#ITZYWannabe
Overview
#ITZYWannabe promoted ITZY’s second mini-album IT’z ME (March 2020) and its empowering title track “Wannabe.” The song’s shoulder dance and “I don’t wanna be somebody, just wanna be me” message became a viral phenomenon during early COVID-19 lockdowns.
Viral Choreography
The iconic shoulder dance move created by choreographer Lia Kim went viral on TikTok, spawning the #WannabeChallenge with millions of user-generated videos worldwide. The simple yet addictive move made “Wannabe” accessible to casual dancers and K-pop newcomers.
Girl Crush Pioneers
ITZY (Yeji, Lia, Ryujin, Chaeryeong, Yuna) established themselves as fourth-generation “girl crush” leaders with confident concepts and self-love messages. “Wannabe” followed their debut hit “DALLA DALLA” (2019) in promoting individuality and rejecting societal expectations.
The hashtag peaked during:
- Album release (March 9, 2020)
- Music show wins (9 total)
- #WannabeChallenge viral spread (March-May 2020)
- 200M+ YouTube views milestones
- Pandemic lockdown dance trends
Pandemic Timing
Released during COVID-19’s global spread, “Wannabe” provided an uplifting anthem for isolated youth and demonstrated K-pop’s power to unite global audiences through social media challenges even during quarantine.