IU Dishes on Upcoming Drama 'When Life Gives You Tangerines' and Teases 'Glamorous' Future Projects

Those who follow IU know that the singer possesses the Midas Touch — everything she works on, be it music, talk show appearances, or TV dramas, turns to gold.

In an interview with Billboard, the singer, who recently embarked on a sold-out world tour, dished on her upcoming 2025 drama, When Life Gives You Tangerines.

"It's a project filled with the cast and crew's hard work, and I'm excited to promote it," she said.

The slice-of-life drama, which features Park Bo-gum as her co-star and love interest, is set in Korea's Jeju Island in the 1950s and will follow the whimsical Ae-soon (played by IU), nicknamed the "remarkable rebel."

The idol, known for her insatiable work ethic, teased that that's not all she has up her sleeve this year.

"I'll also be filming a new drama with a completely different vibe — glamorous and fun," she said.

"Although I'll be focused on acting for most of 2025, I've already started working on new music, so fans won't have to wait too long for something fresh."

IU's long list of accomplishments (including multiple acting awards under her belt) has earned her the apt nickname "Korea's Little Sister" since her musical debut at age 15 and now Billboard has etched yet another trophy in stone by proclaiming her Korea's #1 Artist.

The magazine named her Korea's representative in their Global No. 1 initiative and cover issues, which relegates stars as the spokesperson for their home country, including the likes of Dua Lipa for the U.K., Creepy Nuts for Japan, Kun for China, and Geolier for Italy.

Among IU's seemingly endless laundry list of accolades, her single "Love Wins All" set her apart from her peers, when the track led Korea's Melon's TOP100 weekly chart for four consecutive weeks upon release on January 24, then proceeded to top February's monthly chart and later achieved 339 perfect all-kills (a monstrous feat when a song simultaneously tops real-time, daily and weekly components) on iChart.

"It's a bit humbling, a bit surreal, and honestly, it feels really special," she said, thanking Billboard for the award.

When Life Gives You Tangerines is scheduled to premiere on Netflix in 2024.