[NEWS] IU Exudes Maturity on New LP Modern Times South Koreas little sister triumphs over growing pains with a throwback-inspired album. A young female talent, IU (given name Lee Jieun) shot to super stardom in 2011 with a pristine set of pipes and angelic charm. She proved herself on the charts with slew of K-Pop Hot 100 No.1 hits (You and I, Every End of the Day) and racked up tons of advertising endorsements with her girl-next-door persona. She quickly rose above her contemporaries to become one of Koreas most beloved little sisters. Her success was acknowledged by Billboard too in 2012, ranking at No. 15 her in the coveted 21 Under 21 list -- the highest position for a K-pop star ever -- among international stars like Justin Bieber, One Direction and Selena Gomez Everything was going along perfect until her bubblegum image took a major hit after she accidentally posted an intimate photo of herself and fellow idol-superstar Eunhyuk of Super Junior on Twitter. The incident temporarily disrupted her burgeoning musical career. But a bit older and more mature now at 20, IU seems desperate to show the world that she isnt a baby anymore. Looking to make the transition from her cutesy image and blow by any seemingly-scandalous incent. After a 17-month hiatus, IU returns with her third full-length album Modern Times. The LP features throwback vibes with a modern twist a la Christina Aguileras Back to Basics record. The 13 tracks boast a wide range of genres, including swing jazz, acoustic ballads, bossa nova, folk and even Latin pop. The ambitious project enlists big names like veteran Korean singer Yang Hee Eun, SHINees lead vocalist Jonghyun and PSYs Gentleman co-star and Brown Eyed Girl Ga In. Aside from the big band-inspired lead single The Red Shoes, other standouts include Love of B, Everyone Has a Secret and Bad Day. On gypsy-jazz fusion track Love of B, IUs smoky purrs describe the frustration of a man playing mind games over acoustic guitar riffs. Everyone Has a Secret, featuring Ga In, is a sultry electronic number that mixes Latin jazz and swing. Both singers lush vocal lines move throughout the track talking about secrets. The emotional Bad Day ballad, composed and penned by IU, is an acoustic piece with minimal production to let her still-maturing vocals. Scandal or no scandal, with Modern Times IU proves to have musical sensibilities well beyond a typical 20-year-old. But by delving, and flourishing, into classic genres and sounds, IU lets the music show shes grown up. Whether Korea wants to keep her as their little sister is up to them, but shes going to continue maturing whether they like it or not. source: billboard/articles/columns/k-town/5748234/iu-exudes-maturity-on-new-lp-modern-times - hannah ♥
Posted on: Fri, 18 Oct 2013 12:50:45 +0000
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