Exclusive: IZ*ONE Have Fans' Eyes On Them At Their Monumental 1st Solo Concert In Seoul

This past weekend, IZ*ONE hosted their first-ever solo concert “Eyes On Me” at the Jamsil Arena in Seoul, and Soompi had the chance to attend the third day of the group’s concert!

IZ*ONE opened up the concert with performances of their refreshing b-side tracks “Sunflower,” “O’ My!” and “We Together.” After their opening performances, the IZ*ONE members greeted their fans by cheerfully saying their greeting “Eyes on me! Hello, we are IZ*ONE.”

Choi Ye Na commented, “This is already the third day of our first solo concert. It still feels like a dream! Yu Jin, pinch me so I can check whether this is a dream or not.” An Yu Jin then pinched Choi Ye Na and reassured her that she was not dreaming.

Kim Min Ju stated, “When I heard that we will also visit other Asian countries, I couldn’t believe it. It is Hitomi’s dream to go on a world tour. How do you feel?” Hitomi then got on her knees as if she were about to start a race and said, “This is how I feel right now. This is our last concert in Seoul, and I will do my best with performing so I don’t have any regrets.”

Kwon Eun Bi said, “How was our opening performances? We performed three tracks, and there is a special reason why we opened the concert with them.” She then asked Jo Yu Ri and Yabuki Nako to explain the meaning behind performing the three tracks consecutively.

Jo Yu Ri and Nako jointly explained that just like a “Sunflower,” they want their fans to only look at them. Yabuki Nako continued, “Oh, My! WIZ*ONE [IZ*ONE’s fandom name], please take care of us from now on [the literal Korean title of ‘We Together’].”

An Yu Jin asked, “Do you guys know the title of our concert ? That’s right, it’s ‘Eyes On Me.’ Do you know what it means?” Choi Ye Na answered, “It’s almost like IZ*ONE’s aspirations to have fans’ eyes set on us.” Lee Chae Yeon concluded, “We have prepared performances that will make you have your eyes on us, so please look forward to them.” The girl group continued the concert with exciting, upbeat performances of “I Want To Be a Cat,” “Happy Farewell,” and “Airplane.”

After changing their outfits into goddess-like white dresses, IZ*ONE opened the next segment of the concert with a soothing performance of “As We Dream.” Kim Min Ju especially caught the audiences’ eyes by playing a beautiful intro of the song “As We Dream” on the piano. The group also performed “Really Like You” and “Beautiful Color,” through which they showcased their impressive vocal skills.

Following the performances, Lee Chae Yeon said, “Just like the title of the song ‘Beautiful Color,’ the light sticks glowed with beautiful colors.” Kim Chae Won added, “It was an emotional experience to sing slow songs while having an eye contact with each and one of you.”

Kim Min Ju commented on her piano performance, “I was shaking so much. Ever since it was decided that I would play the piano at our concert, I practiced a lot. How was it? Thank you so much for always watching my performances even though I’m always lacking in many aspects. I will continue to work harder.”

An Yu Jin stepped in, “I was just reminded of something. The first filming for ‘Produce 48’ happened exactly a year ago.” Choi Ye Na responded, “Hearing that makes me want to bring back our innocent rapper from hell (the nickname Kang Hye Won gained after performing BLACKPINK’s ‘BOOMBAYAH’ as a mission during the show).”

Then, the members took time to recreate some memorable moments from the show. Nako briefly sang GFRIEND’s “Love Whisper” and Jo Yu Ri sang AOA’s “Short Hair.” Choi Ye Na, Miyawaki Sakura, and An Yu Jin sang I.O.I’s “Very Very Very.”

An Yu Jin continued, “It was hard [participating in ‘Produce 48’], but now I consider it as a beautiful memory that IZ*ONE and WIZ*ONE share. With that being said, let’s take a time machine and go on a ride.” IZ*ONE then took fans down the memory line by performing songs from “Produce 48.”

After an emotional performance of “To Reach You,” the members split into two groups to perform “Rollin’ Rollin'” and “I AM.” At the end, they came together to perform the famous “Produce 48” theme song, “You’re Mine (Pick Me).”

IZ*ONE continued to have fans’ eyes on them with never-seen-before unit performances. Jang Won Young, An Yu Jin, Choi Ye Na, Kim Chae Won, Yabuki Nako, and Honda Hitomi teamed up for an adorable performance of “So Curious.” Afterwards, Kwon Eun Bi, Lee Chae Yeon, Kim Min Ju, Kang Hye Won, Jo Yu Ri, and Miyawaki Sakura took on the stage with a fierce performance of “Ayayaya.”

Jang Won Young commented, “Our surprise gift to WIZ*ONE was the unit performances that you can only see at IZ*ONE’s concert.” An Yu Jin added, “The first song ‘So Curious’ adorably portrays the heart-fluttering feelings one gets when experiencing love for the first time.” Lee Chae Yeon further explained, “The second song is called ‘Ayayaya.’ The lyrics talk about our desire to put on the best performance whenever and wherever we go.”

IZ*ONE continued to showcase a variety of their charms with performances of the title track of their first Japanese single album “Suki to Iwasetai” and b-side track “You’re In Love, Right?”

It was almost the end of the concert when IZ*ONE performed their debut song “La Vie en Rose” in purple dresses. The light sticks turned into a bright red color to match the song. IZ*ONE also performed b-side track “Highlight” and “Rumor,” another song from “Produce 48.”

Choi Ye Na stated, “I’m not lying when I say this, but because our fans cheered so loudly, I thought the gymnasium was going to be blown away.” Kim Chae Won said, “You finally saw us performing ‘Highlight.’ Did we finally grant your wishes?” Jang Won Young added, “It’s overwhelming to be performing our debut song at our first solo concert.”

Kwon Eun Bi said, “Time flies by so quickly. We feel much appreciation for being able to host a concert for three days. With the last performance ahead of us, I suddenly had a thought. I feel like we named our concert very well. Because of the way you have your eyes on us at all time, we are able to put in more effort and improve. We always want to pay back your love with great performances, but we fail to do that sometimes. Please continue to cheer us on until the end.”

Kim Min Ju commented, “I don’t think I will ever forget the way you looked at us today.” Jo Yu Ri concluded, “You will sing along to the last song loudly, right? We will also put in a lot of effort into our last song.” IZ*ONE then moved on to perform their most recent title track “Violeta.”

At the end of the performance, the members returned backstage. However, it was time for fans to give something back to the girl group, and they started singing “As We Dream” until the members reappeared on stage. IZ*ONE performed “Memory” before each member took turns to say their final words to fans.

An Yu Jin started, “I was in my bed after the concert last night when I had a thought. I suddenly felt lonely being alone in my bed when just hours ago, I was with WIZ*ONE at a large venue. I was afraid that everything would disappear if I woke up the next morning. I know we can’t always be together, but isn’t it comforting that we are always thinking about each other? It was somewhat challenging to prepare for the concert, but I was able to heal my wounds because of your loud cheering that I can hear through my in-ear monitors. I will continue to show improvement. I will never let you down.”

Choi Ye Na said, “We might have lacked in many things because this was our first concert, but I’m always grateful that you love us no matter what. I always feel pressured about giving happiness to people and showing only the brightest sides of myself. Because of that, I hadn’t figured out what makes me happy. Thank you for making me realize that happiness is when you enjoy, laugh, and be happy with the people that you love.”

Kim Chae Won stated, “It’s amazing that this is already the last day of our concert. Those three days flew by really quickly. I was worried that we wouldn’t meet the expectations of WIZ*ONE, but I’m relieved and happy that you seem to be enjoying it. Thank you for always making us laugh even when we are tired and exhausted. I also want to thank my members. Even though I’m don’t express myself very much, I’m always grateful for you. Eun Bi, it’s not easy to lead 11 of us. Thank you for leading so well.”

Jo Yu Ri said, “It feels weird that our concert, which seemed like it would never end, has come to an end. First of all, I want to thank the directors and staff members for making it happen. Thank you to WIZ*ONE for glowing up this venue. We know that it’s all thanks to WIZ*ONE that we are able to stand on this stage. We will always work hard.”

Yabuki Nako commented, “While hosting the concert for three days, I realized that we gain strength from WIZ*ONE, when it’s supposed to be the other way around. Just like we said earlier, WIZ*ONE’s loud cheers make us happy. We hope that WIZ*ONE is also happy because of us. It was a happy day for me thanks to WIZ*ONE. I hope that was the case for you too.”

Sakura continued, “I had a lot of fun for the past three days. I would not shine on stage if it weren’t for WIZ*ONE. I hope that you will stay with me for the rest of my life. Will you promise? I know I lack in many things, but I would like to continue to walk forward by holding hands of WIZ*ONE.” Sakura also expressed her gratitude in Japanese.

Jang Won Young said in tears, “It’s already been three days. It was difficult [preparing for the concert] because we didn’t have much time, and we all wanted to show only the best sides of ourselves. However, I’m thankful to WIZ*ONE that we were able to successfully host the concert.” Jang Won Young also left a comment to her parents who were present at the concert. “Thank you for raising me well. I know we don’t get much time to see each other nowadays. I’ve missed you so much. I wanted to invite you so that you can see how well I’m doing. Don’t worry too much and once again, thank you for coming.”

Kwon Eun Bi said, “It’s been nine months since we debuted as IZ*ONE. I believe that we were able to grow and become stronger thanks to WIZ*ONE. In the past nine months, we experienced happiness, hardships, and sadness. However, we were able to endure because of WIZ*ONE. Thank you for waiting and understanding even though we are not perfect. I believe that WIZ*ONE is what makes us perfect. I hope that you continue to watch over us like stars in the sky. I would also like to thank my members. They don’t complain nor show that they are exhausted despite the tight schedule. We now know how each other is feeling just by looking into each other’s eyes. I’m sincerely happy to be a part of IZ*ONE.”

Honda Hitomi added, “The past three days were the best memory and most memorable experience of my life. When I debuted, I was nervous to promote in a foreign country. However, I’m where I am today because of my members, family, staff members, and WIZ*ONE. It is an honor to be able to perform on a big stage like this even though it hasn’t been a year since our debut. I will continue to work hard towards a bigger goal.” Honda Hitomi also took time to say her gratitude in Japanese to her parents who also came to the concert.

Kim Min Ju commented, “I never thought I would be a person to make someone happy. I’m amazed and thankful every time I see WIZ*ONE. I’m able to learn more about myself and who I am as a person everyday thanks to you. I want you to know that you also make us happy. My family and friends are also here, and I would like to thank them for always believing in me and encouraging me not to give up. I will try to become a singer who can improve and go after a bigger goal.”

Lee Chae Yeon said, “A few days ago, my friend, who had become sick both physically and mentally, called me. She is an aspiring actress who had given up on her dream. She told me that she gained courage to go after her dream again by watching me make my debut. Not only her, but many fans tell me that they gather strength by watching me. Because of that, I feel like I need to gather strength myself. There was a time when I seriously considered giving up on this path. When I asked my mom, she told me to quit. She said she would support me no matter what, but I should make a decision that would not make me regret. When I heard my mom say that, I suddenly became eager to keep on trying. I’m now thankful that my mom told me to quit. As many of you know, I’ve been a trainee for a long time. During those years, I’ve never once successfully performed at a monthly evaluation. Because I failed every time, I worried about standing on stage in front of many people in the future. WIZ*ONE enabled me to do so. I’ve gained confidence now. I will continue to look at only positive comments and compliments, and I will continue to work hard to improve myself.”

Kang Hye Won concluded, “I had a lot of fun during the past three days. I’m unable to express my feelings very well, and I used to not smile. This is the first time I’m trying to put my feelings into words. WIZ*ONE and IZ*ONE helped me to become the person I am today. Many people tell me that I smile more now. It’s all thanks to WIZ*ONE and IZ*ONE. I was able to improve because of you. I’ll become a person who will improve even more in the future.”

IZ*ONE concluded the concert with a fun performance of “Up.”