“I’m sorry for ruining your second half” IU cancels September concerts as her eustachian tube disorder worsens

IU declares “second half put on pause”… the trap of the eustachian tube disorder that has swept up the release of the 6th album and the September concert

Singer and actress 'IU' will fully halt major plans for the second half of this year due to worsening 'eustachian tube disorder', a chronic hearing condition. The 'Goyang concert', scheduled for September, has moved into a cancellation process, and the 'sixth studio album' release—one that built expectations among fans—has also been postponed indefinitely.

On the 20th, 'IU' directly disclosed her health condition through the fan communication platform 'Berrys'. She said, “The symptoms of my long-standing 'eustachian tube disorder' are getting worse,” and “I’m sorry—I think I may have ruined all of your second halves,” sharing her bleak feelings. She added, “I think I pushed myself because of work drive for the past few years. For the past few days, the symptoms have been continuing day and night, and the same thing keeps happening—it's difficult to find my condition when I'm singing,” describing the urgent situation in which she cannot get on stage.

'Eustachian tube disorder' is an ear-nose-and-throat condition in which the eustachian tube, the space inside the eardrum, stays abnormally open even in normal times. Along with an autophony condition in which her breathing sound or voice rings loudly, it causes discomfort such as the sensation of blocked ears, making it a devastating obstacle for singers who need to control tiny pitch changes.

Medical professionals and other experts said they have a firm view that, for health reasons, it is currently unreasonable to carry out large-scale 'concert' events involving a wide activity range and heavy sweating. The schedule for the 'sixth studio album'—which had been planned with a tour as a core promotion—also became unavoidable to revise across the board.

Her agency 'Idam Entertainment' said in an official statement, “After careful discussion with the artist’s health as the top priority, we decided to adjust this year’s schedule across the board.” 'IU' left a firm promise to fans, saying, “I will do my best to make sure waiting doesn’t stretch out any longer, and I’ll come back as soon as possible with a new album and performances.”