| Yiruma | |||||||||||
| Birth Name: | Lee Ru-ma | ||||||||||
| Native Name: | 이루마 | ||||||||||
| Native Name Lang: | ko | ||||||||||
| Birth Date: | 1978 2, df=y | ||||||||||
| Birth Place: | Seoul, South Korea | ||||||||||
| Nationality: | South Korean | ||||||||||
| Alma Mater: | King's College London | ||||||||||
| Occupation: | Composer and pianist | ||||||||||
| Years Active: | 2001–present | ||||||||||
| Employer: | Mind Tailor Music | ||||||||||
| Website: | mind-tailor.com | ||||||||||
| Module: |
| ||||||||||
Lee Ru-ma (Korean: 이루마; born 15 February 1978), better known by his stage name Yiruma (Korean: 이루마|links=no), is a South Korean pianist and composer.
Yiruma was born in Seoul to a pastor. At five years old, he began learning the piano and moved to the United Kingdom, where he attended the Purcell School for Young Musicians[1] and graduated from King's College London.[2]
After graduation, Yiruma returned to South Korea and released his debut album, Love Scene, in 2001. His breakthrough came when the track "When Love Falls" was used as the theme for Choi Ji-woo's character in the hugely popular drama Winter Sonata. The surge of interest in his music led to him holding his first solo concert in April 2002.[3] He gained wider public recognition for composing the soundtrack of the animation Doggy Poo[4] and performing the piano versions of the soundtracks from the popular 2006 drama Spring Waltz.[5] After completing his military service, he made his comeback with a nationwide tour spanning twenty different cities and featured Kim Bum-soo and Lee Hyun-woo as guest singers. On 1 January 2009, he became a DJ for KBS 1FM Yiruma's Music from All Around the World.[6]
Yiruma's 2011 compilation album The Best: Reminiscent, 10th Anniversary debuted at number three in the Billboard classical charts in July 2020 and reached number one just two weeks later; Billboard classical charts had done away with its rules of only counting albums sold in the United States and recognizing albums released in the last eighteen months.[7] His music has seen a resurgence in popularity due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns in 2020. Several videos of his compositions posted on YouTube and other social media platforms have garnered millions of views, including "River Flows in You".[8]
From 2010 to 2011, Yiruma began presenting the MBC music program Wednesday Art Stage (수요예술무대) alongside singer Bobby Kim. The duo initially raised eyebrows due to their vastly different musical backgrounds and genres and the fact that they had no hosting or presenting experience but their candidness won audiences over.[9] [10] He and Kim returned when the program was revived in 2013 and rebranded as TV Art Stage (TV 예술무대). They were joined by actress and former newsreader Kim Sung-kyung.[11]
In 2010, Yiruma filed a civil suit against his then-label Stomp Music to terminate his exclusive contract due to unfair payment percentages, with the judge mediating an agreement that the company should pay 30% of the profits to him. He filed a second lawsuit in 2018 as the company had failed to fulfill the condition. However, Stomp Music appealed the initial trial and the case was brought to the Supreme Court. In April 2024, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal and ordered the company to pay Yiruma his overdue share of the profits, which had amounted to 2.6 billion won (US$) by then.[12] [13]
Yiruma previously held British citizenship, which he voluntarily renounced in order to enlist for mandatory military service.[14] [15] He enlisted in the Republic of Korea Navy in July 2006 and was assigned to public relations duties.[16] [17] He was discharged in August 2008.[18]
In April 2007, while on leave, Yiruma married his girlfriend Son Hye-im, the older sister of actress and former Miss Korea contestant Son Tae-young.[19] [17] In 2008, they had a daughter.[20] [21]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR [22] | US Class- ical [23] | US New Age | |||
| Love Scene |
| — | — | — | |
| First Love |
| 67 | 3 | 4 |
|
| From the Yellow Room |
| 11 | — | — |
|
| Poemusic |
| 97 | — | — |
|
| H.I.S. Monologue |
| — | — | — | |
| P.N.O.N.I. |
| — | — | — | |
| Stay in Memory |
| 11 | — | — |
|
| Blind Film |
| 15 | — | — |
|
| Piano |
| 23 | — | — |
|
| Frame |
| 36 | — | — |
|
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUT [31] | GER [32] | KOR | SWI [33] | US Class- ical | US New Age | |||
| Piano Museum |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Destiny of Love |
| — | — | — | — | — | — |
|
| Ribbonized |
| — | — | 14 | — | — | — | |
| The Best: Reminiscent 10th Anniversary |
| — | — | 8 | — | 1 | 1 |
|
| The Very Best of Yiruma: Yiruma & Piano |
| — | — | 8 | — | — | — |
|
| The Very Best of Yiruma: River Flows in You |
| 72 | 29 | — | 84 | — | — | |
| Healing Piano |
| — | — | 28 | — | — | — |
|
| Atmosfera |
| — | — | 19 | — | — | — |
|
| Piano Serenade |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| The First Special Moment with Your Baby |
| — | — | 34 | — | — | — | |
| Yiruma: The Best Winter |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| The Rewritten Memories |
| |||||||
| Title | EP details | Peak chart positions | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| KOR | |||
| Nocturnal Lights... They Scatter |
| — |
|
| Movement on a Theme by Yiruma |
| — | |
| Movement on a Theme by Yiruma: 2nd Movement |
| — | |
| Room with a View |
| 90 | |
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Sales | Certifications | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR [39] | AUT | FRA [40] | GER | SWI | ||||||
| "Un homme et une femme" (남(男) & 여(女)) | 2001 | — | — | — | — | — | Love Scene | |||
| "River Flows in You" | 24 | 11 | 62 | 20 | 41 | First Love / River Flows in You single album (2011) | ||||
| "Kiss the Rain" | 2003 | — | — | — | — | — | From the Yellow Room | |||
| "Nocturnal Lights... They Scatter" | 2004 | — | — | — | — | — | Nocturnal Lights... They Scatter | |||
| "Wonder Boy" (가을과 겨울이 만났다) | 2005 | — | — | — | — | — | Poemusic | |||
| "Lord... Hold My Hand" | 2006 | — | — | — | — | — | H.I.S. Monologue | |||
| "Loanna" | 2008 | — | — | — | — | — | P.N.O.N.I. | |||
| "River Flows in You" | 2009 | 91 | — | — | — | — | Movement on a Theme by Yiruma | |||
| "To My Heart" (나에게로) | — | — | — | — | — | Movement on a Theme by Yiruma: 2nd Movement | ||||
| "Kiss the Rain" | 2012 | 9 | — | — | — | — |
| |||
| "Stay in Memory" (기억에 머무르다) | — | — | — | — | — | Stay in Memory | ||||
| "Blind Film" | 2013 | — | — | — | — | — | Blind Film | |||
| "Dance" | 2015 | — | — | — | — | — | Piano | |||
| "Sick of You" (해로운 너) | 2017 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Flower" | — | — | — | — | — | Frame | ||||
| "Framed" (String Version) | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "Couldn't Put in Words" (못다한 내 마음을) | 2018 | — | — | — | — | — | The Way You Keep Friendship – SSaW Tribute Vol.5 | |||
| "Room with a View" | 2020 | — | — | — | — | — | Room with a View | |||
| "Sunset Bird" | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "Darling" (달링) | — | — | — | — | — | |||||