7 Years Later, ITZY‘s First Solo Artist... ‘AIR’ Filled with Different Kinds of Foresight (Comprehensive) [DA:On-Site]

ITZY’s leader Yezi has stepped out as a solo artist. As the first solo artist within the group, she has announced a new beginning in her 7th year since debut.

On the 10th at 2 PM, Yezi met with reporters at a press conference to commemorate the release of her solo debut album ‘AIR’ at the Grand Ballroom Hall of the Sofitel Ambassador Seoul Hotel & Serviced Residences in Songpa-gu, Seoul.

On this day, she said, “I couldn‘t believe that I was debuting as a solo artist, but now I feel it. I want to do well. My heart is still pounding and I’m nervous,” and shared her feelings, saying, “When I heard the news that I would be doing a solo that I had only imagined in the distant past, I was beyond happy and thought, ‘Wow, time has passed so quickly.’.” She continued, “As the first artist within the group, I also felt a lot of pressure. I think it‘s because I’m the oldest and the leader in the team that they trusted me and sent me out as the first runner. PD Park Jin-young told me the same thing,” she confessed.

She then said, “I think debuting as a soloist in my 7th year since debuting can be a big turning point. While preparing, I discovered a side of myself that I didn‘t know before, and I wanted to show it to many people without being embarrassed. I wanted to show as much of myself as possible this time. I prepared with the determination to make people remember the person called Yezi.”

She also explained, “Throughout the 7 years of activities, I’ve drawn the team color of ITZY with the members and received a lot of anticipation and love for my performances. ”Starting with my first solo this time, I have high hopes that the other members will also be able to show new sides of themselves through their individual activities,“ she confessed.


The title song ‘Air’ of ITZY‘s first soloist, Yezi, is a synth-pop song that features a strong bass sound and an addictive hook. Yezi herself participated in writing the lyrics, and JYP’s head producer Park Jin-young (JY Park) is also listed on the credits.

Last year, Yezi showcased her first solo track ‘Crown On My Head’ (Yezi)’ (Crown On My Head (Yezi)) from ITZY‘s album ‘BORN TO BE’. Yezi said, ”It was my first time participating in writing and composing lyrics, but since this is my first solo album, the company recommended that I write lyrics with meaning for the title song, so I participated with a grateful heart.“ She said, ”I wanted to show the flow of air from my first debut with my own aura. There’s a lyric that says, ‘It takes my breath away,’ and I thought about when I felt the most breathless. I wanted to write about overwhelming emotions with that message, and I wanted to capture the ‘attraction’ that I feel when I‘m into something.“ Participating in the title track was a new challenge. I wanted to show the person I am as well as the powerful and refreshing feeling of ITZY, and I met ‘AIR’ as if it were fate,” she said, expressing her satisfaction.


Yeji said, “Vocally, it was extremely difficult to fill 3 minutes by myself. We recorded for over 10 hours and did a lot of voice research. I think fans will feel that I have a new voice when they listen to the song.” At the same time, she coquettishly mentioned that working solo has the advantage of getting off work early.

What were the reactions of PD Park Jin-young and the members of ITZY? Yeji said, “The PD looked at each song’s direction and took a lot of care. I prepared hard with a lot of pressure, but I wish the PD would put more importance on making people know who I am rather than the results.” ‘Itzy Yezi said, “It‘s meaningful to just show my potential as a solo Yezi, rather than just Yezi,” so I was able to let go of the burden,“ and expressed my gratitude, saying, ”The Itzy members were also happy. I received a lot of support and thanks to that, I gained a lot of strength.“


Yezi said that she once fell into mannerisms, but overcame them while preparing for her solo album. She said, ”I thought that I had to take responsibility for my solo album, so I prepared more carefully. The album was such a new opportunity and challenge. I was able to overcome (my mannerisms) because I realized that I love this work more than I thought. I’m glad that I got this mindset back, and it made me want to do better in the future.“

Yezi confessed, ”I poured out so much that I can confidently say that I really did my best. She said, “I give myself 100 points for effort,” and “I think I’ve achieved a big goal just by debuting as a soloist. I want to give people the impression that ‘solo Yeji’ is also possible. I’ll work that hard.” She also expressed her aspirations, saying, “I want to be called ‘Yeji, too,’ and I want to become a role model for someone just like I was when I saw my seniors doing solo activities.”

Yeji’s solo debut album, ‘AIR,’ and the title song of the same name will be available on various music sites at 6 p.m. on the 10th.

Jeong Hee-yeon, Donga.com reporter shine2562@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.