Lia makes first public appearance since hiatus at ITZY’s ‘Born To Be’ concert in Seoul

ITZY member Lia has made her first public appearance since she went on hiatus at the band’s ‘Born To Be’ concert in Seoul this past weekend.

The JYP Entertainment girl group held the first kick-off concerts over the course of two nights last weekend (February 24 to 25) at Seoul’s Jamsil Indoor Stadium. Notably, the concerts were attended by Lia, a member of the group who has been on hiatus since September 2023 after experiencing “extreme levels of anxiety”.

The Korean-Canadian idol was seen among the audience and was later shown on the venue’s LED screens on stage, marking her first-ever public appearance in approximately five months. The group has continued promoting as a four-piece ever since, and will continue to do so for their upcoming world tour.

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ITZY – completed by Yeji, Chaeryoung, Ryujin and Yuna – also addressed Lia directly while they spoke to the audience between songs, with Chaeryoung saying: “Seeing Lia makes me emotional. I can’t hold back my tears when I look at her. Lia is crying as well!”

Chaeryoung also told Lia, while on stage, that “it’s not your fault, but I really missed you”.

Following the February 25 stop of the show, pictures of the active ITZY members taken with Lia were uploaded to the group’s official X (formerly known as Twitter) account. “Thank you for your support, enjoyment and cheering these two days,” the caption read. “ITZY and MIDZY (ITZY’s fanbase) are born to be in love, heart to heart. MIDZY must have felt it too.”

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Following the Seoul shows, the group will be embarking on a massive world tour named after their most recent studio album, ‘Born To Be’. The tour will take them to numerous cities across Asia, Oceania, Europe and North America over the course of the next six months.

Despite remaining absent since September 2023 from public appearances, including the release of the ‘Born To Be’ album, Lia released a solo song titled ‘Blossom’ in November, which would later be included on ‘Born to Be’.

Alongside the release of the song, Lia also hand-wrote an accompanying letter to fans, writing that ‘Blossom’ was a song that “is filled with my sincerity that I want to express to fans”.

“I promise to return more improved and healthier, enough to repay the support given by MIDZY during this time we cannot spend together!” Lia added, continuing: “Thank you for always trusting and waiting for me.”

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