ITZY’s Ryujin & Chaeryeong Reveal They Struggled Through Back Pain During “Wannabe”
Talking together in a new episode of “2TZY: Hello 2021” on YouTube, ITZY‘s Chaeryeong and Ryujin revealed how they struggled with back pain during “Wannabe” performances.
ITZY’s performances are always nothing short of immaculate, but that doesn’t come without a lot of hard work. Talking with Ryujin, Chaeryeong explained that the members are “perfectionists.” As such, they often push themselves to the point of pain when preparing for a stage. “I’m in so much pain the entire time I’m standing,” Chaeryeong revealed on the topic of practicing and performing.
After Chaeryeong’s admission, Ryujin recalled a time when Chaeryeong was suffering from such bad back pain, she couldn’t perform ITZY’s choreography. According to Ryujin, during promotions for “Wannabe”, the group had to change some parts of the choreography because Chaeryeong “couldn’t physically bend down.”
Speaking up about her struggles, Chaeryeong explained that there were many parts in the “Wannabe” choreography that required her to bend over. It was so tough, she revealed, that she found herself crying repeatedly. However, since they’d already agreed on the original choreography, she tried to push through the pain.
I’d have to keep bending over, again and again! So it was really… Tears kept coming to my eyes.
— Chaeryeong
However, no matter how hard she tried, she still wasn’t sure if she could bend over. “I was so scared,” the main dancer said, revealing that she kept asking herself what she should do. Judging by Ryujin’s comments, it seems Chaeryeong was suffering from a herniated disc—a painful condition in which one of the spinal discs slips out of place or ruptures.
Since Ryujin is the member who pays the most attention to detailed moves according to Chaeryeong, she was “walking on eggshells” around Ryujin when it came to sharing her struggles. But despite that, Ryujin revealed that her own back was hurting somewhat during preparations for the SBS Gayo Daejeon festival that year. While she clarified that she only had a “tiny bit” of pain, it left her “so scared” just like Chaeryeong.
[I] didn’t know what to do with my body.
— Ryujin
After going through that pain, Ryujin realized how difficult Chaeryeong’s time must have been during “Wannabe” era. Talking to Chaeryeong, the main rapper found herself wishing they’d changed the choreography even more to make her more comfortable. “I could understand everything [Chaeryeong] did,” Ryujin shared.
We should’ve changed the choreo even more for you… We should’ve gotten rid of all the parts you had to bend over… I kept thinking about that…
— Ryujin
