Yiruma
South Korean pianist and composer whose melodic piano pieces, including “River Flows in You” and “Kiss the Rain,” reach fans through recordings, sheet music and concerts.
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Yiruma’s happenings, collected from public sources, plus his backstory and Starbook, where fans write.
Known for
Music
Music
Universal Music
Faber MusicOverview
- From
- South Korea
- Known for
- Piano compositions and recordings
- Training
- Purcell School of Music and King’s College London
- Debut
- Love Scene, 2001
- Breakout work
- River Flows in You, from First Love (2001)
Mini bio
How it started.
Yiruma began playing piano at five and moved to England at ten to study at the Purcell School of Music. He continued at King’s College London, studying composition with Harrison Birtwistle.
The pieces fans carry with them.
His debut album, Love Scene, arrived in 2001. First Love followed that year with “River Flows in You,” a piece that became central to his career. “Kiss the Rain” followed in 2003. His arrangement of “When Love Falls” also appeared in the soundtrack to Winter Sonata in 2002.
Beyond the solo piano.
He has worked across recordings, soundtracks and radio, and collaborated with singers including Ailee, 2AM and Baek Ji Young. For his twentieth anniversary in 2021, The Rewritten Memories recast familiar pieces with the Korean Symphony Orchestra. He played the piano parts himself.
Music fans can play.
His sheet music is part of the connection with listeners. In a 2023 interview, he explained that seeing fans’ children learn piano inspired an easier edition of SOLO, alongside the original arrangements.
Creditschronological, newest first
Music
- 20262002Co-composer, co-producer, co-arranger and keyboard player with pH-1 and Brody
- 2025b l ū - the blue betweenArtist, recording arranger and producer
- 2025You (Blue Octopus soundtrack)Composer, producer, arranger and pianist; featuring HAEY
- 2025Dear, Memory (Ký Ức Hoa Hồng)Collaborating artist with Hà Anh Tuấn
- 2021The Rewritten MemoriesComposer and pianist with the Korean Symphony Orchestra
- 2001First LovePianist and composer; includes River Flows in You
Film and television
- 2015The Cat FuneralMusic director
- 2002Winter SonataWhen Love Falls arrangement included on the soundtrack
Awards
Quotes
I imagined how great it would be if it were piano music that anyone could play.Yiruma, Presto Music interview, December 1, 2023
On making an easier sheet music edition of SOLO for listeners learning piano.
Trivia
- When playing for himself, he returns to Ravel, Chopin and J.S. Bach, and sometimes Webern and Kurtág.
- As a student, he wrote a rhythmically complicated piece for the Lontano Ensemble. Birtwistle asked him to conduct it himself.
- Room With a View was written before the pandemic and celebrates the pleasure of staying indoors.
- The Korean Symphony Orchestra recorded The Rewritten Memories in separate parts because the players could not all gather during the pandemic.
Find Yiruma
Follow his recordings, performances and new collaborations.
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