TV
'I-Land 2' suddenly becomes a 7-member group with additional acceptance
In the final episode of Mnet's 'I-Land 2: FINAL COUNTDOWN' (hereinafter referred to as 'I-Land 2'), which aired on the 4th, the 10 I-landers who advanced to the finals (Kim Gyu-ri, Nam Yu-ju, Mai, Bang Ji-min, Yoo Sarang, Yoon Ji-yoon, Jeong Se-bi, Choi Jeong-eun, The long-awaited final countdown performed by Coco and Fuco was broadcast live. A new girl group that will lead the K-pop market has been born, watched by 217 countries and regions.
The final episode of 'I-Land 2' also drew an explosive response as the largest number of K-pop fans in the country and region ever looked forward to the moment of the birth of the next global girl group. The number of global live streaming viewers exceeded existing Mnet survival programs such as 'Boys Planet' and 'Girls Planet 999: Girls' Battle', and the record achieved in the previous episode was once again broken through this episode. On X (formerly Twitter), keywords related to the program entered real-time trends in a total of 24 countries, including Korea, proving its global popularity.
The final live broadcast opened with the stage of 'I-Land 2's' signal song 'FINAL LOVE SONG'. The stage, which started with the 10 i-Landers who advanced to the finals, became even richer with the addition of applicants who had experienced hardships together in I-Land, and all 24 applicants completed the opening stage on the final stage together, impressing the i-mates.
In this final live broadcast, Jeon So-mi, an iconic star representing K-pop, appeared as a special storyteller and worked with ZEROBASEONE member Seong Han-bin. Jeon So-mi, who debuted at No. 1 in the final rankings of Mnet's 'Produce 101', recalled her memories of that time, saying, "It seems like only yesterday that I debuted here as IOI, but it feels new to be standing here as a storyteller."
Seong Han-bin, a member of the group ZEROBASEONE, which debuted through 'Boys Planet' last year and is creating a global sensation, was joined by Cho Yuri, a member of Mnet's survival program, Kepler Kim Chae-hyun, Hikaru, and Zero Base One's head, who came to the scene to support the i-landers. By introducing Hao, Tae-rae Kim, and Yu-jin Han, he gave strength to the i-Landers.
Taeyang gave positive feedback, saying, "I enjoyed the performance while thinking, 'I've become a professional now' to be able to perform at this level on a live broadcast." VVN said, "The song's sentimental mood and i-Lander's neat visuals are amazing." “It came together harmoniously, and that energy was delivered to my heart,” he praised.
Unlike the song 'DRIP', a song featuring a rhythmic melody line, the unit (center Bang Bang-min, main vocalist Yoon Ji-yoon, main rapper Coco, 4th part Nam Yu-ju, 5th part Kim Gyu-ri) had difficult choreography with a lot of fast movements. A perfect stage was completed. 24, who watched the performance, praised it, saying, "I felt like I wanted to go home quickly and make a new song. It was a stage where the charms of the five members flowed through." Li Jeong said, "I was immersed in the lyrics and even felt a great earnestness in it. He left a favorable review, saying, “It was a stage that made me cry.”
The 'IWALY' stage, decorated with sincerity by the 10 i-Lander members, was decorated with sincerity to express gratitude to i-mates around the world who have been a great help in the journey of debut competition behind the scenes of the new song, encouraging each other to pursue the same dream. I could feel the friendship and unity of the applicants.
The i-Landers who survived the extreme competition for survival and were named to the debut group on this day were Choi Jeong-eun, Bang Ji-min, Yoon Ji-yoon, Coco, Yu Sarang, Mai, and Jeong Se-bi. Originally, the number of members of the debut group was 6, but main producer Taeyang made a surprise announcement of additional members, and Jeong Se-bi joined as the last member, confirming the debut of a total of 7 i-landers.
Along with the final debut member, the official group name was also revealed. The group 'izna', which was created through testing and competition to complete 'I (N/a)' by combining 'N' with unpredictable diversity and 'a' with infinite possibilities, is 'Anytime, anywhere, Anything = means ‘me’. Completed by the joining of girls with infinite musical potential, 'izna' is expected to create a new sensation in the global K-pop market in the future with their own voices, along with fans who have shared their debut journey and moment of birth.
Immediately after the final broadcast, the official community for 'I-Land 2' debut group 'izna' was also opened. By expanding contact with fans through the fan platform Plus Chat community before their official debut, the members are expected to get closer to the hearts of global fans through various contents and events in the Plus Chat community.
Meanwhile, world-class producer TEDDY, who has produced hit songs by world-class K-pop artists such as 2NE1, Big Bang, and Blackpink, participated as the general producer of Mnet's 'I-Land' and collaborated with The Black Label, which he heads. It attracted attention. In addition, a production team made up of the best talents in each field, including main producer Taeyang, music producers 24 and VVN, and performance directors Monica and Li Jeong, worked together to discover the talents of the applicants and help them grow together.
The testing process that took place between 'I-Land' and 'Ground' on a large-scale set that was thoroughly designed after a long period of preparation for the debut of a super-gap girl group was also special. Applicants with the will and passion to pursue their dream of debut showed off their infinite potential in each round, captivating domestic and foreign viewers with remarkable growth, and showing strong global influence.
Ten Asia Reporter Lee So-jeong forusojung@tenasia.co.kr
