The K-pop girl group begin the U.S. leg of their Checkmate World Tour on Wednesday.
ITZY kicked off the U.S. leg of their first world tour Wednesday at Los Angeles' YouTube Theater. But the day before they were set to take the stage, the K-pop fivesome -- Yeji, Lia, Ryujin, Chaeryeong and Yuna -- spoke with ET to offer a glimpse into what their fans, lovingly called MIDZY, can expect when they come to the Checkmate World Tour.
"We are so super excited and at the same time a little bit nervous. Yeah. So, great!" Yeji said.
Yuna expressed excitement for MIDZY to see and experience "everything" at their concert, "but especially we have our special stage. We have our first English single, 'Boys Like You,' and it's our first time actually performing it on stage," she said, referring to their latest song, which was released Oct. 21. "It's our first time showing it to our fans at our U.S. tour. So, that's one of the special parts."
Though the ITZY gals may be feeling the nerves as they start their eight-city U.S. leg, which ends Nov. 13 in New York City, they're counting on their pre-show rituals to calm any jitters, including their signature "ITZY, MIDZY, let's fly high!" chant, which they adorably show ET during the interview.
And they have a lot to celebrate following the successful July release of their latest mini album, Checkmate, which earned the group their first album in the top 10 on the Billboard 200 chart after peaking at No. 8.
"First of all, when our music is like top of the chart we really feel thankful for our fans and also to the people who work with us," Ryujin said. "Because of their hard work, we could be able to release the album, great album, and great song. I think that's the biggest feeling that I feel."
The girls also took part in a speed round, where they answered various questions about their music, how many pairs of sneakers they own (a reference to their "Sneakers" title song off Checkmate), morning routines and artists they'd like to collaborate with one day.
Asked to describe their music, they all had a wide range of answers, from Ryujin's "confidence" to Yuna and Chaeryeong's "energy" to Yeji's "girl crush."
They also shared their favorite songs to perform on stage, which included "In the morning" for Chaeryeong, Yuna and Yeji, "Freefall" for Ryujin and "Be in Love" for Lia. "I can't choose but yes, 'In the morning.' Very powerful and lots of points, yes!" Yuna explained.
Chaeryeong shared that recently she binge-watched Gossip Girl, while Ryujin found herself engrossed in the Korean drama, One Dollar Lawyer. "It's really good!" she exclaimed.
For Yeji, it was the recent Netflix movie, The School for Good and Evil, with Charlize Theron and Kerry Washington, that had her hooked. Her groupmate, Yuna, shared that the show she last binge-watched was Emily in Paris.
As for the artists they'd like to work with in the near future? "Kehlani. I love Kehlani!" Yuna answered, while Yeji chimed in with "Ariana Grande." That prompted Chaeryeong to profess her love for the 29-year-old singer: "I love you, Ariana Grande!"
"I really [am a] big fan of Ed Sheeran," Ryujin said. "So if there's a chance, I really want it."
"And mine is Beyonce," Lia said, prompting her groupmates to agree. "She is queen," Yeji praised.
ITZY's Checkmate World Tour runs through Nov. 13 in the U.S. before moving to Asia in early 2023.
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