August 2018 was a month filled with hopes and dreams for the new year (boy would I be wrong). With the prospects of college down along the line and spending the last year of my high school year with those closest around me, I was practically swarmed with goals and expectations. Along with those hopes included the anticipation of new Korean Pop group debuts, and by this time, rumors of a certain girl group under a certain large entertainment agency had been circulating.

JYP Entertainment is home to many of South Korea’s biggest talents in the Korean Pop industry such as GOT7, TWICE, 2PM, 2AM, Wonder Girls, and much more. On Jan. 30, the entertainment agency released a teaser video on its YouTube channel, finally announcing the debut of a girl group that has been in the workshop. ITZY (있지) is a five-member girl group created under JYP Entertainment (JYPE), one of South Korea’s largest and famous entertainment agencies. The group is led by Main Dancer Hwang Yeji (황예지), and it consists of Main Dancer Lee Chaeryeong (이채령), Main Rapper Shin Ryujin (신류진), Main Vocalist Choi Jisu (최지수), and the face of the group, Shin Yuna (신유나). The group currently stands as JYPE’s second active girl group, and many fans are cheering for the group’s success to be comparable or even beyond its “sunbaenims,” TWICE.

On Feb. 12, ITZY finally made its long-awaited debut with the release of their single album “IT’z Different.” The album’s tracklist includes two songs: “WANT IT?” and “DALLA DALLA.”

“DALLA DALLA” adds a flare on the atypical girl crush debut song. The song was composed by the duo Galactika who has also helped produce TWICE’s Heart Shaker and hits like WANNA ONE’s “I.P.U.” With recent group debuts like CHERRY BULLET’s “Q&A,” the group manages to optimize strong vocals with no expense paid for powerful choreography. In essence, the song delivers an anthem-like energy that I can’t quite get enough of, especially with the strong bass line streaming through the song.

What makes this song unique from CHERRY BULLET’s “Q&A” is the incorporation of two styles without a cohesive element. For a frame of reference, SM Entertainment’s Red Velvet was conceived with two concepts in mind: a “Red” concept that emphasizes the bubbly, upbeat facet of the group and a “Velvet” side that showcases the RnB, slower tempo facet of the group. In more recent comebacks, the group has merged the two concepts, incorporating velvety chord progressions with a “red” concept, and vice versa, that has kept the group in the spotlight.

With that being said, “DALLA DALLA” is filled with “trappy” segments as well as the upbeat, cheery chorus, but rather than blending the styles for better transitions, the song switches between the styles like the hair whips in the dance. For me, the abrupt switches in the song generate interest and give that “JYP” trademark on the song.

Following the lead track is “WANT IT?” which doesn’t, by any means, pale in comparison. Much like “DALLA DALLA,” this song delivers an anthem-like energy but this time, with a Pop-Rock twist. Instead of highlighting the members’ vocal abilities, the song plays towards its vibe and instrumentation to If anything, this song could have possibly been the lead single with its showcase nature.

ITZY has started their future as a group with a strong start, wrapping three music program wins from M Countdown, Show! Music Core, and Inkigayo under their belt. The group definitely shows a lot of promise for the future with only a couple of weeks left in their promotions  In my opinion, the group has the strongest debut for 2019, and I look forward to their comebacks for the year. Until JYPE releases the official fandom name for the group, you can find me saying, “STAN ITZY!”