Itzy
ITZY: “We have a unique sisterhood among ourselves. We are very close to each other. We share everything, which is our biggest strength.”
Alice Gee | 29/12/2022
Formed in a world with an ever-growing appetite for K-pop, ITZY are well versed in the art of K-pop stardom. Having trained for a totaled average of 17 years before their launch in 2019, the women who make ITZY, Ryujin, Yuna, Yeji, Lia, and Chaeryeong, have a spring in their step with the upcoming release of new music and being able finally to spend some quality time with their ever dedicated fan base.
Since 2019, Itzy has become quite the household name in South Korea and worldwide. Breaking into the K-pop hemisphere, ITZY has broken records from the start, including the most-viewed K-pop debut music video within 24 hours. And alongside their instant success, personal hopes, and dreams, the band tells me a little more about the world that is ITZY and the selection process involving years of training.
AG: Hey, ITZY! It sounds like you’ve had a busy day already.
ITZY: It’s been a good day interviewing!
AG: We are extremely excited to have you for an Issue 10 cover. I’m incredibly curious about the selection process involved in making Itzy. Can you tell me a little more about it?
ITZY: Of course! Each of us had a different selection process and ways of moving into the band. For me (Chaeryeong ), I was part of a dance Academy. I trained for many years. At the time, I was at a dance Academy when I got the chance to audition. I danced about three times for the audition in freestyle.
AG: It seems you gave true dedication to becoming part of ITZY!
ITZY: Yes, for many, many years. I (Chaeryeong) trained for almost five/six years for me. I (Ryujin) did four years, (Lia) did two, (Yeji) trained for three years, and three years for me (Yuna).
AG: It’s lovely to see all the hard work pay off. I mean, you’ve been able to create music you love, go around the world, and accumulate many fans already. How have you enjoyed the journey so far?
ITZY: Thankfully, these days have been a little more stable, unlike before due to COVID. We couldn’t meet our fans face-to-face for a couple of years. Thankfully the improvement in COVID means we’ve had more chances to meet our fans face to face. The energy we get from meeting fans face-to-face is incomparable to meeting them online. They’ve got so much power, which gives us tremendous strength. It’s something that makes us incredibly happy.
AG: It’s clear to see how much your fans mean to you and how much they spur and encourage you to keep making music. You’ve got new music coming out, which is extremely exciting. How are you looking forward to releasing new music and hopefully being able to perform more face-to-face concerts with fans?
ITZY: We just played our US tour, and after that, next year, we have our Asia Tour. We are excited about it, especially because lots of our fans are from Asia and have been waiting for us to visit and perform. Our new music is coming very soon, and they are incredible songs. Fans seem incredibly excited. We haven’t told them much about them, so it’s a secret, but we’ve spent the past month spoiling them by teasing the songs.
AG: I love that it’s like a big surprise for fans. How long are you going to be touring Asia?
ITZY: Our US tour was for about a month, and our tour of Asia will be about four months.
AG: With so many of your fans being based in Asia, you must be so excited to be able to visit finally.
ITZY: I think because it’s been so long since we’ve been able to go on tour, we can finally perform to our fullest potential.
AG: That’s the best bit. How does touring compare when doing it together as a sisterhood?
ITZY: We have a unique sisterhood among ourselves. We are very close to each other. We share everything, which is our biggest strength. It means we can grow together and rely on each other to be there for one another.
AG: I can see from how you’re together that it’s important to you, especially when you’re away from home. It must be essential to be able to rely on one another. You’ve been performing together for a couple of years since your debut in 2019. How have you changed as a group over the past few years?
ITZY: Since our debut and performing together, I think we’ve always been close friends, which has meant we’ve been able to work on our skills to the highest level. I think it’s meant we’ve been able to experience events and see the progression individually and as a group. We’ve become more mature and professional as artists due to the effort and work we’ve put in over the past few years as a team.
AG: It seems like you’ve experienced a complete evolution. It can’t have been easy to work on your craft with the COVID-19 Pandemic, meaning you couldn’t tour or always be together. What did you do with the time you found in Lockdown? Were you able to utilise the time you saw you’re selves with?
ITZY: The time we had was all about practice. Since we couldn’t do much of our schedule or get to meet our fans, most of the time, we were at our company practicing with each other when possible or by ourselves.
AG: I can imagine the time honing your performances made you even more excited to perform again to your fans. Speaking of fans, you’ve already got the most dedicated fan base. It seems they’re all so happy to see you. What do you hope your fans can get from your performance?
ITZY: Our significant strength is the energy we show our fans through our music and on stage. When people see us on stage through their own eyes, they get a high energy level that they and we can absorb. We want to share our personalities and strengths more through more offline events, where we can meet our fans and share our energy with them.
AG: It sounds like the fans have something to look forward to. What’s it like having fans idolize you?
ITZY: We know that our actions and words have a powerful impact on people. We avoid getting too stuck in the idea of responsibility. Instead, we want to have a positive impact and influence through the physical things we do.
AG: What’s been your favourite way to express yourself?
ITZY: We love and want to continue expressing ourselves through our words. We always think about what we say. It’s a massive part of how we want to express ourselves.
AG: It’s refreshing to hear that from you. I’m sure they can embrace and have fun while enjoying your music. What are your plans for the coming year?
ITZY: Hopefully, with COVID restrictions being eased a little more, we will be able to get out and meet more fans face-to-face. Having started this first tour, we can’t wait to go to more countries. It makes us feel like we can reach out to more fans than before.
AG: Any last words for the fans?
ITZY: Thank you for your support. We always love you.
Writer: Alice Gee