Famous 4th gen K-Pop girl group, ITZY, is coming back with a mini-album, ‘Checkmate’, and will kick off their first ever world tour of the same name.
ITZY is having a comeback and a world tour! Well known South Korean girl group, ITZY is releasing their much awaited mini-album, ‘Checkmate’ after ‘Crazy in Love’ in September 2021. JYP Entertainment officially announced ITZY ‘s comeback plans and their first-ever world tour on June 2, 2022.
Checkmate Album
According to the promotion scheduler, ITZY’s upcoming album, ‘Checkmate’ will be dropped on 15th July 2022. The promotions have already begun and will continue throughout the month of June and July, till the release of the album.
The first concept video released on 6th June. The video is captivating, with the sound of a clock ticking in the background. The members fiddle with chess pieces. In this style, they look royal and chic. They are all dressed in black and white outfits resembling chess pieces. Their hair is slicked back with classy/ smokey eye makeup.
All the members look stunning in the first film. They absolutely pulled off the royal look. It is refreshing to see them in a more sophisticated concept, compared to their lively and more fun concepts, we are used to seeing. Yeji, Lia, Ryujin, Chaeryeong, and Yuna got a lot of positive responses to this video. Both domestic and international fans are excited about this comeback.
As in concept film 1, concept photo 1 shows them wearing the same outfit. The members in the concept photos look regal, sassy, and beautiful. ITZY is surrounded by or holding chess pieces. While they are all surrounded by white chess pieces, Lia is the only member surrounded by both black and white pieces.
Nevertheless, Chaeryeong is also seen holding black pieces of chess in the concept film. All of them wear black and white outfits, black and white nail polish, black and white earrings, and boot-heeled heels. The second concept film was released on June 20th.
From this concept film, we can guess that ITZY has opted for the royal theme. The members are wearing black and pink outfits with royal crowns. There is a lilac tone to the video, and they are adorned in gold, lilac jewelry.
Prior to the invention of synthetic dyes, purple and lilac colors were extremely hard to get, and they were extremely expensive. Historically, purple has been associated with kings and queens, when its vibrant tones were prized for their auspicious qualities. The elitism of the color is rooted in the scarcity and high cost of the dye used to create it. In centuries past, the purple fabric was so expensive that only the ruling elite could afford it.
However, Lia is the only one with a different blue background and the only one who looked back at the camera after wearing the royal crown. Such instances make us question Lia’s role and intentions in their concept universe. The second concept pictures are yet to be released, which will be done by the end of the month.
Then in the month of July, they will release the track list, title poster, title sneak peek, solo concept photos, online cover image, title lyric poster, album spoiler, M/V teaser 1 and 2, and lastly, the D-1 poster. ITZY will release their long-awaited album and video for the title track on July 15th, 1 pm KST. Their first performance of their new comeback will also take place on mnet that same day at 7 p.m. KST.
Checkmate World Tour
Following their promotions, the girl group will embark on their first-ever world tour, also titled “CHECKMATE.” The world tour will kick off in Seoul on August 6 and 7. As the band departs from Seoul, they will perform in eight cities throughout October and November: Los Angeles, Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Chicago, Boston, and New York.
Further dates and cities will be announced at a later date.
