ITZY Are Truly ‘UNTOUCHABLE’ in the Revival of Their Powerful, Bold Style
ITZY has been revived. On January 8, the girls dropped their newest title track, “UNTOUCHABLE,” within their latest full album BORN TO BE.
Their latest release, though appearing like a typical comeback, is significant for the group’s image. While concept fluctuations in K-pop from era to era are a daily occurrence, ITZY’s sharp shift from their previously held title of girl crush “It-Girls” for the fourth generation has never been witnessed before. ITZY emerged at the crux of a new wave for the industry, one characterized by rapid expansion into Western entertainment markets from BTS’ massive popularity. Thus, the artists debuting in 2019 from the largest four entertainment companies—HYBE, JYP, YG, and SM—all sought to introduce novelty within the K-pop sphere.
ITZY managed to do just that through their colorful and energetic performance in “Dalla Dalla,” which paved the girls’ identity for years to come. However, in 2022, their music seemed to change dramatically. What was previously witnessed in their grittier, more darkly experimental shades of the girl crush genre for title tracks such as “In the Morning,” “Not Shy,” or “WANNABE” suddenly morphed into a bubbly, out-of-character display. Many K-pop fans would claim that “SNEAKERS” marked a sharp decline in interest in the group’s music (despite the members remaining popular), simply due to the uncharacteristic nature of what they decided to release.
With “UNTOUCHABLE,” ITZY returns to the bold and passionate style of their early career. January 8 marked the highly anticipated revival of their powerful and hard-hitting music, proving that finally, ITZY’s identity is back. Its title, “UNTOUCHABLE,” is also reminiscent of their previous concepts that championed individuality and personal strength.
THIS IS EVERYTHING LIKE ITZY U ARE SO BACK pic.twitter.com/IUd4LjRhCq
— jaaa. (@fyedalla) January 8, 2024
This time around, JYP has taken great care to create a buzz around their return by pre-releasing several of their B-side tracks in the weeks leading up to their album, each embellished with their own music videos. Through this technique, the group was able to portray the evolution of their collective identity with a confident demeanor. ITZY’s full album release sets the tone for what 2024 may potentially introduce a resurgence of sophistication and maturity within girl groups.
Throughout the genre’s evolution, girl group concepts have been in constant flux. Second-generation K-pop, while open to the occasional bright track, popularized a more serious image of girls as sexy, confident, and independent. Prominent examples from this time include 2NE1’s “I Am The Best,” Miss A’s “Hush,” and SUNMI’s “24 Hours.”
Once K-pop’s third generation emerged, girl groups wanted to reinvent their place in the industry. This is when a drastic shift in musical preference ignited—the cute, bubbly, and traditionally feminine persona. TWICE, GFRIEND, and Red Velvet could be linked as the main proponents of this movement, especially with TWICE’s “CHEER UP” or GFRIEND’s “Me Gustas Tu.” Suddenly, every girl group sought to hop onto this bandwagon, with songs of similar wavelengths beginning to dominate the industry. This one-dimensional facet of femininity—as the innocent and pure, constantly smiling figure—compounded with the idea of what it means to represent womanhood drastically appeared in the music that entertainment companies were pushing out.
Thus, in the coming years, there needed to be change. Of course, in sinusoidal fashion, a fresh iteration of the previously more serious version of girl K-pop appeared in its infamously tamer form: the “girl crush” genre. This is the vision ITZY emphasized through their debut and what they are continuing to push forth within their BORN TO BE album—though the current whereabouts of girl crush are slightly different from their origins in Blackpink’s early discography.
Now, girl crush seeks to empower women. This genre has adopted a new purpose in recent years, with the emergence of feminist themes within girl group songs—notably those of (G)I-DLE in their tracks “TOMBOY” or “Nxde.” Through the Westernization of the industry, K-pop’s diversion from traditional “girly” concepts is a result of increasing distaste for the representation of women through the Korean male gaze, represented in the prominence of innocent and pure personas that were a foothold of third-generation girl groups.
From the get-go, ITZY’s identity has been centered around the idea of being independent and confident in one’s self, which is what made their divergence from the bold message so shocking. The group’s debut message was a dismissal of stereotypes, flaunting the line “Not gonna change who I am for your comfort” to represent pride in their individuality. From that moment, ITZY continued to release songs with similar messages, establishing their position in the industry as a group that dares to be different. Despite the deviation from their familiar style, “UNTOUCHABLE” is finally a return to their roots.
Columnist | K-pop Stan | Tweet me @senaho5
