Lee Chaeyeon releases first solo single, dance challenges to follow

Lee Chaeyeon is done knocking on the doors of multiple audition programs and is ready to soar as a solo artist in her first single "The Move: Street."

Singer and dancer Lee Chae-yeon [RBW, WM ENTERTAINMENT]

Lee Chaeyeon is done knocking on the doors of multiple audition programs and is ready to soar as a solo artist in her first single "The Move: Street."

The release Wednesday comes less than five months after her hit song "Knock," the lead track of her second EP "Over The Moon," which was praised for its trendy and eye-catching choreography that complemented the singer and the numerous dance challenge videos that followed.

"I think I was able to find my place [as a solo artist] faster than I had originally anticipated thanks to the unexpected receptions I've seen with 'Knock,' and I plan to not let go of that opportunity," Lee said during an interview with a group of reporters in western Seoul ahead of the release of her first single, emphasizing that she "had said no to auditioning programs" in the future.

From before her debut and even up to her promotional period for "Knock" she had been a part of multiple audition programs — from SBS’s “Kpop Star 3” (2013) to JYP Entertainment’s “Sixteen” (2015), "Produce 48" (2018) and “Queendom: Puzzle."

She had even taken part in Mnet’s dancing competition program, “Street Woman Fighter” (2021), as the show's only idol.

"I hope the road ahead of me is smooth," she added. "I don't need more hardships in my life."

Singer and dancer Lee Chae-yeon [RBW, WM ENTERTAINMENT]

Not all audition programs ended in tears for Lee, as she was able to debut as a member of project girl group IZ*ONE in 2018 after successfully completing "Produce 48." But now she's taking on a whole new challenge to solidify her grounds as a solo artist.

“I’ve spent the last few months in happiness due to the overwhelming love that I’ve received [from 'Knock'], and I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel the pressure preparing for the album,” Lee said. “But my aim is just to be myself and present a well-structured performance for everyone."

In the bright and upbeat dance score “Let’s Dance,” the lead track of the new single, Chaeyeon introduces herself as a street dancer of different dance genres — ballet, tango, break dancing, hip-hop and more.

“I’ve had a lot of thoughts with ‘Let’s Dance’ because I wanted to show dances in my own style […] instead of restricting myself to a specific genre of dances,” Chaeyeon said. “But to be honest, I can't excel at all dance genres. I just wanted to show people how much I can pull off in my own style.

I think ‘Let’s Dance’ can wake up your inner ability to dance; it's a song that everyone can enjoy together,” she said.

Singer and dancer Lee Chae-yeon [RBW, WM ENTERTAINMENT]

One key driving factor to the success of “Knock” was the dance challenges she did with none other than ITZY’s Chaeryoung — Chaeyeon’s younger sister — which garnered more than 1.5 million views by early September. Chaeyeon already had plans to continue the trend with “Let’s Dance” dance challenges.

“The choreography features a lot of bits that are suitable for short dance challenges,” Chaeyeon said. “While I don’t have an ‘easy version’ planned so far, I’ve prepared three separate challenges, [and] artists’ will be able to choose whichever they prefer.”

“I plan on hitting on all the main dancers of each idol group [to get them to join the challenge],” Chaeyeon said with a laugh. “That’s my own small goal, to do the challenge with all the main dancers who are active around the same time as me, which includes Chaeryoung. I hope she can boost the popularity [of the new song] once again!”

Singer and dancer Lee Chae-yeon [RBW, WM ENTERTAINMENT]

But Chaeyeon made it clear that the choreography for “Let’s Dance” was not designed with dance challenges in mind.

“I tried that already with [my first EP] ‘Hush Rush,’ and it didn’t work out well [laughs] — which is why I’ve decided to go with choreography that best suits me, and dance moves that I can pull off better,” Chaeyeon said. “Then I can choose bits of the choreography that will best fit dance challenges. You can always make a simpler version of the choreography for the challenges if necessary.”

Although she's all geared up to shine solo, she still misses the days she was part of a group, having spent the first three years of her career in the 12-member project girl group IZ*ONE.

“When I was in a group of 12, we all had our times on stage split between the members, and quite frankly, it wasn’t too much pressure for me,” Chaeyeon said. “But as a solo artist, I must fill the stage all alone, and people will have to watch my face for three whole minutes […] I really had to think of ways to make people stay until the end of the track.”

“I think I was able to have some protection when I was in a group — when I wanted to shine, I could shine, but I was also able to hide a bit when I wanted to hide. As a solo artist, I’m really all alone,” she said. “That’s why I am always open to be in a group whenever I can."

Singer and dancer Lee Chae-yeon [RBW, WM ENTERTAINMENT]

But she wouldn't just go back to any other group: IZ*ONE is the only one.

"Honestly, [for group activities] I'm only considering IZ*ONE as my group," she said. “All our members have settled in, and they are all working so hard. I hope we can meet again one day.”

Being solo doesn't only have downsides, though, as she has begun to find ways to deal with the pressure as a soloist and has also newly found her talent in talking.

Dealing with the pressure to amaze people for the whole three minutes of each stage performance, one solution she found was to utilize her dance skills to “help emphasize the choreography” by “covering her face with her hands and forcing the cameras to zoom out to show a bigger picture.”

“You know, I was never someone who talked this much — I would often stay behind and just react to the members that are talking,” she added. “But as a solo artist, I was given the opportunity to talk more, which made me realize that I was quite good at talking."

Going forward, she hopes to keep her title as a unique artist in the K-pop scene.

“I really enjoy it when I’m described with words like ‘unrivaled’ and ‘unique.’ So I plan on continuing to paint the stage with my own styles and charms, so people can associate female solo artists with unique performances with Lee Chaeyeon,” she said. “I also very much want to perform abroad. […] With the pandemic over and travel restrictions lifted, I hope to meet my fans around the world and perform, this time as a solo artist.”

To find out more about Lee Chaeyeon, visit Celeb Confirmed!

Singer and dancer Lee Chae-yeon [RBW, WM ENTERTAINMENT]

BY CHO YONG-JUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]