ITZY's Chaeryeong: "I Held Back My Dance Lines in the Group, but Let Loose This Time"

Press conference for the release of her first mini-album, "Lovesick"
Solo debut seven years and nine months after debut; contributed to lyrics and choreography
Third ITZY member to go solo, following Yeji and Yuna

ITZY's Chaeryeong poses at a press conference held on the 9th at Pullman Ambassador Seoul Eastpole in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. Photo provided by JYP Entertainment.

"I had a blast preparing for this, freely whipping my head around and tossing my hair."

Chaeryeong of the group ITZY is making her solo debut seven years and nine months after the group's debut. Drawing on her experience with the group, she will release her first mini-album, "Lovesick," on November 9, featuring her musical tastes and dance style.

At a press conference held that day at the Pullman Ambassador Seoul Eastpole in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, Chaeryeong said, "I never thought I was late, so I never felt impatient. I thought it wouldn't be too late to show my individual side after I'd shown what I could do with ITZY."

Chaeryeong is the third member of ITZY to begin solo activities, following Yeji and Yuna. The group debuted in February 2019. "When we work as a group, coordination and balance with the other members are important, so there were times when I held back a little on my dance lines and movements," she said. "This time, I had a blast preparing, freely whipping my head around and tossing my hair. I shook my head so much that I even got a stiff neck."

The title track, "Lovesick," is an upbeat song that captures the excitement and confusion of falling unexpectedly in love. Chaeryeong said she wanted to add a mature, alluring mood to her cute image. The team that choreographed ITZY's B-side track "THAT'S A NO NO" also worked on this song. Chaeryeong created some of the moves herself.

"Performance is one of my strengths, but these days, you can't win people's love just by being good at dancing," Chaeryeong said. "I wanted to create moves that come to mind as soon as people hear the song and are so appealing that they want to copy them." A video of Chaeryeong dancing to "THAT'S A NO NO" went viral online some time after its release, prompting a wave of videos of people copying the choreography.

ITZY's Chaeryeong poses at a press conference held on the 9th at Pullman Ambassador Seoul Eastpole in Gwangjin District, Seoul. Provided by JYP Entertainment.

The album features four songs, including the title track, "Moonlit Club," "Scent," and "Favorite Reason." Chaeryeong contributed lyrics to the final track, expressing her gratitude to her fans. "This time, I didn't have to gather the other members' opinions, so I was able to include a lot of the song styles and choreography I like," she said.

She also faced challenges in taking responsibility for the stage on her own. "I realized that I need to be in good physical shape to manage all the activities on my own," she said. She also sought advice from her older sister, Lee Chaeyeon, who had already pursued a solo career. "My sister gained a lot of experience as a solo artist. She advised me that in some situations, I should express my opinions more clearly," she said.

Chaeryeong said her goals for this release are to enter the music charts and put out another solo album. "I want to show people that I have talent as a solo artist, too," she said. "I want to be an artist who makes people look forward to my next release." She added, "One day, I'd also like to try producing an entire album myself."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.