IU's Sixth Album Is on Hold: Here's the Ear Condition Behind the Delay

IU canceled her September Goyang concert and postponed her sixth studio album on July 20, announcing both decisions herself through a post on fan platform Weverse. The cause is a worsening case of patulous Eustachian tube disorder, a chronic condition she says she has been managing for years while continuing to overwork.

In her message to fans, IU said symptoms have intensified in recent months, now running continuously day and night for stretches of several days at a time. "I think I may have pushed myself a little too hard out of work ambition without paying enough attention to my condition over the past few years," she wrote. The most direct impact on her work: singing consistently has become increasingly difficult when symptoms flare.

Patulous Eustachian tube disorder occurs when the tube connecting the middle ear to the back of the throat remains abnormally open instead of closing as it normally should. The result is a persistent sensation of fullness or blockage in the ear, and for a vocalist, the condition can make it hard to monitor pitch and tone in real time.

Doctors advised IU that high-exertion activities involving heavy sweating and extensive physical movement, meaning concerts, would be inadvisable for the time being. She said she leaned into that guidance rather than fight it. "I feel so heavy-hearted and sorry that I can't keep my promise about the concert," she wrote. "I'm sorry for ruining everyone's second half of the year."

The album delay follows directly from the cancellation. IU had planned for live performances and a full tour to serve as the primary promotional vehicle for what would be her sixth full-length record, so without those concerts, she and her agency decided to push the release window back. She asked fans to wait a little longer, committing to return "as quickly as possible" with both new music and live shows.

EDAM Entertainment confirmed the decision in a separate statement, saying the company and IU jointly concluded that her current ear condition made it unsafe to proceed with concert activity. The agency said all schedule adjustments for the year were made after careful deliberation with her health as the primary consideration.

There is no revised release date on record for the album or a replacement concert. Given how central the live component was to the promotional plan, the timeline is genuinely open. The sixth album has been a long-anticipated project, and IU's willingness to delay it rather than decouple it from the live experience suggests she intends to present it the way she originally envisioned, once her health allows.