South Korea's "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 Korea's 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 isn't 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."