IU is from a poor background (“She and her younger brother lived apart from their parents in a studio room with their grandmother and cousin for over one year in conditions of great poverty.”, “She attended 20 auditions but failed to succeed in any of them, and was also scammed by fake entertainment companies.”, “Due to her poor living conditions at the time, IU stated that she “loved being at the studio”, where she could eat as much as she wanted and had a place to sleep.”). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IU_(entertainer)
Debuting at 15 as an ordinary K-Pop idol, she found success quickly before breaking free of industry restraints to become a proper singer-songwriter who writes, produces, and composes her own music. She broke the idol mold and became beloved by all demographics; she is a rare example of a soloist who is more popular than most boy and girl groups.
Furthermore, she successfully moved into acting and shattered the stereotype of idol-turned-actors being poor performers (she is the lead in one of the best Korean series of all time, When Life Gives You Tangerines). She was even awarded by the National Tax Service as an Exemplary Taxpayer. Finally, she is a prolific donor, having contributed $650k in 2025 alone and donating nearly $1 million every year. https://www.soompi.com/article/1386237wpp/lee-seo-jin-iu-and-gray-receive-awards-for-being-exemplary-taxpayers
Tom Waits.
Perhaps a less well-known name but he’s been around forever in both film and music. He has famously never allowed any of his music to be used for marketing, ever. He also successfully sued a company that couldn’t license his music and instead produced a sound-alike artist mimicking one of his songs for a commercial. He seems generally good natured, and he has spent an intense amount of energy making sure his family’s privacy is respected. He’s even been arrested for fighting plainclothes cops who were harassing someone, and he sued the city of LA in civil court for false arrest and won.
Sure, his persona is more persona than reality, but it’s a persona that has served him well as an outsider that reveled in being an outsider. He speaks for us dregs of society who spend all night drinking coffee in all night diners, writing poetry and smoking cigarettes. The godfather of alternative rock, who holds a place for many in the younger generations that was held by Bob Dylan for the elder generations.