IT’Z ALL GOOD

Everyone loves ITZY, and for good reason! The quintet just dropped a new EP last month, further cementing their status as fourth generation K-pop queens. But how did they get here? The ladies let us into their vibrant world in this exclusive email interview.

- Ambika Muttoo

Hwang Ye Ji, Choi Ji Su, Shin Ryu Jin, Lee Chae Ryeong and Shin Yu Na. A quintet of women we know mononymously as Yeji, Lia, Ryujin, Chaeryeong and Yuna, the K-pop queens that comprise the group ITZY. They just released their fifth extended play Checkmate last month, strengthening a solid discography that’s built up since they debuted in February 2019 under the banner of JYP Entertainment (JYPE), one of the biggest entertainment conglomerates in South Korea, headquartered in Seoul.

Each of the girls became trainees – a term used to define individuals training to become K-pop idols – in unique ways. Yeji and Lia successfully auditioned for JYPE, training for three and two years respectively. Ryujin was scouted at a Got7 concert, proceeding to train for four years. Chaeryeong was a JYPE trainee for six years, successfully getting in post an audition for the company Fantagio, which fortuitously, didn’t go through. Yuna was street-cast at a festival, and then trained for three years. Call it fate, but all their divergent avenues eventually convened into one road. A slew of awards followed, and they became the first K-pop girl group to achieve the ‘rookie grand slam’ in 2019. That rare phenomenon happens when a group wins Rookie of the Year at five major award shows in – the MelOn Music Awards (MMA), Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA), Golden Disk Awards (GDA), GAON Chart Music Awards and Seoul Music Awards (SMA). It goes without saying that this is a competitive space to be in, given the worldwide appeal of the genre, but, three years into their careers with albums, EPs and singles that span Korean, Japanese and English and a global, devoted fanbase (Midzy) on their side, ITZY’s trajectory is skyrocketing.