Before the interview officially began, Lee Chae-yeon commented on her upcoming 2nd solo debut anniversary, “Considering my activities up to now, it’s been about 7 years. So when I think about it being only 2 years as a solo artist, it feels like it hasn’t been long at all. Reflecting on it, I think I should approach it with the mindset of a rookie. There are still many stages I want to show as a solo singer. I’m still at the beginning.”
Given her time with IZ*ONE, she now finds herself in the position of a senior when attending music broadcasts. Lee Chae-yeon remarked, “As there are more juniors and new people constantly emerging, it feels like time really flies. Even though I’ve been active for 7 years, there hasn’t been much time to show my solo activities. So, it feels good to be in my 3rd year.” She added “Being born in 2000 and living with people from the 90s, I find myself unintentionally acting older than my peers. Even though we’re the same age, there are times I refer to them as ‘kids’“, causing laughter.
When asked if there were any difficulties during her solo activities, she pointed out her own “color” as the challenge. She said, “Actually, I wanted to have Lee Chae-yeon’s own unique color rather than being compared to someone else. I knew it wouldn’t be easy from the start. So, I studied and researched how other solo artists and IZ*ONE members approached their solo careers.” Recalling her solo debut days, she confessed, “Returning to solo activities after being in a group felt like going back to being a rookie. Everything was daunting on my own, and even stages that I wasn’t nervous about before made me anxious. I had to start from scratch and build everything up again.”
