Shocking update: Singer–actress IU is postponing her upcoming performances and the release of her 6th studio album after her ear condition took a turn for the worse.
On July 20, agency EDAM Entertainment announced, "We determined that IU's recent ear condition makes it difficult to proceed with concerts," adding, "Prioritizing the artist's health, we decided to adjust the September Goyang Stadium show and all subsequent schedules, including the release timeline for her 6th full-length album."
IU also posted a long letter to fans the same day through her fan platform, asking for understanding. "My chronic patulous eustachian tube symptoms have recently worsened," she revealed. "For several days straight, the symptoms continued day and night, and I repeatedly struggled to find my condition when singing."
Patulous eustachian tube (PET) is a disorder where the eustachian tube, which should normally stay closed, abnormally remains open, causing one's own voice and breathing to sound uncomfortably loud. IU explained that while she found workarounds to finish studio recording, concerts are a different story. "There's little disruption to daily life, but singing is directly tied to ear condition," she said. "Experts advised that large-scale concerts—where the activity range is big and I sweat a lot—would be too much to handle for the time being."
IU had been preparing a long-awaited nationwide tour starting with a Goyang show this September. However, as her ear hasn't recovered easily, she decided to postpone the tour in its entirety.
The release schedule for her 6th full album, which was being prepared alongside the concerts, will also be adjusted. About the new record, IU said, "Because the concerts and tour were the main promotion, this is an album that's inseparable from the tour. Unavoidably, the release will have to be pushed back a bit as well."
IU shared that multiple tracks are already mixed and the jacket photos have been shot. "The album is really good. It's not that the diverse activities and performances fitting a full-length album are disappearing—it's just being delayed by a few months," she emphasized. She then promised, "Because of the delay, we'll polish things even more and return with a better result and satisfying promotions."
In closing, IU expressed her determination to focus on treatment and recovery, aiming to reunite with fans by early 2027 at the latest. "I'll devote myself to recovering in the second half of this year so that we can at least start 2027 together," she added.