IU wants to continue “to make people curious” with her music and acting

While K-Pop singer and actress IU is only 28 as per Western aging parameters, she is already 30 according to how age is calculated in Korea.

In a recent chat with Marie Claire (via Soompi), the Hotel Del Luna star shared how she is handling the prospect of leaving her twenties behind: by continuing to be a good musician and not limiting herself as an actor.

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Age has always impacted IU’s music creation

For IU, age has not been just a number as she has felt herself aging with time. She recounted how when she was watching the end-of-year awards show at home on New Year’s Eve and suddenly felt excited, something she hadn’t experienced in a very long time.

“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.”

IU admitted she is afraid of a time when she won’t have the ideal “physical condition that I desire” to continue being productive. Thus, she realized that “health was the most important.” To continue working for a long time, she has to be conscious about how she takes care of herself.

The artist revealed that from a “musical perspective,” too, her songs have been an ode to her changing age. An example is her song “Lilac,” her “farewell” to her 20s, and “a commemoration of me being 29.”

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Her approach is different when it comes to acting

While the star’s age plays a vital role in deciding the factors her music depends on, she prefers to take risks and seek unique roles as an actress.

“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.”

In the next ten years, as she crosses into her 30s, IU plans on being an actor “the public is willing to invest their time in” without questioning what kind of project she is working on. And as a successful musician, she wants to be able to continue making people “curious.”