Photo courtesy of JYP Entertainment
ITZY member Yezi has returned to being a ‘rookie’ after 7 years since her debut.
She released her first solo mini-album ‘Air’ on the 10th and became the first soloist in the team. Without the four members who had always been by her side, Yezi had to take responsibility for the singing, dancing, stage, and music videos all by herself, becoming the “challenge of a lifetime” for her.
Photo courtesy of JYP Entertainment
That‘s why Yezi looked more nervous than ever. She held a press conference at the Sofitel Ambassador Seoul Hotel in Songpa-gu, Seoul that afternoon ahead of the album release and said, “I remember the day of ITZY’s debut press conference. ”My heart was pounding like it was going to burst that day,“ she said, unable to hide her trembling voice.
Yeji‘s excitement ahead of her solo debut, which had felt so far away, is fully expressed in the title song ‘Air’. Yeji, who participated in writing the lyrics for the title song and wanted to create her “first perfect solo album”, explained, “I put my feelings of wanting to take on a new challenge and show my own ‘aura’ in the lyrics.”
Photo courtesy of JYP Entertainment
As the team’s main dancer, she poured out all the skills she‘s honed for six years as ITZY into a restrained, high-intensity ‘breaking’ performance on the ‘Air’ stage.
Yeji said that JYP Entertainment’s CEO producer Park Jin-young, who helped produce the album, told her, “If people feel the potential that I have as a soloist, it would be a sufficient success,” and expressed her strong determination, saying, “I also want to leave a deeper impression on the public as Yeji through this activity.”
Photo courtesy of JYP Entertainment
The members‘ ‘endless support’ was a great strength for Yeji’s new challenge. Yeji said, “The members came all the way to Paju to visit the filming set. The members joked, ‘Since you debuted, call us seniors’, but they always supported me, saying, ‘Because you‘re my unnie, I was able to be the first to do solo. I hope you do well’,” and added, “I think the members will also have a chance to show their individual charms in the future.”
Reporter Yoo Ji-hye yjh0304@donga.com
This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.
