Maps of Music

Modern Times (2013)

Where the lyrics of Modern Times take you, and where it was really made.

IU's third album dropped the girlish "Nation's Sweetheart" image for a "French Black" theme built on swing, jazz, and bossa nova.

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Modern Times: third studio album by South Korean singer-songwriter IU
Released October 8, 2013 via LOEN Entertainment under its LOEN Tree imprint
Theme "French Black"; departs from the girlish image that made IU the "Nation's Sweetheart"
Tries swing, jazz, and bossa nova; composition spans pop and jazz with bossa nova, folk, and Latin pop
Thirteen tracks, including the number-one hit "The Red Shoes" and self-composed "Bad Day"
First full-length record since Last Fantasy (2011)
Contains guest features and collaborations from several artists

Title and artwork revealed September 17, 2013
LOEN announced an illustrated guide with clues about the tracks
Seven video teasers released September 23 to October 4 on LOEN Entertainment's YouTube channel
Digital release at 12:00 am KST on October 8, 2013
Repackaged as Modern Times - Epilogue on December 20, 2013
Epilogue adds single "Friday" and "Pastel Crayon" from KBS's Bel Ami; includes two DVDs
Epilogue limited to 10,000 copies
Lead single "The Red Shoes" topped real-time charts with an all-kill on release day

Lee Ji-eun (born May 16, 1993), known by stage name IU, is a South Korean singer-songwriter and actress.
Signed with LOEN Entertainment (now Kakao Entertainment) in 2007 as a trainee.
Debuted as a singer in 2008 at age fifteen with the EP Lost and Found.
Achieved national stardom with "Good Day" from the 2010 EP Real.

"Good Day" spent five consecutive weeks at number one on the Gaon Digital Chart.
Her 2011 albums Real+ and Last Fantasy established her as a major force in South Korean music.
Her musical style matured over time, moving beyond mainstream K-pop and increasing her creative control as lyricist and producer.
Her 2020 single "Eight" (prod. by Suga) was her first to reach number one on Billboard's World Digital Song Sales chart.
Has released five studio albums and twelve EPs, with thirty-one number-one singles.
Gained acting recognition with roles in Dream High (2011), My Mister (2018), and When Life Gives You Tangerines (2025).
Held a solo concert, The Golden Hour, at Seoul Olympic Stadium in September 2022, the first Korean female artist to do so.
Known as the "Queen of K-pop" by NME and Billboard in 2024.

Critics gave the album acclaim, praising its musical styles and composition
Billboard ranked it the second greatest K-pop album of the 2010s
The Korea Herald wrote that vintage sounds and modern effects are put together artfully, forming a fresh but familiar compilation of songs
Seoul Beats called the album a breath of fresh air for the K-pop scene and said its tracks flow together seamlessly
Billboard praised IU for musical sensibilities well beyond a typical 20-year-old

The album topped the Gaon Albums Chart in the third week of October 2013
Over three million digital downloads in its opening week
The physical album sold 40,360 copies in 2013, ranking 41st among Korean albums that year
As of 2014, 58,145 copies sold in South Korea, combined with the repackaged album
Sales of more than 70,000 physical copies and ten million digital singles overall
As of October 2015, more than 61,900 copies sold in South Korea and 3,300 in Japan

The Korean version of "Voice Mail" from IU's Japanese EP Can You Hear Me? (2013) appears as a bonus track.
Modern Times - Epilogue added "Pastel Crayon" from KBS's Bel Ami, a drama where IU starred in a lead role.
The repackaged album's two DVDs were limited to 10,000 copies.
The album's title and artwork were revealed on September 17, 2013, before the seven video teasers ran from September 23 to October 4.