Lee Ru-ma (이루마), better known as Yiruma, is a popular South Korean piano performer and composer born on February 15, 1978.

Yiruma started playing the piano at the age of 5, before moving to London at the age of 11, where he studied at the Purcell School Of Music.

During his early career, Yiruma was prolific in his songwriting with eight different studio albums in his first five years. He originally held dual-citizenship in both England and Korea, before forfeiting his British citizenship to join the South Korean Navy in 2006.

According to the iTunes Store, he is actually considered a World Music or New Age artist. Yiruma was the first Korean artist to receive an invitation to perform at the 2002 MIDEM in Cannes, France.

Yiruma’s pieces are also heavy in simple melody and rhythm, making them immediately attractive to many modern ears.

He has since released 13 studio albums, including Piano. A few of Yiruma’s popular hits include “River Flows in You,” “Kiss the Rain” and “Love Hurts.”