Singer IU has postponed her new album release and solo concert schedule after a worsening of patulous Eustachian tube dysfunction, a chronic ear condition.
Her agency, EDAM Entertainment, said Monday that IU's symptoms had recently worsened to the point where performing would be inadvisable. After careful deliberation, with the artist's health and the quality of her stage performances as the top priorities, the agency decided to reschedule her planned September concert at Goyang Stadium — which was to serve as the launch of a second-half nationwide tour — along with all subsequent concert dates and the release of her sixth full-length album.
Patulous Eustachian tube dysfunction is a condition in which the Eustachian tube, located behind the eardrum, remains abnormally open, causing a person's own voice and breathing sounds to echo loudly in the ear. For professional singers who require precise pitch control, the condition poses a serious challenge on stage.
IU addressed fans directly in a lengthy post on her official fan platform, Weverse, expressing her apologies.
"My chronic patulous Eustachian tube symptoms have been getting worse of late," she wrote. "I've been managing it as best I can, but the weather seems to be a factor as well. I sometimes wonder if I pushed myself a little too hard over the past few years, too focused on work to think about my condition. My ear symptoms have always fluctuated on their own, but recently they've been persisting day and night for days on end, and I keep finding it harder to get into the right condition when I sing."
She added that while she had successfully completed studio recording using her own techniques, medical professionals had advised that performing at a large-scale concert — which demands a wide range of physical activity, significant stamina and heavy perspiration — would be too much of a strain.
IU had planned to kick off a nationwide tour in the second half of 2026 with the Goyang Stadium concert in September, where she had hoped to spend meaningful time with members of her fan club, "Uaena."
"I feel truly sorry for ruining what could have been a happy second half of 2026 for all of us because of my condition," she wrote.
The album delay is also tied to the promotional concept for the sixth album, which is built around a global tour and large-scale live performances. IU said she had recently completed jacket photography with a distinctive look and that mixing work on most of the tracks had been finished in collaboration with a new team. "I'm more satisfied with the musical quality than ever," she wrote. "I'm just taking a brief pause to amplify what I can deliver through the stage."
She also moved to ease fans' concerns, expressing strong determination to recover. "Patulous Eustachian tube dysfunction is not a condition that causes severe pain or makes daily life impossible," IU said. "Please don't worry that I'm seriously ill. I will devote myself to intensive treatment and improving my condition in the second half of the year, and I will do everything in my power to welcome the start of 2027 together with my fans at the latest."
EDAM Entertainment said it would spare no effort in supporting IU so she can take the stage in the best possible condition, adding that specific details on her comeback and concert schedule would be announced through official channels at a later date.
shee@heraldcorp.com
