Biography

South Korean quintet Itzy put an energetic spin on K-pop, serving buoyant electronic dance anthems with uplifting lyrics. Debuting at the close of the 2010s, they released their Top Three EP It'z Icy in July 2019, followed by March 2020's It'z Me. More Top Five sets appeared, including 2020's Not Shy and 2021's Guess Who. In late 2021, the band released their first full-length, the chart-topping Crazy in Love. The following year, they hit a U.S. chart peak with their Top Ten EP Checkmate. Joining Twice on JYP Entertainment's girl group roster, Itzy is comprised of Yeji, Lia, Ryujin, Chaeryeong, and Yuna. Through the mid-2010s, most group members competed on various television survival shows before JYP put them together as the five-piece Itzy. They debuted in January 2019 and issued their first single, "Dalla Dalla" b/w "Want It?" These hit tracks appeared on their summertime debut EP, It'z Icy, which rose to the Top Three in Korea and placed within the Top 20 on both the U.S. Heatseekers and World Albums charts. The propulsive lead single "Icy" peaked at number two on the Billboard World Songs chart. Their follow-up EP, It'z Me, appeared in March 2020 and topped the Korean pop chart, as did their third outing, Not Shy, which arrived in August. Another Top Five Korean EP, Guess Who, was released in 2021. The short set was Itzy's first appearance on the main Billboard 200 chart. Months later, they bested that showing with their much-anticipated full-length debut, Crazy in Love, which peaked just outside the U.S. Top Ten. The "Loco"-featuring set also topped the Billboard World Albums and Independent Albums charts, while rising to number two in Korea. A non-album single, the Japanese-language "Voltage," arrived in April 2022. Months later, they landed in the U.S. Top Ten for the first time with their fifth EP, Checkmate, which featured the single "Sneakers." The group closed the year with a sixth EP, Cheshire. ~ Neil Z. Yeung, Rovi