A little over six months after releasing her jazzy “Modern Times” album, IU is back with another throwback-inspired release. But this time, K-pop’s sweetheart doesn’t just incorporate the sounds of yesterday, but updates hit songs of the past for a modern-day audience.
For her new EP “A Flower Bookmark,’ IU remakes hit songs from past decades and updates them for a modern-day audience. The lead single “My Old Story” is a new take on the ’80s hit by veteran singer Cho Deok Bae.
In comparison to the original (listen to it below), the 21 Under 21 honoree keeps the track’s original melody and instead updates production elements like the instrumentation (having the song take on a classical vibe with an unexpected accordion break added) and vocal style (Cho’s reverberated croons are replaced with IU’s sugary, hushed tones).
The accompanying music video also keeps the original theme of confused love intact. IU sings that she is still waiting her lover, despite his past mistakes, while her heartbroken paramour, played by Korean actor Choi Woo Shik, weeps while listening to her voice over the radio.
With older listeners likely nostalgic for the ’80s hit along with the younger audience who have time and time again proven their love for IU, the 21-year-old could very likely pick up another K-Pop Hot 100 No. 1, extending her chart lead status to six No. 1s.
Ahead of the seven-track “A Flower Bookmark” EP release, fans also got a taste of IU’s disco-flavored cover of “Pierrot Laugh at Us” via a retro-themed teaser for the album (below). The track was first recorded by original K-pop queen Kim Wan Sun—one of Billboard’s Baddest Females in K-Pop.
“A Flower Bookmark” follows up IU’s “Modern Times” album, which peaked at No. 4 on Billboard’s World Albums.