump, she shared the big change she had to do as a musician. IU decided to produce her music, saying she'd rather live comfortably and shabbily than live gloriously and nervously.
"No matter what I become, I need to produce my own music, and that's what I did starting then," she said. IU explained that out of all the things she did as a musician, the most fun of all is the process of producing music.
Meanwhile, Yoo Hee Yeol commented during the interview that IU frowns and looks serious when she's having the most fun. IU agreed to that comment, saying that she's making that expression but there's a party going on inside - like an amusement park.
