One of the most celebrated Korean girl groups of this era, Itzy, returns to the Philippines a second time this year for a fan meet organized by local fashion house Bench. The five-piece group, dubbed by Korean media as “K-pop’s 4th-Generation Queens,” was just in the country last January for the Philippine leg of their Checkmate World Tour. This was the quintet’s first-ever global concert tour that spanned 20 shows across North America and Asia.
Itzy became one of Bench’s brand ambassadors in June of 2022. Not even a year has passed since Ryujin, Lia, Yuna, Yeji, and Chaeryeong were welcomed into the Bench family that they were brought back to the country by the clothing label for the meet-and-greet “Wanna Be With Bench” at the Mall of Asia Arena.
A day before the fan rally, a press conference was held at the Grand Hyatt Manila, where the queens answered questions from the media about their recent trip to the Philippines. After the closed-door discussion, I had the chance to do an even more intimate one-on-one (or five, if we’re going to be technical) with Itzy. Here are some things you may or may not know about them.
You have been to the Philippines twice this year. What do you like most about this country?
Yeji: I think the Checkmate Tour changed my perspective of the Filipino fans because while we were here I saw how passionate they were. I really enjoy their company. This is one of the reasons that make us come back.
Lia: And also definitely the bright energy, that’s what draws us back. We feel the overflowing passion of the Filipino fans. Every time we arrive here, we get to recharge with the energy that the fans give us. We really love our Filipino fans.
April is Filipino food month. Have you tried any Filipino food?
Ryujin: I like qwek-qwek. One of our managers lived in Philippines, so he recommended it. He gave us qwek-qwek when we were at the rehearsals. It was so good, I want to eat it again!
Yuna: I really love the fruits here in the Philippines. Whenever I’m here, I stuff myself with fruits. I also enjoyed the pepper crab we had before. It’s a shame I haven’t tasted adobo yet. Given the chance, I would like to try adobo too.
Lia: I want to try what I have heard about a lot of times, which is the banana cue. I heard that it’s a very sweet banana. So, while I’m here, I would really love to try this.
What are your coping tools for dealing with stress or anxiety?
Chaeryoung: I try to find time for myself. I try to find an opportunity to meditate and contemplate. This helps me a lot.
Ryujin: I try to forget my problems. I try to forget the thing that stresses me out. That’s my way to de-stress.
What’s your go-to karaoke song?
Yeji: For an international song, I really like “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele.
Yuna: I love Younha’s “Waiting,” which is also a song I sang during my trainee days.
Ryujin: Me! If I say it like Yeji did, I will choose “Let It Go” from Frozen!
Chaeryeong: I love Davichi’s “8282.”
Lia: I’m a huge fan of 2NE1. I would just sing the whole list of their songs.
Itzy has gotten over 40 music show wins and prestigious awards under its belt. How would you define success?
Chaeryeong: All of the success we’ve achieved is thanks to the fans and the different staff that had helped us.
Yeji: For me, once you achieve something, you want to achieve more. My definition of success is being better. Thanks to the Midzys, the staff, and the fans who help us to this day. We were able to attain such wonderful achievements and we really want to continue getting more achievements.
What are your parting messages to all the Filo Midzy’s?
Yeji: Mahal kita!
Ryujin: Salamat po!
Lia: Thank you for always supporting us even if we’re far away. We’ll always try to give back the love you guys give to us. We hope to someday come back again and meet you guys again.