Known as “The Nation’s Little Sister,” IU has been achieving great success in the last few years as both a singer and a rising actress. However, her career as a K-Pop idol was not as smooth sailing as it may appear. Her path to fame and love by her uncle fans was a road with many rough patches.

IU first made her debut as a solo singer in 2008 at age 15 with “MIA” (also known as “Lost Child”). Although the song showcased her talent in singing, her live performances of the song were unfortunately met with great criticism. IU later recounted the reaction of anti-fans to her performances and said that they shouted at her, saying “Hey, you pig!” and “Get off stage!”

Although IU did not do as well as expected for her debut song, she began to gain a bit of popularity with her next singles in 2009, “Boo” and “Marshmallow.” Her musical talents in guitar-playing were also revealed to the audience as she performed self-composed medleys on music shows, including You Hee Yeol’s Sketchbook and Kim Jung Eun’s Chocolate.

At the time, although her fandom has started to grow larger, she was met with yet another obstacle. During one live performance for her song, “Marshmallow,” BEAST’s Yoseob, who was promoting the male group’s single “Mystery” at the time, was invited to be the main male dancer for her song. Although the two had cute chemistry during the performance, Yoseob’s loyal fans flooded IU’s mini-homepage with hate comments, and the homepage was eventually shut down because of the negative comments.

IU was finally able to leave the negative criticisms behind when she released her biggest hit, “Good Day” in 2010. The song featured her vocal talent by including three-octave high notes, which were considered by many as almost impossible to hit in one breath. Her high notes started a trend among K-Pop songs, which from then on also started to include high notes as a main feature. Performing the three-octave high notes for each live performance of the song took a toll on her voice, and she later stopped singing the high notes live. A large group of “uncle fans” also began to support IU’s endeavors as a singer.

Following her success with “Good Day,” her career as both a singer and actress finally took off in 2011. She landed a supporting role in her first drama, “Dream High,” and played Kim Pil Suk as an aspiring singer. Many praised her acting as natural, and commercial endorsements began to flood in. She also appeared in the hottest television shows at the time, including KBS Immortal Song 2 and SBS Kiss & Cry, and started MC-ing for music shows as well. She came back with another great song, “You and I,” and her talent as a singer was once again recognized.

Due to her sudden success as a singer, IU reportedly faced a lot of pressure to become even better. As a result, she lost a lot of weight and even developed a bald spot on the back of her head because of severe stress.

In 2012, IU seemed to have taken a hiatus from singing and acting in Korea, but it was also the time when she had her first solo nationwide concert tour called “Real Fantasy.” She also showed a very different side of her at the concert by putting on sexy dance performances, including HyunA’s “Trouble Maker” and Rain’s “Rainism.” Other than her concert tour, she also made her debut in Japan.

At the end of 2012, IU was amidst a huge scandal with Super Junior Eunhyuk. After she accidentally uploaded a picture of her and the Super Junior member seemingly in bed, wild speculations of the two dating spread online. Netizens even created an online café called “Ah-Jin-Yo” demanding the truth from the singer.

Although IU was much bothered by the scandal and rumors, she made her comeback in 2013 not as a singer but a leading actress in the now-airing drama, “You’re The Best, Lee Soon Shin.” Although the plot of the drama has received much criticism for its slow development, the drama undoubtedly showcases IU’s acting potential. Her natural acting in crying scenes and her beauty that was exuded in the drama received much praise.

Despite IU’s endeavors to show her potential as a new actress, previous rumors of the singer-actress and Super Junior Eunhyuk are resurfacing again, claiming that the two plan to get married in October. Although LOEN Entertainment has already denied these rumors as baseless, it seems that IU’s recent success as singer and actress has involved complicated scandals and sometimes negative criticism. Nonetheless, IU’s uncle fans continue to be proud and loyal fans, supporting IU through her ups and downs as both a talented singer and a rising actress.