Modern Times is the third studio album by South Korean singer-songwriterIU. It was released on October 8, 2013, viaLOEN Entertainment under its imprintLOEN 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 asswing,jazz, andbossa nova.[2] Her first full-length record sinceLast 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 EPCan You Hear Me? (2013) as abonus track. The album was re-released asModern Times - Epilogue on December 20, 2013, and contained the single "Friday" as well as the track "Pastel Crayon" fromKBS'stelevision seriesBel Ami where IU starred as a lead role. The repackaged album contained twoDVDs and was limited to 10,000 copies.[4]
Modern Times was met with acclaim frommusic critics, who praised its musical styles and composition and was ranked the second greatest K-pop album of the 2010s byBillboard.[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 milliondigital singles, with "Friday" being one of thebest-selling singles in the country.
The album's title and artwork were revealed on September 17. According toLOEN Entertainment, IU's agency, the singer's third full-length album would be titledModern Times. It was also announced that her agency would provide an illustrated guide forModern Times which gives audiences clues about the tracks of the album.[9] From September 23 to October 4, seven video teasers were released for the album through LOEN Entertainment'sYouTube channel. The series of teasers introduced some of the tracks from her new album.
Modern Times was releaseddigitally at 12:00 amKST on October 8, 2013. Upon its release, thelead single "The Red Shoes" topped a number of real-time charts in South Korea, achieving an all-kill status,[10] while the rest of the tracks also entered the charts.[11] The album topped theGaon Albums Chart on the third week of October 2013.[12] The physical album sold 40,360 copies in 2013, making it the 41st best-selling Korean album of that year.[13] As of 2014[update],Modern Times has sold 58,145 copies in South Korea, with the sales of its repackaged album combined.[14]
The single was released on October 8, 2013, along with the whole album, and its music video was officially unveiled at 11:00 am KST on the same day (although it premiered a day earlier onSBS MTV).[18] The video, directed by Hwang Soo-ah, features cameo appearances fromYoo Hee-yeol (also known as the sole member of one-man project bandToy), electronic duoPeppertones, and models Fhi Fan andJang Ki-yong.[19] A performance-centered music video for "The Red Shoes" was also released via LOEN's official YouTube channel on October 21.[20]
"The Red Shoes" reached number one on both theGaon Digital Chart and Download Charts in the third week of October 2013.[21][22] It also topped theK-pop Hot 100 for two consecutive weeks,[23][24] becoming the singer's third number-one hit on the chart. "The Red Shoes" received six music program awards throughout October and was the 42nd biggest selling digital song of 2013 in South Korea.[25] It sold 1,359,107 downloads by the end of 2014.[26]
"Friday" (Korean: 금요일에 만나요;RR: Geumyoil-e Mannayo), is the lead single for the repackaged albumModern Times - Epilogue.[27] The self-composed song is abossa nova tune with a catchy medium-tempo melody, and sings about delirious excitement of a couple who just had a crush on each other.[28] The singer's labelmateJang Yi-jeong, a member of boy groupHistory participated as a featured artist (He also starred on its music video, as a guy who has aone-sided love for IU). The single was released on December 20, 2013, and its music video was officially uploaded at 12:00 pm KST on the same day.[29] Theone shot music video also reunites IU and model Jang Ki-yong, who she previously starred with for the video "The Red Shoes".[30]
Just like the previous single, "Friday" peaked at number one on both the Gaon Singles and Download Charts.[31][32] The song also topped the K-pop Hot 100 for two consecutive weeks,[33][34] becoming the singer's fourth number-one single there.[A] Without any televised promotions, "Friday" received four music show wins. Although released in 2013, "Friday" was the sixth biggest selling digital song of 2014 in South Korea.[35] As of 2020[update], it has sold more than 5,000,000 digital downloads in the country, making it one of thebest-selling singles in South Korea.[36]
On October 7, 2013, prior to the album's release, IU presented her first-ever comeback showcase at K-Art Hall inOlympic Park, Seoul, performing her brand-new songs including "Modern Times", "Between the Lips (50cm)", and "The Red Shoes". She also held a preview of the official music video for the title track.[37] IU began promoting her comeback album on various music programs, starting on the October 10, 2013, broadcast ofM! Countdown. Along with the lead single, she promoted "Modern Times", "Between the Lips (50cm)", and "Love of B" onM! Countdown,[38][39]Music Bank,[40]Show! Music Core,[41][42][43] andInkigayo,[44][45][46] andShow Champion.[47][48]
On KBS'sYou Hee-yeol's Sketchbook, the singer performed "The Red Shoes", "Bad Day", and "Walk with Me, Girl", alongside acover of "About Romance" originally sung byChoi Baek-ho (who was featured in "Walk with Me, Girl"). IU performed the lead single also at the 50th annualGrand Bell Awards, in celebration of the event.[49] It was announced that IU would hold her second soloconcert entitled "Modern Times" from November 23. Starting atKyung Hee University's Peace Palace Hall inSeoul, she also performed inBusan at KBS Hall on December 1, to promote the album.[50]
Modern Times received positive reviews from critics.The Korea Herald complimented the album writing: "... vintage sounds and modern effects are put together artfully, forming a fresh but familiar compilation of songs.Modern Times has a distinct carefree feel that is reminiscent of jazz during the Roaring Twenties."[52]Seoul Beats also gave a positive review, explaining "With its jazzy, big band sound, IU provided a breath of fresh air to the K-pop scene... The album’s real strength is how seamlessly the tracks flow together."[53]Billboard gave the album a positive review while praising IU for proving to have "musical sensibilities well beyond a typical 20-year-old".[54] Commercially, the album has sold more than 61,900 copies in South Korea as of October 2015[update][B] and 3,300 copies in Japan.[56]
^IU currently has a total of six chart-toppers, with "Not Spring, Love, or Cherry Blossoms" and "My Old Story" (2014) added hereafter (seeIU discography).
^Sales for bothModern Times andModern Times - Epilogue are combined.[55]
^オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」 [Oricon Ranking Information Service 'You Big Tree'] (in Japanese). Oricon.Archived from the original on December 2, 2018. RetrievedJanuary 15, 2014.
2013년 Album Chart [2013 Album Chart] (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Archived fromthe original on March 3, 2016. RetrievedJuly 6, 2019.
2013년 12월 Album Chart [December 2013 Album Chart] (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart.Archived from the original on September 29, 2015. RetrievedJuly 8, 2019.
2014년 04월 Album Chart (국내) [April 2014 Album Chart (Domestic)] (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Archived fromthe original on September 29, 2015. RetrievedJuly 6, 2019.
2014년 12월 Album Chart (국내) [December 2014 Album Chart (Domestic)] (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Archived fromthe original on July 11, 2015. RetrievedJuly 6, 2019.
2015년 10월 Album Chart (국내) [October 2015 Album Chart (Domestic)] (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Archived fromthe original on October 24, 2018. RetrievedJuly 6, 2019.
써클차트 관찰노트 1편 [누적 앨범 판매량] [Circle Chart Observation Notes Part 1 (Cumulative Album Sales)]. Circle Music Chart. RetrievedSeptember 16, 2022 – via YouTube.
^South Korean sales figures forModern Times – Epilogue as of December 2013.
2013년 12월 Album Chart [December 2013 Album Chart] (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Archived fromthe original on March 3, 2016. RetrievedJuly 8, 2019.
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