Is IU The Last National Singer In Korea’s Mainstream Music Industry? Netizens React

Melon magazine recently released an article about the emergence of national singers amid an industry dominated by K-pop.

They felt that she just might be the last “national singer” created by the Korean mainstream industry.

“Singer IU is a singer-songwriter who pursued auteurism in a fragmented Korean pop music market. She earned the title of ‘nation’s little sister’ in an industry centered around system management by agencies.

She continued to improve and refine her talents through collaborations, earning the status of a national singer loved by all generations.

She made remakes of famous Korean songs released an album series with the concept of age, and became relatable to people of all ages. She refused to conform to management from an agency and established her own company, gaining power over her music.

She is the first Korean female solo artist to perform at the Olympic Stadium and is undisputedly the representative singer of the 2010s. She might even be the last national singer the Korean pop music industry has created.”

Netizens agreed that there isn’t a generation that doesn’t know IU.

“With the mainstream changing it looks like it will be hard for another national singer to be born. Back then, we only had TV.”
“True, with the system now, it looks like it will be difficult.”
“Agreed, it will be hard for another one to come out now.”

“I totally agree…IU.”
“Yup.”
“Yes, no. disagreements here.”
“If you’re asking if the whole nation knows the song, then yes it’s IU.”
“Yea, it could be because I saw IU’s teens, 20s, and 30s.”
“Yup.”
“Agreed, and the industry currently doesn’t have the structure to have another one, so I think she is truly the last.”

“Yes. I feel it more because I saw her from the beginning.”
“Yeah, even my grandparents know IU. The people who knew her from debut were in their 20s-30s, so they are in their 40s-50s now.”
“If you combine teens and elders, then they are right. But if you ask ‘Do you know her songs’ instead of ‘Do you know IU?’”
“If you are talking about if you know of IU, then there will be a lot of people who know her. It’s like that with Lim Young Woong too. But if you ask about which singer, which song, and which lyrics, it’s possible for IU.”

What are your thoughts on this? Is IU really the last “nation’s singer” in the industry?

Source: melon