From journaling and meditating to watching Wes Anderson films and taking nutritional vitamins, ITZY ensures they prioritize their private well-being amid the Ok-pop lady group’s huge 2024 Born to Be World Tour, hitting the U.S. subsequent month.

Taking a second to share their experiences on the street throughout a number of (busy) non-tour days in Korea, the Ok-pop lady group well-known for dynamic performances and self-love anthems pauses to replicate. While ITZY admits touring throughout six continents up to now requires huge quantities of bodily and psychological power, it’s the audiences and the members themselves they’ll rely on to replenish them each night time.

But for the instances they aren’t connecting with their followers — affectionately often known as MIDZY — or each other, the group finds methods to steadiness the demanding way of life with psychological well being as a precedence for the members. As people, Yeji practices honesty, Ryujin enjoys her free time to the fullest, Chaeryeong journals to course of her feelings, and Yuna meditates. The group’s sturdy bond is clear even in a makeup-free night Zoom name from the JYP Entertainment places of work in Seoul because the 4 members end each other’s sentences, crack smiles over one another’s solutions, and in addition share how they keep up a correspondence with fellow member Lia, who has been focusing on her psychological well being after taking an prolonged hiatus from the group since final September relating to “tension and anxiety.”

As ITZY gears up for 10 North American concert events, commencing on June 6 at Seattle’s WAMU Theater, the women look ahead to bringing their newest Billboard 200 album Born to Be album to life, exhibiting off their reside band for the primary within the States, and speaking on a deeper stage with native followers.

As May is Mental Health Awareness Month, who higher than the trustworthy barrier-breakers of ITZY to share how they’ve matured? While psychological well being nonetheless faces stigma and prejudice all over the world — and isn’t as broadly mentioned in Korea in contrast to America —Yeji, Ryujin, Chaeryeong and Yuna converse candidly concerning the methods they’ve matured, points they’re working on and, maybe most significantly, the bond that retains them going collectively.

“The biggest source of motivation for me is our members, ITZY,” Chaeryeong says. Read for extra from the quartet about this very important matter and plans for his or her upcoming concert events.

Billboard: Thanks for taking time in the course of your world tour. You’re between dates earlier than the Japan and U.S. concert events begin, so how has the tour been up to now?

Yuna: It was our first time in Europe and Latin America, so it was actually, actually like a brand new expertise for us. There have been some actually lovely cities and we actually loved that point. For me, I actually preferred Amsterdam. The climate and the persons are actually good — and the views have been so good. Everyone ought to go.

You had 13 days off out of your May 4th live performance in Madrid to your May 17 live performance in Toyko. What do you do throughout this time? 

Yuna: We are tremendous busy! [Laughs]

Ryujin: There are many issues that we’re working on, but additionally we’re making ready for these massive exhibits and our Japanese comeback [with “Algorithm”]. We’re all the time working towards or doing one thing to assist us obtain issues, I believe?

I’ve heard artists share a variety of various emotions about touring. From it being too exhausting to followers being their power. What are your experiences?

Chaeryeong: To converse truthfully, it’s positively true that we’ll expend quite a lot of our bodily and psychological power [on tour]. But as soon as we go on stage, I believe it will get all deleted — we get that a lot power from our followers. So, it’s an exquisite expertise for me.

Yuna: When I go to new cities to do concert events, I attempt to do my greatest on the stage for our followers. But I additionally spend as a lot time as I can with my members. That’s form of the therapeutic level for me, in addition to the best way I heal throughout touring. Just their existence actually helps me. When I’m onstage and see our members’ faces, that’s all of the assist I would like.

Are there particular methods you’re employed to keep wholesome on the street — bodily, mentally, or emotionally?

Yeji: There is a doctor who was with us on tour for each spot we go. The doctor advisable I take a vitamin powder that’s supposed to assist the physique with power. She mentioned that it’s actually useful if we hold it in our throat and swallow it abruptly, and I’ve discovered that’s been actually useful in preserving me wholesome, so I hold following that recommendation.

Chaeryeong: To hold my vocals sturdy, I carry propolis with me — it’s a gel sort of medication that you simply put on your throat. It may be minty and soothing; I believe it’s well-known in New Zealand? That’s good to your throat.

Yeji: I additionally attempt to change my vocalizations and the best way I make sounds on the stage. Lots of time, I’ve to attempt to do much less to not pressure my throat and [save my voice for the next concert date].

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and I believe it’s an ideal alternative to share the way you assist your psychological and emotional well being. What are some stuff you do individually to handle your self?

Chaeryeong: For me, I write in my diary. I write issues that I like or very detailed pleased reminiscences so I can memorize, like, each little element for a very long time. But there are additionally issues I write after I’m having a tough time, the unhappy or adverse reminiscences, to drop these emotions off from my coronary heart.

Yuna: I all the time attempt to find time for self-focusing time — writing and meditating. I actually focus on myself and that’s how I keep centered. But it’s so exhausting. When I meditate, I have a tendency to all the time go to sleep. [Laughs] It’s additionally a great way to go to sleep!

Ryujin: I don’t actually do something particular for my psychological well being, however I give free time to myself. As you realize, a tour and our performances require quite a lot of power, and in addition now we have a job that now we have to meet many individuals. So, I believe when I’ve free time, I exploit that point to regain my power once more and do the issues that I like — watching a film in a theater or rewatching a sequence or drama once more. There are so many nice films and dramas, but when I had to advocate one, I might select The French Dispatch. It’s a Wes Anderson film. It’s actually touching, however on the similar time, there’s quite a lot of selection in it.

Yeji: These days, I’m attempting to be trustworthy about my very own emotions and what I really feel. If one thing unhappy occurs, even simply barely, I really feel that emotion sufficient after which can simply “let it go.” I’m attempting to react totally on my emotions and snort on the small issues, too.

Yeji, it’s attention-grabbing to hear that you simply’re being trustworthy along with your emotions now. As ITZY’s chief, did you typically dismiss your emotions when main a crew?

Yeji: Since our debut and our early phases, there have been some instances I did attempt to cover [my feelings] as a result of the crew is essential. But lately, even when I attempt to cover every little thing, the members know me so effectively — we’re household — that even when I attempt, they know first how I really feel and suppose. So, I don’t have to really cover — and that’s why I’m attempting to get extra trustworthy with expressing my emotions.

Thank you for sharing these, ITZY. She’s not right here with us proper now as a result of she’s additionally focusing on her psychological well being, however how are you preserving in contact with Lia?

Yeji: Just the opposite day, I watched a video from the previous with all 5 of us and I texted it to Lia. So, we talked and chatted. We are all preserving in contact together with her usually.

Looking wider, being an artist—in Ok-pop particularly, however wherever on the planet—requires a powerful mentality. You have been all youngsters if you debuted and now you’re adults. How have you ever seen yourselves maturing since then?

Ryujin: We have been all youngsters and it was our first expertise to have a crew like this the place we caught with one another 24-7. At first, after we have been all collectively, it was somewhat bit exhausting to be with and work with folks totally different than me. ITZY was simply 5, however it was actually exhausting to perceive one another — regardless of that it was solely 5. Understanding each other took time. But I believe after combating the members and speaking loads, the most important distinction from that point and now’s my understanding of others. There has been a a lot wider vary of individuals I really feel like I can perceive now.

Yuna, because the youngest member who debuted if you have been 15, what have you ever realized?

Yuna: It’s been fairly some time since we’ve debuted, so I believe I realized to grow to be extra used to circumstances and folks — what’s wanted within the ambiance of our lives [as K-pop stars]. So, I received to perceive these realities far more deeply. But the most important factor I attempt to keep is my ardour — the fervour I received and the sentiments I had at my first stage [performance]. My largest factor is attempting to hold that.

Thank you for discussing an necessary matter. The U.S. leg of the Born to Be Tour begins in June. Have you ready something particular or totally different for these exhibits?

Yuna: English! We are making ready 100% of our viewers speaking in English to talk extra.

Yeji: Not solely are a number of the venues larger and the concert events really feel larger in scale, however we paid quite a lot of consideration and poured loads into the directing of the live performance. So you possibly can see a brand new route within the phases in addition to the VCR too. While now we have taken many dancers who’ve been with us on previous excursions, I believe the number of performances has additionally been upgraded somewhat greater than the final world tour, Checkmate.

Chaeryeong: We even have a reside band which is an enormous level for the brand new tour.

This is the Born to Be World Tour centered round your album of the identical identify, together with ITZY’s first-ever solo songs you all wrote, composed, and carry out in live performance. How was the expertise, and can we see extra songwriting?

Yeji: After working on my solo music [“Crown on My Head”], I got here to know that it’s fairly a really tough course of and never quite simple. So, I received to thank the employees, composers, writers, and people folks round me who all the time write and make songs for us. So, really, this music turned much more valuable to me as a result of I acknowledged how tough this course of is and that’s why I can carry out on the stage with my complete ardour. As for future songs, I’ll all the time attempt if I’ve an opportunity. Yeah, if I’ve an opportunity.

Anything else you need to share with followers earlier than the U.S. tour dates?

Ryujin: First of all, we’re coming to you in June so please come to our live performance. We’re all the time grateful for you supporting us regardless of the a whole bunch of miles of distance. We will attempt our greatest to see you guys far more usually. Thank you.

Yuna: Also, it’s our second world so it is going to be extra…extra…there can be a lot extra issues to see so please come to our live performance!