With the promise to ‘'meet again when strawberry moon comes up', IU is ready to greet Uaenas (IU fandom) again to celebrate 13 years in the K-pop industry. IU has been a well-known face in the industry - as a musician first and then as an actor. IU last released her fifth full-length album ‘Lilac’ in March of 2021, which was an immediate commercial success that topped several charts while all of her tracks had simultaneously charted in the top 30 of the Gaon Digital Chart. The album's second single of the same name also topped the iTunes album chart in 11 countries.

Coupled with her soft and beautiful voice and humble personality, IU came to be known as the nation’s little sister, which is a term used in the South Korean entertainment industry and refers to "a young female celebrity in her late teens to early twenties who is cute, bright, and innocent." With so many years in the industry, IU seems well deserving of this title.

As of October 2021, I​​U will continue on with her title and maintain the cute, innocent, and cheery atmosphere with the upcoming release of her digital single ‘Strawberry Moon.’ While talking about her upcoming release, she said, “I wanted to make a very easy song. I hoped it would be a song that didn't make anyone think too much or feel sad when they heard it. I hope that this single will be enjoyed by the fans in a very comfortable way.”

READ MORE

IU and EXO's Kai 'serve looks' as they stun on Elle's covers as Gucci ambassadors

Top K-pop releases in October: With IU, CL, bugAboo and Secret Number female acts rule

Release date

IU’s digital single ‘Strawberry Moon’ will be released on October 19 at 12 am KST (11 am ET).

How to listen

The digital single from IU will be released on all major music streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, MelOn, and more.

Concept

Fans of IU were moved by the concept photos released by IU. On October 4, IU release the first concept photo to tease her upcoming single. In the promo, IU is seen sitting on top of a scoop of strawberry ice cream in a black dress while holding two strawberry ice cream cones in her hand. She provides dreamlike imagery from the poster of the song, which has raised expectations of fans, who are suspecting a range of concepts including fairy tale - one that shows her free-spirited charm as well as one that will bring out a romantic atmosphere.

In other concept images that followed, IU is seen sitting inside a magenta car, in front of a strawberry pink background which had the lyrics of the song written over it. Another concept photo was posted on IU’s Instagram page where she was seen sitting in a movie theatre where the male lead of her story can be seen seated a few seats apart, which proves the start of a new romantic journey.

Teaser

Following the release of multiple concept photos, IU also released the motion teaser for her single. On October 8, Edam Entertainment, the agency that manages IU, unveiled the concept moving teaser for IU’s upcoming digital single, ‘Strawberry Moon.’ In the concept moving teaser, fans are able to see an English newspaper that contains the information about ‘Strawberry Moon’ with the headline that reads “IU’s ‘Strawberry Moon that makes love come true will rise”, with the clip of two people holding hands while facing the pink moon. In the teaser, fans are also able to see a clip of IU holding a retro camera while taking a photo along with the phrase: “Different names to call a full moon”.

Watch the teaser below.