Modern Times (IU album)

Modern Times
Studio album by
IU
ReleasedOctober 8, 2013
Recorded2013
Genre
Length46:44
53:34 (Repackaged album)
LanguageKorean
Label
IU chronology
Can You Hear Me?
(2013) 		Modern Times
(2013) 		A Flower Bookmark
(2014)
Singles from Modern Times
  1. "The Red Shoes"
    Released: October 8, 2013
Repackaged album cover
Singles from Modern Times - Epilogue
  1. "Friday"
    Released: December 20, 2013

Modern Times is the third studio album by South Korean singer-songwriter IU. It was released on October 8, 2013, via LOEN Entertainment under its imprint LOEN Tree. Under the theme of "French Black",[1] the album departs from the singer's girlish image which established her as the "Nation's Sweetheart", by attempting various styles of music such as swing, jazz, and bossa nova.[2] Her first full-length record since Last Fantasy (2011), the album contains guest features and collaborations from several artists.[3]

Modern Times contains thirteen tracks, including IU's number-one hit "The Red Shoes" and her self-composed song "Bad Day". It also features the Korean version of "Voice Mail" from IU's Japanese EP Can You Hear Me? (2013) as a bonus track. The album was re-released as Modern Times - Epilogue on December 20, 2013, and contained the single "Friday" as well as the track "Pastel Crayon" from KBS's television series Bel Ami where IU starred as a lead role. The repackaged album contained two DVDs and was limited to 10,000 copies.[4]

Modern Times was met with acclaim from music critics, who praised its musical styles and composition and was ranked the second greatest K-pop album of the 2010s by Billboard.[5] It experienced commercial success in South Korea, with its tracks garnering over three million digital downloads in its opening week.[6] The album has sold more than 70,000 physical copies and ten million digital singles, with "Friday" being one of the best-selling singles in the country.

  1. ^ "아이유, '아티스트로의 진화'를 선언하다(리뷰) ("Review: IU Declares "Her Evolution into an Artist"")" (in Korean). Asia Economy. October 8, 2013. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  2. ^ "아이유 '분홍신' 등, 3집 공개 직후 음원차트 '싹쓸이' ("IU Swepts Digital Charts Just After Revealing Her Third Album")" (in Korean). Sports World. October 8, 2013. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  3. ^ Lee, Keum-jun (September 23, 2013). "'컴백' 아이유, 최백호-양희은 등 '초호화 피처링' 눈길 ("IU Returns with Featured Artists Including Choi Baek-ho and Yang Hee-eun")" (in Korean). Asia Economy. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
  4. ^ Jeong, Hee-seo (December 13, 2013). "아이유, 정규 3집 리패키지 앨범 발표…'1만장 한정판매' ("IU Releases the Repackage of Her Third Album... "Limited to 10,000 Copies"")" (in Korean). XPORTSMEDIA. Archived from the original on October 19, 2014. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
  5. ^ "The 25 Greatest K-Pop Albums of the 2010s: Staff List". Billboard. December 17, 2019. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  6. ^ Yang, Ja-yeong (October 18, 2013). "아이유, 퍼펙트 올킬 청신호…'분홍신' 43만 건 다운로드 ("IU's "The Red Shoes" Sold 430,000 Digital Copies")" (in Korean). Hankook Economy. Archived from the original on October 19, 2013. Retrieved October 18, 2013.