Interview with Lee Chae-yeon: Navigating Solo Career After IZ*ONE

As the interview was about to commence, Lee Chae-yeon took a moment to reflect on her upcoming 2nd solo debut anniversary. She mentioned that even though it has been 7 years since she started her career, her solo journey has only been 2 years. To her, it feels like a short period of time, and she believes that she should approach it with the same enthusiasm and determination as a rookie. She still has a lot of performances she wants to showcase as a solo artist, and she sees herself as being in the early stages of her solo career.

Despite spending a significant amount of time with IZ*ONE, Lee Chae-yeon now finds herself in a senior role at music broadcasts. Reflecting on this, she commented, “With the constant emergence of new juniors, time seems to pass by quickly. Although I have been active for 7 years, I have not had many opportunities to showcase my solo activities. So, reaching my 3rd year feels satisfying.”Additionally, Lee Chae-yeon humorously added, “Being born in 2000, I often find myself unintentionally behaving like someone from the 90s compared to my peers. It’s funny to think that even though we are the same age, I sometimes refer to them as ‘kids’

When asked about any challenges she faced during her solo activities, she revealed that finding her own unique “color”was a major hurdle. She stated, “I wanted to establish my own distinct style, rather than being compared to others. I knew it would be a difficult task from the beginning, so I studied and observed how other solo artists and IZ*ONE members approached their solo careers.”Looking back on her debut as a solo artist, she admitted, “Transitioning from being in a group to solo activities felt like starting over as a rookie. Everything seemed daunting without the support of my group, and even performances that I used to feel confident about made me anxious. I had to start from the beginning and rebuild everything.”