There’s no doubt that Korea’s had a reputation for having a local-centric music scene ever since the K-pop boom. One quick look at domestic streaming charts tells you all you need to know. Nevertheless, there’s still plenty of room in Koreans’ hearts for international pop stars. One such name that’s absolutely skyrocketed in recent years is Lauv. He put on a concert last August at KSPO DOME in Seoul, and soon he’ll be headlining this year’s Seoul Jazz Festival with two unique performances: one on May 31 and the other on June 2. Before the artist takes to the jazz stage, let’s take a look at who he is and some of his biggest hits in Korea and beyond.

“The Other” (2015)
Lauv, born Ari Staprans Leff, first dreamed of having a career in music as a teenager, when he started writing and performing songs. As it came time for him to graduate high school, he looked to a career not as a singer but as a producer and decided to major in music technology at New York University. Following a painful breakup in the summer of 2014, he shifted his focus to writing songs and reinvented his image as an artist named Lauv. He released “The Other,” his first song under his new name, in May 2015. The song was first put out on a music blog, and after receiving bumps like a tweet from actress Chloë Grace Moretz, “The Other” rode a pre-TikTok viral wave to smash hit status on SoundCloud and YouTube.

“Boys” (2017)
Despite how successful “The Other” became, Lauv decided to see his degree through to the end and graduate. In addition to making his own music during this period, he was also writing songs for others, including such notable songs as “No Promises” by Cheat Codes (feat. Demi Lovato) and “Boys” by Charli XCX. “Boys” was a particular hit, making best-of lists everywhere in 2017. It was also accompanied with a fantastic music video, sticking true to the title and featuring over 70 famous faces.

“I Like Me Better” (2017)
“I Like Me Better” was Lauv’s first truly global hit, highlighting his incredible talent for creating light-hearted electropop. The song first gained popularity in Australia and Europe, then slowly climbed up the American charts. Finally, in February 2018, it entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 96, eventually reaching a peak of 27. It was around this time that Lauv hit a billion streams on Spotify and spent 13 weeks at the top of Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart. The chart uses the same criteria as the Artist 100 chart, but is restricted to those who have never entered the top 25 of either the Hot 100 or the Billboard 200.

“Paris in the Rain” (2017)
In 2018, Lauv put out a compilation of both released and previously unreleased tracks. Although a proper album, he titled it I met you when I was 18. (the playlist). In Korea, no track made a bigger splash than “Paris in the Rain.” For his May 31 show at the Seoul Jazz Festival, Lauv will perform all 17 tracks off the album. What could be a better gift for some of Lauv’s oldest fans?

“i’m so tired…” (2019)
After a busy performance schedule, Lauv shifted his focus back to making new music from early 2019, culminating in his debut studio album, ~how i’m feeling~. The album includes collaborations with a number of artists, including global hits “****, i’m lonely” (featuring Anne-Marie and used for the third season of the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why), “Mean It” with LANY, and, of course, “Who,” which features BTS. Perhaps notably, “i’m so tired…,” the first of the album’s tracks to be released, is a collaboration with Troye Sivan, and has gone on to become a signature song for both singers.

“Steal The Show” (2023)
In 2022, Lauv returned with his sophomore studio album, All 4 Nothing. The title track “All 4 Nothing (I’m So in Love)” was a hit, and the singer set off on a two-month tour across North America. He put on additional concerts in Asia the following year, including shows in Japan, Korea, China, and the Philippines. Last spring, Pixar put out the movie Elemental, with the theme song, “Steal The Show,” becoming immensely popular. With the notable exception of Frozen themes “Let It Go” and “Into the Unknown,” “Steal The Show” was a rare instance of a pop song from an animated film climbing the Korean charts.

“Love U Like That” (2023)
Lauv put out the single “Love U Like That” while touring Asia last summer. Later, in November, he enlisted the help of former U-KISS member Kevin Woo to create a Korean version of the song, who helped write new lyrics and use AI to mimic Lauv’s vocals. In an interview with Billboard, when asked why he chose Korean, Lauv explained that he has amazing memories of performing in Korea—his largest show to date—and wanted to give his fans there something special. He’s teased a special guest for his second day at the Seoul Jazz Festival—what are the chances that audiences will get to hear Lauv perform the Korean version live?