When girl group izna debuted last November as Mnet’s latest audition-made band, it had the definite upper hand in having a preestablished fan base. But when it came to the real deal, the members realized that there was a setback they didn’t fully realize before — that they didn’t know each other well.

“We really took the time to get to know each other, because we realized that we started this without really knowing each other,” Ryu Sa-rang said in a roundtable interview before the release of izna's first digital single, “Sign,” on Monday. “After we got off work, we would sit down and talk about everything, the big things and the little things. We would show each other pictures from our trainee days, play games and sometimes stay up all night just chatting. And somewhere along the way, we became a team — a family.”


“Sign” is the group's first new music in four months since debut EP “N/a” (2024). Six members participated in the interview; Yoon Ji-yoon has been taking time off from her activities since February due to health issues.

“We watched the videos from after our debut during the last four months and gave each other a lot of feedback so that we could show that we’ve grown since our debut,” Bang Jee-min said. “The new song is totally different from our debut track, ‘IZNA’ [2024], and I’m really proud to show what we’ve prepared this time.”

“Sign” is a pop dance track about sending a sign to a crush, rather than waiting passively for the other person to make the first move. The song shows the more emotional side of the group compared to “IZNA,” which the members look forward to showing their fan club, naya.

“With ‘IZNA,’ we aimed to show a confident, chic and hip side of izna,” Bang said. “But the new song has a somewhat emotional melody that can feel kind of refreshing, too. I think the new look will be quite different from what we showed with our debut, and I can’t wait to show our fans.”

izna was formed through Mnet K-pop audition program “I-LAND 2” (2024), which aired from April to July 2024. The group is Mnet’s first new project band in a year and a half since boy band ZeroBaseOne made its debut in July 2023. It is also the first new girl group to come after Kep1er, which debuted in January 2022.

In the four months between the end of “I-LAND 2" and izna's debut, the members focused on enhancing their level of teamwork through not only dance and vocal practices, but also conversations that brought them closer as humans. Members had been signed with different agencies prior to “I-LAND 2,” such as Bang, who practiced under Source Music and Belift Lab, and Yoon, who had been a trainee at The Black Label.

“When we first met at the show, we really were strangers to each other,” Ryu said. “But after we came together under the izna name, we became more ambitious as izna and really wanted to show how much potential we have. We thought that the first step to doing so would be for us to get along, and that’s what we really focused on.”

“We didn’t feel like competitors, but it did take us some time to feel closer to each other,” Bang said. “But we really feel like we’ve gotten more intimate by talking about ourselves and our past.”

The members also worked on their individual skills since winning "I-LAND 2."

“I can really see myself improving in my dance and vocal skills compared to when I was on ‘I-LAND 2’ and when I first debuted,” Mai said. “It took us a lot of time to shoot the music video for ‘IZNA,’ but it took us a lot less time for ‘Sign.'”

To other up-and-coming trainees who dream about debuting through an audition program, members emphasized the importance of sincerity — but of being true to oneself.

“It’s intense, but I believe that the viewers know when they see someone sincerely trying their best to achieve their dreams,” Ryu said. “So all I can say is that you should try your best and show you how you really feel, how serious you are about your dreams.”

“But most of all, you have to enjoy yourself,” Koko said. “You will get to stressed under the pressure, but you have to enjoy yourself and find your own joy so that you can make your fans feel happy, too.”

For now, the members’ goals remain the same as the one they had during their very first debut performance.

“We want to be a group that people want to see more of,” Bang said. “And we want to be the group that people immediately think of, when they hear K-pop. I want people around the world to know what an amazing culture K-pop is. Ultimately, I want to spread Korean culture to the world.”

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]