Lee Ru-ma ( ko, 이루마; born 15 February 1978), better known by his stage name Yiruma ( ko, 이루마, links=no), is a South Korean pianist and composer.

Biography

Yiruma was born in Seoul to a pastor. At age five, he began learning the piano and moved to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, where he attended the

Purcell School for Young Musicians The Purcell School for Young Musicians is a specialist music school for children, located in the town of Bushey, south Hertfordshire, England, and is the oldest specialist music school in the UK. The school was awarded the UNESCO Mozart Medal i ...

and graduated from

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

. After graduation, Yiruma returned to South Korea and released his debut album, ''Love Scene'', in 2001. He gained wider public recognition for performing the piano versions of the soundtracks from the popular 2006 drama ''

Spring Waltz ''Spring Waltz'' () is a 2006 South Korean television series starring Seo Do-young, Han Hyo-joo, Daniel Henney and Lee So-yeon. It is the fourth and final installment of season-themed tetralogy '' Endless Love series'' directed by Yoon Seok-h ...

''. On 1 January 2009, he became a DJ for

KBS 1FM KBS Classic FM (also known as ''KBS 1FM'') is a South Korean radio network operated by the Korean Broadcasting System. Most of the schedule is assigned to classical music, making it one of the few radio networks in the world that broadcast mainly ...

''Yiruma's Music from All Around the World''. 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. His music has seen a resurgence in popularity due to the

COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of non-pharmaceutical interventions colloquially known as lockdowns (encompassing stay-at-home orders, curfews, quarantines, and similar societal restrictions) have been implemented in numerous countrie ...

in 2020. Several videos of his compositions posted on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

and other social media platforms have garnered millions of views, including "River Flows in You".

Personal life

Yiruma previously held British citizenship, which he voluntarily renounced in order to enlist for

mandatory military service Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...

. He enlisted in the

Republic of Korea Navy The Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN; ko, 대한민국 해군), also known as the ROK Navy or South Korean Navy, is the naval warfare service branch of the South Korean armed forces, responsible for naval and amphibious operations. The ROK Navy in ...

in July 2006 and was assigned to public relations duties. He was discharged in August 2008. In April 2007, while on leave, Yiruma married his girlfriend Son Hye-im, the older sister of actress and former

Miss Korea Miss Korea ( ko, 미스코리아) is a national beauty pageant in South Korea. Lee Seung-hyeon won the title on October 26, 2022. History The first Miss Korea competition took place in 1957 and was sponsored by the Korean newspaper Hankook I ...

contestant

Son Tae-young Son Tae-young (born August 19, 1980) is a South Korean actress and former Miss Korea. Career As Miss Daegu, Son Tae-young placed second runner-up (or third place) at the Miss Korea pageant in 2000. She was the country's representative at the 2000 ...

. They have a daughter (born in 2008).

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation and special albums

Film soundtracks

* ''

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.” The location of oases has been of critical imp ...

and Yiruma'' (2002) * '' Doggy Poo OST'' (2002)

Live albums

* ''Yiruma: Live at HOAM Art Hall'' (2005)

Extended plays

Singles

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Yiruma 1978 births Living people 21st-century composers 21st-century male pianists Alumni of King's College London Musicians from Seoul New-age pianists People educated at Purcell School People who lost British citizenship Republic of Korea Navy personnel South Korean Christians South Korean film score composers South Korean pianists