ITZY’s Yuna Is Living In The Moment With Debut Solo Album, ‘Ice Cream’

K-pop idol Yuna will tell you her favorite ice cream depending on the day, but it’ll most likely be strawberry. But, she can go either way. In the trailer for her solo debut, Ice Cream, she showcases vanilla ice cream with the tag, “Vanilla can be everything.”

As a member of the popular K-pop group ITZY, Yuna is the second in her group to release a solo album. The album, Ice Cream,’ gives Yuna the opportunity to showcase her individuality and play with music she hasn’t had the opportunity to try.

Weeks before the release, Yuna takes a call from the JYP Entertainment offices in Seoul to chat about her new album, which features four tracks, with the title track “Ice Cream” being the lead single. She’s been preparing for project promotions, excited to chat about working on the music and the album’s concepts. She plans on doing more promotions and performances after the release before rejoining her group for the Oceania leg of ITZY’s 3RD WORLD TOUR .

“I’m so excited,” Yuna says over Zoom, about her new album. “I’m doing great, getting ready for my solo debut. I’ve worked hard on this album, and I can’t wait to share it with my friends and MIDZY (the name of ITZY’s fans).”

ITZY’s leader Yeji was the first to release a solo album. Now, the youngest (maknae) Yuna becomes the second to do so, with the love and support from her bandmates. They’ve encouraged her throughout her career, and felt it was “the right time to take this step.” She shares, “It was the right time now that I could explore my own unique colors.”

Her album, Ice Cream, reflects Yuna’s outlook on life, with the theme that “the lively-active present is the brightest moment of your life” and that “as time melts like a sweet ice cream, seize the moment.” The 22-year-old artist doesn’t like to think about the past or the future. She likes to live in the now, which is why she is focused on the present.

“I try to concentrate on the current situation and the now of myself,” she explains. That’s why I try to go step by step, which makes me less stressed. And because it’s my first time juggling this kind of schedule with everything together, I’m finding my own way now. I’m doing quite well these days.”

Like her positive and charismatic nature, Ice Cream’s genre falls on the “sparkling pop spectrum” which showcases an “organic diverse pop sound – bubblegum pop, dance, hip-hop, breakbeat, R&B, soft funk, synth pop, and disco – through crisp beat-driven design, refined synth colors, and performance-oriented structure.”

She really just wanted to hear songs she likes – and she likes bubbly pop songs. It’s the type of music you can walk down the street to, feeling like you can dance and brighten your mood. She really didn’t have an inspiration behind the music; she just likes the genre – it’s her “natural music taste.”

“I’m doing every pretty thing I can since the title is called Ice Cream, it’s nice that I can work with colorful, refreshing, and bubbly vibes,” she says.

The concept and the music video show different versions of Yuna – Marine Girl, Gardener, Electrician, and Alpha. Each has its own personality, but the Alpha Yuna is the most envied. She says they’re all her.

“It’s not just one part of myself or one charm of myself,” she details. “There are so many various characters from the trailer that show every part of my character inside. It’s tough. Sometimes elegant. Sometimes innocent. I can’t really point to one. It’s all me.”

With four songs on the solo album, she loves them all because they are the type of music she would listen to. But, if she had to pick her favorite, she smiles shyly, “Blue Maze.” The B-side track is a soft, dreamy lounge groove that is elegant and smooth.

“I wanted to have a dreamy sound to my solo album, which is quite a bit different than ITZY’s albums,” she shares.

She does love her title track, “Ice Cream,” because it is bubblegum pop, which she loves. She also loves the lyrics because they represent her mindset: “C’mon before it’s too late / This moment’s passing by / blink of an eye.”

“It means I don’t care about anything like surroundings, but just to hold it tight now,” she says. “So it’s about not letting everything go. Just this is the moment, so hold it. It was really important and good, so it was on my mind.”

Yuna is doing a lot of firsts this year – her solo album and, just a few months ago, made her acting debut in Netflix’s Undercover Miss Hong, and is set to appear in another Korean drama, My Favorite Employee. She blushes when her acting is brought up, appreciating the love she’s received for her supporting role. If she could pick a role or drama to be in, she would love to do a series like Reply 1988, which is one of her favorites.

“I was very lucky and thankful to have great chances to act through dramas,” she says. “I think Undercover Miss Hong was a fortunate chance for her to start because it’s a very good drama. I hope I can get many more chances to act.”

When it comes to acting, she says it’s helped her singing, and vice versa. She finds them very similar because they both express emotions through the body, voice, and projection. She shares, “The method and how to make a voice speak out are very common in parts. They both impact each other.”

After she finishes her promotions, she’s excited to return with her members on the World Tour. She doesn’t know if she’ll perform her solo stuff on the tour because it is already set, but she doesn’t think much about it because ‘she’ll get there when she gets there,’ focused on now.

Yuna smiles, “It’s my ‘Ice Cream’ era.”

Yuna’s Ice Cream is out now on all streaming platforms. Physical copies will be available on March 27 at select retailers.