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Is IU OK? Hearing disorder has fans worried about K-pop singer's future

IU's revelation makes her Olympic Stadium concert - where she made history as the first female K-pop idol to perform - seem bittersweet

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA: K-pop singer IU not only celebrated her 14th debut anniversary but also became the first female idol to hold a concert at the Jamsil Olympic Stadium. With a 70k seating capacity, IU's anniversary concert was also pretty star-studded, with the likes of BTS and TWICE members in attendance. But in a documentary that showed her usual concert preparation, it seems that IU's hearing disorder has returned.

Dubbed 'nation's sweetheart', IU debuted at the tender age of 15. Her vocals are unrivaled as she often experiments with a wide range of genres from ballads to pop rock. She is also a successful actress and walked the red carpet at Cannes Film Festival for her film 'Broker'. But in a 2021 concert documentary, IU revealed that she had a hearing disorder and would often struggle as her anxiety would affect her hearing.

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IU suffers from hearing disorder

At the 'Golden Hour' concert that was held on September 16 and 17, IU confessed that her hearing disorder has returned. "There is a slight problem with my ear, so I was very nervous while preparing for this concert," she said. Fans were heartbroken as there were moments where IU was visibly struggling. They also brought back into memory IU's struggles while she had her ears checked in the 2021 documentary 'Pieces'.

The singer said, "My ears are a little bad these days. My ears open on their own, so my hearing is similar to how you hear when yawning. When I hear myself sing, it becomes too loud and rings." IU is diagnosed with Patulous Eustachian Tube Dysfunction. It can especially affect a singer's vocation as one's own voice is heard louder than normal. It also interferes with normal hearing as one can hear their own breathing or pumping of blood loudly. IU added it gets worse while singing. "When I’m anxious, there is a pressure that becomes greater when I sing, so my ears open more easily," she said.

'So painful'

Fans think the revelation makes the concert feel bittersweet now. One fan said, "Hearing this after knowing, hearing from iu itself that her ear condition is back and not okay again." Another said, "It’s so painful to watch bcs u can notice how she is trying to hear the music and the notes well. there’s this quick pauses bcs she obv is having a hard time hearing it." One fan added, "Listening to My Sea after hearing IU’s ear condition our lil bub who always work hard to give us the best show FOREVER WITH 1U4ENA."

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