ITZY Reveal How J.Y. Park Helped Them Record & Perform "Mafia In The Morning"

ITZY is back for the group’s first comeback of 2021, and their new sound is already turning heads. During the media conference for Guess Who and the accompanying title track, “In the morning” (also known as “Mafia in the Morning”, the ITZY members revealed how JYP Entertainment founder J.Y. Park helped them through the creative process.

While fans were originally confused about the origins of the song’s title, the members clarified that “In the morning” is based on the popular party game “Mafia.” In the game, which is very popular in South Korea, players split into two teams—the mafia team must “kill” off the other players and hide their identities while the rest try to catch them out. Similarly, Yeji explained that “In the morning” is about hiding your emotions to win your crush’s heart.

This isn’t ITZY’s first song about love, but it definitely represents another new sound for the group. To guide the group through the creative process, JYP Entertainment founder and co-producer of “In the morning” J.Y. Park helped ITZY with the recording process.

Lia revealed that this was the first time J.Y. Park participated in recording direction for the group, despite co-writing one of their past songs, “ICY”, too. According to the main vocalist, he gave the members a lot of advice. “For instance,” Lia explained, “When we were inside a recording booth, he suggested we dim the light.” She went on to say that dimming the lights helped them concentrate more on delivering their sincere inner feelings on the album.

On top of that, Yeji revealed that J.Y. Park paid close attention to the members’ performance as well, encouraging them and setting them up for what to expect. “He told us that the public would be able to witness ITZY’s growth through our performance this time,” Yeji shared. Filming performance scenes across 10 locations, Ryujin says “In the morning marked a “new experience” for the group.