ITZY singer Yeji has made her solo debut with the release of her first mini-album ‘Air’, accompanied by a music video for its title track.
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Both the record and clip were released by her label JYP Entertainment on March 10, making her the first member of ITZY to do so since their debut as a quintet in 2019. The song was notably co-written by JYP Entertainment founder J.Y. Park. Aside from its title track, the ‘Air’ mini-album features three additional B-sides: ‘Invasion’, ‘Can’t Slow Me, No’ and ‘258’.
The music video for the album’s lead single, also titled ‘Air’, features the K-pop star as she performs the new song in an empty warehouse. “Takin’ my air / The most irresistible feelin’, oh, baby / Got in my prayers / Every moment you stay concentratin’,” she sings in the synth-pop track’s chorus.
“The message of ‘Air’ is about showcasing my presence, my aura, through my first solo debut. There’s a lyric that says, ‘You take my breath away’, and when I think about those overwhelming moments, they were always on stage,” the ITZY leader said of the record in a press showcase, per The Korea Herald.
“Last year, I felt like I was falling into a rut, repeating the same schedule. That’s when the solo proposal came, and for me, it was an opportunity. Through this process, I realised just how much I love what I do,” she told press of her decision to pursue solo music.
ITZY are completed by Ryujin, Chaeryoung, Lia and Yuna. The K-pop girl group last released music together in October 2024 with ‘Gold’, their ninth mini-album. That record was led by a single of the same title as well as the B-side ‘Imaginary Friend’, which received a music video treatment shortly after the album’s release.
The ‘Gold’ mini-album also marked ITZY’s first music as a full five-memer group in over a year, after vocalist Lia returned from a lengthy health-related hiatus. The project notably included re-recorded versions of tracks from their January 2024 mini-album ‘Born to Be’, which was largely recorded without Lia.
