[Review] Itzy - Wannabe

You probably saw this coming but I'm still gonna review it. Itzy are back with "Wannabe" and despite my general neutrality for their previous two songs, it'd be silly to give up on a group from JYP yet. Plus they are one of the few new generation girl groups that have (at the very least) piqued my interest. Ryujin was the trainee many were touting as the next superstar, and I recently learned of Chaeryeong's tragic history on Sixteen. Almost all of them have English names too for some reason, which is neat? They have had as many comebacks in one year as Black Pink had in two. Talk about yikes for BP fans.

Let me say this first: it wasn't that I didn't like "Dalla Dalla" or "Icy," but they weren't really my cup of tea. Each of those tracks seemed like a fusion of Twice's pop with a little Black Pink aura thrown in. The general tone of each song plus the heavy dose of English chants don't rank highly on my grading system. While there certainly isn't an absence of English usage in "Wannabe," but whether through composition or the song itself, it's not as heavy on the ears this time around. Part of it is thanks to the groovy instrumental which is their best to date. But a simple chorus and lack of bullshit cheerleading section(s) did them good.

Ryujin and Yeji carry this performance. They seem to have a fondness for putting these two front and center during dance breaks and I'm not complaining. Their stage presence is off the charts and easily the best in the group, likely due to their experience as trainees. Ryujin has command when she leads and her rapping has improved with each release. She may not be blowing anyone out of the water like Soyeon or Yeeun did in their first few songs but steady growth is key to becoming a top tier rapper. Yeji continues to turn heads with her visuals and their stylists need to let her hair down more. I can definitely see them becoming the pillars of Itzy, in a similar way that LE and Solji were for EXID.

"Wannabe" is what I expected their debut to be. It contains most of the JYP elements like a catchy chorus, grooving instrumental, and English splattered everywhere. Unlike their other releases, "Wannabe" has an actual chorus that has more singing than cheering, and an A+ turnout from the rapping and choreography departments only bolster the success of this song further. All in all, a welcome addition to their young library and gives me plenty of hope for their future.