K-Pop

From journaling and meditating to watching Wes Anderson movies and taking vitamins, ITZY ensures they prioritize their personal well-being amid the K-pop girl group’s massive 2024 Born to Be World Tour, hitting the U.S. next month.

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Taking a moment to share their experiences on the road during a few (busy) non-tour days in Korea, the K-pop girl group famous for dynamic performances and self-love anthems pauses to reflect. While ITZY admits traveling across six continents so far requires vast amounts of physical and mental energy, it’s the audiences and the members themselves they can depend on to replenish them every night.

But for the times they aren’t connecting with their fans — affectionately known as MIDZY — or one another, the group finds ways to balance the demanding lifestyle with mental health as a priority for the members. As individuals, Yeji practices honesty, Ryujin enjoys her free time to the fullest, Chaeryeong journals to process her emotions, and Yuna meditates. The group’s strong bond is evident even in a makeup-free evening Zoom call from the JYP Entertainment offices in Seoul as the four members finish one another’s sentences, crack smiles over each other’s answers, and also share how they keep in touch with fellow member Lia, who has been focusing on her mental health after taking an extended hiatus from the group since last September regarding “tension and anxiety.”

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As ITZY gears up for 10 North American concerts, commencing on June 6 at Seattle’s WAMU Theater, the girls look forward to bringing their latest Billboard 200 album Born to Be album to life, showing off their live band for the first in the States, and communicating on a deeper level with local fans.

As May is Mental Health Awareness Month, who better than the honest barrier-breakers of ITZY to share how they’ve matured? While mental health still faces stigma and prejudice around the world — and is not as widely discussed in Korea compared to America —Yeji, Ryujin, Chaeryeong and Yuna speak candidly about the ways they have matured, aspects they are working on and, perhaps most importantly, the bond that keeps them going together.

“The biggest source of motivation for me is our members, ITZY,” Chaeryeong says. Read for more from the quartet about this vital topic and plans for their upcoming concerts.

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Billboard: Thanks for taking time in the middle of your world tour. You’re between dates before the Japan and U.S. concerts start, so how has the tour been so far?

Yuna: It was our first time in Europe and Latin America, so it was really, really like a new experience for us. There were some really beautiful cities and we really enjoyed that time. For me, I really liked Amsterdam. The weather and the people are really good — and the views were so good. Everyone should go.

You had 13 days off from your May 4th concert in Madrid to your May 17 concert in Toyko. What do you do during this time? 

Yuna: We are super busy! [Laughs]

Ryujin: There are many things that we are working on, but also we’re preparing for these big shows and our Japanese comeback [with “Algorithm”]. We’re always practicing or doing something to help us achieve things, I think?

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I’ve heard artists share a range of different feelings about touring. From it being too exhausting to fans being their energy. What are your experiences?

Chaeryeong: To speak honestly, it’s definitely true that we’ll expend a lot of our physical and mental energy [on tour]. But once we go on stage, I think it gets all deleted — we get that much energy from our fans. So, it’s a wonderful experience for me.

Yuna: When I visit new cities to do concerts, I try to do my best on the stage for our fans. But I also spend as much time as I can with my members. That’s kind of the healing point for me, as well as the way I heal during touring. Just their existence really helps me. When I’m onstage and see our members’ faces, that’s all the support I need.

Are there specific ways you work to stay healthy on the road — physically, mentally, or emotionally?

Yeji: There is a physician who was with us on tour for every spot we go. The physician recommended I take a vitamin powder that’s supposed to help the body with energy. She said that it’s really helpful if we keep it in our throat and swallow it all at once, and I’ve found that’s been really helpful in keeping me healthy, so I keep following that advice.

Chaeryeong: To keep my vocals strong, I carry propolis with me — it’s a gel type of medicine that you put on your throat. It can be minty and soothing; I think it’s famous in New Zealand? That’s good for your throat.

Yeji: I also try to change my vocalizations and the way I make sounds on the stage. Lots of time, I have to try to do less to not strain my throat and [save my voice for the next concert date].

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May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and I think it’s a great opportunity to share how you support your mental and emotional health. What are some things you do individually to take care of yourself?

Chaeryeong: For me, I write in my diary. I write things that I like or very detailed happy memories so I can memorize, like, every little detail for a long time. But there are also things I write when I’m having a hard time, the sad or negative memories, to drop those feelings off from my heart.

Yuna: I always try to make time for self-focusing time — writing and meditating. I really focus on myself and that’s how I stay centered. But it’s so hard. When I meditate, I tend to always fall asleep. [Laughs] It’s also a good way to fall asleep!

Ryujin: I don’t really do anything special for my mental health, but I give free time to myself. As you know, a tour and our performances require a lot of energy, and also we have a job that we have to meet many people. So, I think when I have free time, I use that time to regain my energy again and do the things that I like — watching a movie in a theater or rewatching a series or drama again. There are so many great movies and dramas, but if I had to recommend one, I would choose The French Dispatch. It’s a Wes Anderson movie. It’s really touching, but at the same time, there’s a lot of variety in it.

Yeji: These days, I’m trying to be honest about my own feelings and what I feel. If something sad happens, even just slightly, I feel that emotion enough and then can just “let it go.” I’m trying to react fully on my feelings and laugh at the small things, too.

Yeji, it’s interesting to hear that you’re being honest with your feelings now. As ITZY’s leader, did you sometimes dismiss your feelings when leading a team?

Yeji: Since our debut and our early stages, there were some times I did try to hide [my feelings] because the team is very important. But these days, even if I try to hide everything, the members know me so well — we’re family — that even if I try, they know first how I feel and think. So, I don’t have to actually hide — and that’s why I’m trying to get more honest with expressing my feelings.

Thank you for sharing those, ITZY. She’s not here with us right now because she’s also focusing on her mental health, but how are you keeping in touch with Lia?

Yeji: Just the other day, I watched a video from the past with all five of us and I texted it to Lia. So, we talked and chatted. We are all keeping in touch with her often.

Looking wider, being an artist—in K-pop especially, but anywhere in the world—requires a strong mentality. You were all teenagers when you debuted and now you’re adults. How have you seen yourselves maturing since then?

Ryujin: We were all teenagers and it was our first experience to have a team like this where we stuck with each other 24-7. At first, when we were all together, it was a little bit hard to be with and work with people different than me. ITZY was just five, but it was really hard to understand each other — despite that it was only five. Understanding one another took time. But I think after struggling with the members and talking a lot, the biggest difference from that time and now is my understanding of others. There has been a much wider range of people I feel like I can understand now.

Yuna, as the youngest member who debuted when you were 15, what have you learned?

Yuna: It’s been quite a while since we’ve debuted, so I think I learned to become more used to circumstances and people — what’s needed in the atmosphere of our lives [as K-pop stars]. So, I got to understand these realities much more deeply. But the biggest thing I try to maintain is my passion — the passion I got and the feelings I had at my first stage [performance]. My biggest thing is trying to keep that.

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Thank you for discussing an important topic. The U.S. leg of the Born to Be Tour begins in June. Have you prepared anything special or different for these shows?

Yuna: English! We are preparing 100 percent of our audience talking in English to communicate more.

Yeji: Not only are some of the venues bigger and the concerts feel bigger in scale, but we paid a lot of attention and poured a lot into the directing of the concert. So you can see a new direction in the stages as well as the VCR too. While we have taken many dancers who have been with us on past tours, I think the variety of performances has also been upgraded a little more than the last world tour, Checkmate.

Chaeryeong: We also have a live band which is a big point for the new tour.

This is the Born to Be World Tour centered around your album of the same name, including ITZY’s first-ever solo songs you all wrote, composed, and perform in concert. How was the experience, and will we see more songwriting?

Yeji: After working on my solo song [“Crown on My Head”], I came to know that it’s quite a very difficult process and not very simple. So, I got to thank the staff, composers, writers, and those people around me who always write and make songs for us. So, actually, this song became even more precious to me because I recognized how difficult this process is and that’s why I can perform on the stage with my whole passion. As for future songs, I’ll always try if I have a chance. Yeah, if I have a chance.

Anything else you want to share with fans before the U.S. tour dates?

Ryujin: First of all, we’re coming to you in June so please come to our concert. We’re always thankful for you supporting us despite the hundreds of miles of distance. We will try our best to see you guys much more often. Thank you.

Yuna: Also, it’s our second world so it will be more…more…there will be much more things to see so please come to our concert!