The group IZNAA returned with a powerful girl crush look and a new charm.
IZNAA held a showcase to celebrate the release of their second mini album "Not Just Pretty" on the afternoon of the 30th at YES24 Live Hall in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, and talked about the new album.
After releasing the single album "BEEP" in June and being loved for their refreshing sound and addictive performance, IZNAA returned with a new album after three months.
The members said, "We debuted by global selection and have been active with the love of fans, so we want to show how much we've grown into cool artists and hope you pay attention," and added, "While preparing this album, we worked hard with the mindset of showing our fans a great stage."
They continued, "We thought of this as an album that opens a new chapter and prepared it," and added, "It is an album that contains a confident charm so we can become an icon for Gen Z. We prepared a bold and intense concept, so please look forward to our new look."
IZNAA's new release "Not Just Pretty" represents the emotions of Generation Z while proving IZNAA's multilayered charm that can no longer be defined by a single image. It goes beyond the frame of "pretty" to blend emotions of various tones into one album, vividly showing IZNAA's growth and potential.
The title track "Mamma Mia" is a song that features an addictive sound over a minimal beat, with a powerful hook, soaring melody and groovy rhythm that maximize IZNAA's explosive energy.
In a world of endless nagging and rules, it is a song that trusts one's instincts and shouts "I will be myself," and through this new song IZNAA reveals a proactive attitude of not staying within someone else's set framework but moving forward on their own.
Mai said about "Mamma Mia," "We worried a lot about what song to choose as the title track, but the moment I heard 'Mamma Mia' I thought performing this song on stage would be really cool. We worked hard so we can show our new side, so I hope you watch over us."
This new song was also produced by world-class producer Teddy and 24, who have produced numerous hits, once again working with IZNAA.
Yu Sarang said of working with Teddy, "It was an honor to work with producer Teddy and 24, Vivienne and producer Kush. I think not only the title track but also the B-sides contain diverse charms. There is a lot of rap in this new song, so I studied voice tone a lot, and I was proud to record because producer Teddy said it was good."
Choi Jeong-eun added, "Producer 24 advised that since the album is called 'Not Just Pretty,' we should put aside pretty appearances for a moment and sing confidently and proudly. Producer Teddy said that because you are artists, you should be happy and enjoy yourselves while preparing the music, and that comment stuck with me."
With groups produced by Teddy such as Miyawo and All Day Project receiving love, Yu Sarang said, "We think our strength is creating high-quality stages based on each member's diverse vocals and energetic performances. Since other groups are loved for their distinct colors, we will also work to show a differentiated charm."
Also, former IZNAA member Yoon Ji-yoon left the team in August for health reasons, and IZNAA will continue activities as a six-member group. Yu Sarang said, "It's unfortunate that Ji-yoon unnie can't participate in this activity, but we support each other's paths. Since this is our second album, we prepared each song with affection. Please give us a lot of expectation and interest for this activity."
On competing in good faith with 5th-generation girl groups such as ILLIT and Hearts2Hearts, Bang Ji-min said, "We met many groups together at 'Idol Athletics Championships' and it was so fun. We gathered during breaks and chatted briefly and felt closer. Some people said they watched our broadcast well and congratulated our comeback and gave a lot of support."
She continued, "Our distinction is that the six of us are united and have good teamwork. Even in daily life we try to take care of each other so no one is left out. I think that shows well on stage," and added, "This time we wanted to show many different sides. We wanted to challenge various genres instead of staying with one concept to show limitless possibilities."
Finally, with their first anniversary approaching, IZNAA said, "At debut we were focused on not making mistakes on stage, but now we can enjoy it more while making eye contact with fans. We learned how to be happy on stage and became stronger there. We were also able to achieve the valuable result of a music show win," and added, "Our goal is to not lose our original intent, always work hard and not lose our love for performing. Since the performance for 'Mamma Mia' is intense, I wanted to be called a performance monster or performance master. I want to hear that we pioneered the genre called IZNAA."
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