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.
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.