Latest news with #Itzy
Korea Herald
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Itzy to return with 'Girls Will Be Girls' next month
Itzy is poised to release new music on June 9 with an album titled 'Girls Will Be Girls,' label JYP Entertainment announced Monday. A trailer for the upcoming album follows the bandmates struggling to save Ryujin, whose heart has stopped. Park Jin-young, head producer of the label, appears in the teaser as well. The quintet will be releasing a new set about eight months since ninth EP 'Gold,' which made the Billboard 200 at No. 60. One of the two main tracks, 'Imaginary Friend,' was chosen as one of 'The 25 Best K-Pop Songs of 2024,' as listed by Billboard magazine. Separately, leader Yeji dropped her first solo effort, EP 'Air,' in March. She is the first from the group to put out a solo album.
CBS News
12-04-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Colorado pilot volunteers to fly patients to Denver for lifesaving treatments
Angel Flight is an organization of volunteers saving countless lives. At the Colorado Air and Space Port, angels are regulars. On Friday afternoon, a plane landed at the airport carrying special cargo. 7-year-old Itzy and her mom Mirna were picked up from their home in smalltown Kansas in the morning. Itzy has a routine checkup at Children's Hospital Colorado now that she's in remission from leukemia. She's flown around 60 flights over her 3-and-a-half year battle, and the staff at Colorado Air and Space Port have grown to love her. Angel flight pilot Kosta Constantine and his wife and mission assistant, Nancy, feel the same. "It's been a wonderful experience for us," said Kosta. "I mean, we play such a small part. Certainly, the doctors in Kansas and the children's hospital, they're a miracle for her." Angel Flight connects volunteer pilots who own planes with patients who need help traveling to receive medical care. Kosta and Nancy have flown nearly 100 missions, for free. "There's a need," said Kosta in response to why he volunteers his time and resources. "A big need. And Itzy and the Herreras are just one family that need, and we've flown so many others." For Mirna Herrera, the Angel Flights crew is a blessing. Itzy's closest option for treatment is a 5-hour drive to Denver. "Nancy and Kosta are my angels," said Herrera. "Just out of their kindness, of their heart, wanting to be here for us, for something so terrible that you know the outcome of it, but you know that God shows His face through wonderful people." Kosta and Nancy have taken a weight off their shoulders. "We've gotten to experience a lot of flights and every fight, we go to sleep," Herrera laughed. "That's the most peaceful time I think we've had." Together, the group has experienced both the highs and lows of Itzy's battle. The Constantines celebrated Itzy ringing the bell, cancer free, a year ago. "It's tremendous," said Kosta about having the opportunity to be at the ringing. "For me, it was a relief knowing that she was at the end of her treatment." And whatever the future holds, they'll be in it together. "He's always checking on her and making sure that you know she's doing good," said Herrera. "Always him and Nancy. We've gone through so many good things and bad things, but mostly good." Each year, Angel Flight hosts a "Runway 5K" at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Broomfield called the Run for the Angels 5K to help raise money for their efforts. Part of the run is on the runway of the airport. This year, the race will be held on Sept. 25.
BBC News
19-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
K-Pop summer: How the UK is (finally) embracing Korean pop
Six years ago, Amber Clare was a devoted One Direction through Twitter for information about the band's solo projects, she saw a reply that said "Listen to Icy by Itzy".Intrigued, she clicked on the link. It changed her life. "I'd never listened to K-Pop before that point but I immediately became a fan," she says."And now Itzy is the reason I have my job."Today, Clare is the marketing and social media manager for K-Stars, the UK's first and biggest shop devoted to Korean pop in Manchester, it started as a small business in Manchester's Affleck's Palace in 2019."You'd order things by PayPal, and then the CEO would pack them up by himself and ship everything out," Clare it's a two-storey emporium, based on Deansgate, with a staff of more than 20 dedicated K-Pop a sign of how the genre has exploded in the UK, even though radio and television has largely shunned all but the biggest acts, like BTS, aespa and Blackpink."It's still kind of a niche - but it's not a small niche," says Clare. "In my head I'm the only Itzy fan, but when I went to see them in concert, it was sold out."I was like, 'Wow, where have all you people been hiding?'"In fact, the UK is now among the top 10 countries that follow K-Pop on Spotify, with the boyband Ateez placing two records in the top five of the UK album charts last summer, Blackpink will play two nights at Wembley Stadium, with Stray Kids pulling off the same feat in Twickenham Stadium will say "anyong haseyo" to one of K-pop's longest-running festivals. Established in 2008, the SM Town Live festival is a showcase for artists signed to the SM Entertainment Label, one of the industry's key celebrate the company's 30th anniversary, they're transplanting the event from Seoul to Middlesex."It's essentially a multi-day festival all in one, because you've got so many artists all at the same venue, jam packed into the space of three or four hours," says Reese Carter, of boyband Dear Alice, who'll be among the performers in Twickenham."It's non-stop. You've got to prep yourself, because you'll definitely want to dance.""It's very down to earth but it goes straight to your heart," adds Ten from K-Pop group WayV. Targeting the UK SM holds a unique place in Korea's musical history. Founded in 1995 by Lee Soo-man, it is widely credited with establishing the K-Pop was the first company to introduce the trainee system, where young talent goes through intensive training that lasts months, or even years, before making their "debut".And it dominated what's known as the "first generation" of K-Pop idols, with bands like H.O.T., S.E.S. and Red Twickenham show will pay tribute to that three-decade journey, with a line-up that includes everyone from Red Velvet, EXO and Girl's Generation to current chart-toppers like aespa, Riize and all of the sub-units of 25-piece boyband NCT."That's very rare," says Ten, one of the group's most recognisable (and chatty) stars."The last time we had an NCT concert as a whole was two years ago. It's so difficult to schedule every group to be in the same spot at the same time."But that's not all. The concert will also feature what's been billed as "a group of promising trainees", known for now as SMTR25 – showcasing the future of the label."Performing alongside the senior artists we've admired since our trainee days, as well as our talented junior artists, makes this an incredibly meaningful experience for us," said aespa in an email to the hope is that shows like this will open a few doors - because, for all the strides K-Pop has made in the last couple of years, bands have consistently prioritised America over Europe. It's a logical step. The US is the world's biggest music market, so it offers more opportunities for touring and merchandise sales, while an MTV Award performance or a concert for NPR's Tiny Desk series travels further internationally than an appearance at the Brit Awards."The situation here isn't as good as what the American industry gets," acknowledges Amber Clare. "Every single K-Pop group, if they announce a world tour, America will always be on the map - but European countries are always left wondering if they're going to be included or not."Things are changing, though. In a crowded market, labels are increasingly turning their attention to the UK – where the anglophone media has international reach, and there's a baked-in affection for boy and girl groups like Take That, Spice Girls, Girls Aloud and Little make inroads, bands have teamed up with some of Britain's biggest 2023 single Better Things was co-written by Raye, while Le Sserafim collaborated with PinkPantheress on club anthem Crazy and with Jungle on their latest song, Come year, SM went one further – creating a British boyband and putting them through the K-Pop group was Dear Alice, whose gruelling traineeship was documented in BBC series Made In survived the process, the five-piece finally premiered their debut single, Ariana, at a massive SM Town concert in Seoul in January."These shows are timed down to the second," says singer Blaise Noon. "When we got our time to go on stage, it was literally like, 8:30 and 48 seconds. It just shows how so well thought out is."Bringing the production to London is evidence that SM has its sights trained on the UK, he confirms."In the UK, we produce some really amazing boy groups, so I think we have that connection in the culture. So I think they definitely want to hit it. I can see it getting bigger and bigger every day."Ten, who releases a new solo album, Stunner, next week, says he's already experienced the devotion of UK his group WayV last visited England in 2023, "we were surprised that people could sing along to our songs, because we sing in Chinese", he says."This opportunity with SM Town, I feel like it's going to open a bigger market for K-Pop in the UK."I hope so, because I'd like to come and perform my solo stuff to my UK fans too." The opportunity is there. Nine of the 10 best-selling albums in the world last year were by South Korean artists, illustrating the music's broad appeal - but none of those records charted in the UK's Top of radio exposure is one factor - but listeners can also be put off by clunky English lyrics or the sudden-but-deliberate stylistic shifts that characterise you're willing to dig into the genre, though, you can find some of the most audacious and indelible hooks music has to offer. One by-product of K-pop's (relative) obscurity is the bond it creates among fans. There's a sense of belonging that comes from discovering and nurturing your "bias", outside the glare of the mainstream. It's a relationship bands foster by a fire hose stream of social media content, where dance challenges, video diaries and photoshoots are posted daily. Dear Alice experienced the impact of that effort at a UK meet-and-greet last weekend."It felt like we were hanging out with a bunch of our mates," says Dexter Greenwood."They were just cool people," adds James Sharp. "We're starting to recognise faces and remember people on this journey - and I think there's going to be more and more."By the time they play Twickenham in June, the group promise to have more new music to the meantime, though, they want to introduce their labelmates to some of the UK's finer customs."We've got to order a bunch of Greggs for the SM family," says Noon."A whole banquet of sausage rolls."
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Watch: Itzy's Chaeryeong covers Sabrina Carpenter's 'Please, Please, Please'
March 17 (UPI) -- Chaeryeong, a member of South Korean girl group Itzy, released a cover of Sabrina Carpenter's hit song "Please, Please, Please." The cover, which omits the original version's explicit lyrics, was released Monday on Itzy's official YouTube channel. Itzy leader Yeji became the first member of the group to release a solo EP, titled Air, on Friday. The group released two albums in 2024: Born to Be and Gold.
Korea Herald
10-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Yeji hopes to show off potential in solo debut
Singer admits feelings of excitement, pressure as first from Itzy to go solo Yeji of Itzy made her highly anticipated solo debut Monday with the release of her first EP, 'Air,' six years after debuting with the girl group in 2019. At her debut showcase in Seoul, Yeji admitted to both the excitement of the moment and pressure as the first member of her group to go solo. 'My heart is still racing and I'm nervous. When I first heard the news that I would be going solo, I was beyond happy, but I also thought, 'Has that much time already passed?'' Yeji said. 'I believe I was chosen as the first soloist because I'm the eldest and the leader of the team,' she added. "I think the company trusted me to take on this challenge first." The album embodies Yeji's passion for music, performance and the stage. The EP consists of four tracks: main song 'Air,' along with 'Invasion,' 'Can't Slow Me, No' and '258.' 'Air' is a synth-pop track characterized by strong bass and an addictive hook. Yeji participated in writing the lyrics. JYP Entertainment founder Park Jin-young also contributed. '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. That's the message I wanted to convey,' Yeji said. Regarding her comparatively late solo debut — K-pop group members typically strike out as solo artists in their third or fourth year — Yeji shared that she had been focused on group activities until her agency suggested she pursue a solo project. And the suggestion came at the right time. '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 realized just how much I love what I do,' she said. Ultimately, Yeji hopes that 'Air' will allow her to prove herself as a solo artist. 'Just debuting solo is already a huge achievement for me. My goal with this promotion is to show people that Yeji, as a solo artist, has real potential,' she added.
