Itzy marks 2,000-day milestone with ‘perfect’ Manila concert

For about two and a half hours, the pop girl group Itzy delivered a set filled with exuberant dance anthems and fun, quirky bops that had the crowd at the SM Mall of Asia Arena cheering and pleading for more.

Onstage, what people see and hear are the strong vocals, the dynamic dance moves, the unflappable energy and charm.

But behind those qualities are years of perseverance, sacrifice and bouts of gnawing self-doubt.

In one of the night’s most touching segments, the Filipino Midyz—as Itzy’s fandom is fondly called—surprised the K-pop act with a video tribute that offered a sobering glimpse of the kind of work its members put in, and all the hardships they had to deal with to be where they are now.

And perhaps it was a stroke of serendipity that the South Korean group—Yeji, Ryujin, Chaeryeong, Yuna and Lia (currently on hiatus)—marked its 2,000th day in the music industry during the Manila stop of their “Born to Be” world tour. It was the group’s second concert in the country.

Yuna couldn’t help but tear up after watching the video. Time whizzed past. She and the girls were always in a rush, so much so that they couldn’t even take time to look back on their journey. But doing the thing they love most, and seeing the impact it has had on fans makes it all worth it.

“There were days when I couldn’t sleep and rest. I couldn’t even eat…and you know how much I love eating. Nevertheless, when I think about it, the brightest smile I had was in front of Midzys,” she said. “In a blink of an eye, we reached our first year, second year, third year and now, our Day 2,000.”

Chaeryeong was amused seeing old clips and their young faces. “Cute,” she quipped. “Brings up a lot of things in my head.”

Improvements

But more than the physical changes, what really stood out to her were all the improvements they have made as artists and how much their mindsets toward performing have evolved.

“On our first world tour, we were actually eager to perform the best way we could. This time, I think it’s about having fun onstage and the feeling of comfort we get from seeing every Midzy’s face,” she said.

Yeji found the Filipino fans’ thoughtful gesture moving. “I want to give back to you, guys. We thank you for waiting for us, being there for us. Manila Midzy is the best—I’m not lying!” she said to deafening cheers. “We really had fun and felt happy tonight.”

Despite Lia’s absence, Yeji, Ryujin, Chaeryeong and Yuna took full command of the stage, using every bit of real estate in visually sumptuous numbers. The girls are versatile, indefatigable performers, dishing out edgy and hard-hitting tracks like “Untouchable” and “Escalator” and more whimsical concoctions like “Cake” and “Sneakers.”

Of course, the show—presented by Live Nation Philippines—wouldn’t have been complete without the impossibly catchy hits, “Loco,” “Wannabe” and “Dalla Dalla.”

‘Never disappoint’

Through it all, the fans helped fuel them forward. And the members couldn’t express enough how much the Midzys’ unwavering love and support meant to them. They even made sure to learn Tagalog phrases such as “Mahal kita,” and “Salamat po” to further strengthen the connection.

“In this tour, I felt how much I love and depend on my fellow members, how happy I am performing in front of Midzys,” said Yuna, who also complimented the Filipino crowd’s good singing. “It gives me that feeling that the relationship among the members and the Midzy is really, really precious to me.”

“There’s actually one goal we want to achieve: We want to be a source of power and energy to you, guys…We will always be by your side with good music,” Yeji said.

“Whenever we come to Manila, we always look forward to seeing you guys because you’re so enthusiastic. You play with us,” Ryujin pointed out. “I really looked forward to this day. And it was perfect.”

One thing Chaeryeong loves about the Filipino fans is that they “never disappoint.” “Your passion, love and cheers are off the roof. We always thank you for loving us. I will cherish this night for a long time,” she said. “And I hope you do, too.”