K-POP Named Youth Vol. 120 - Live Experience Report 15: Jo Yu-ri WINTER PARTY in Shinagawa - A night intoxicated by the beautiful voice of the former IZ*ONE main vocalist.

The solo concert of Jo Yu-ri, the former main vocalist of IZ*ONE who is now active as a solo singer, has finally been held!

CJ ENM Japan Co., Ltd., which operates "Mnet," held the year-end event "Mnet Japan Winter Party" for four days from December 19th to December 22nd, and Jo Yu-ri appeared on the final day.

By the way, everyone, do you know Jo Yu-ri?

Jo Yu-ri was born on October 22, 2001, and is a former member of the Japanese-Korean girl group IZ*ONE. She is affiliated with WAKEONE. She is from Busan, South Korea. Her fandom name is "GLASSY."

She decided to become a singer after auditioning for SM Entertainment when she was in middle school. In 2017, she appeared on the Mnet audition program "Idol School" and advanced to the final stage, but she was not selected as a debut member, finishing in 15th place.

After that, she spent nine months as a trainee and appeared on the Mnet audition program "PRODUCE 48" from April 11 to August 31, 2018. She was selected as a debut member, finishing in 3rd place, and debuted as a member of IZ*ONE. As the main vocalist of IZ*ONE, which exploded in popularity in Japan as well, her singing ability became known all over the world.

On April 29, 2021, her 2-year and 6-month activity period ended, and her activities as IZ*ONE concluded. She released her 1st single album "GLASSY" on October 7 to make her solo debut, and has since had two comebacks leading up to the present. All of them are great songs that show a new charm of Jo Yu-ri. Please check out the music videos for Jo Yu-ri's songs in the article below.

Click here for an article introducing Jo Yu-ri's solo activities ↓

For those who want to go back further and learn the history of IZ*ONE, where Jo Yu-ri served as the main vocalist, please check out this article ↓

Well then, let's look back on the day of Jo Yu-ri's first solo concert.

Thursday, December 22nd. On that day, I had the day off from work, and in the morning, I was steadily writing additional articles for "K-POP Named Youth."

After finishing the additional articles regarding the comebacks of woo!ah!, OH MY GIRL's YooA, BoA, KARA, and SECRET NUMBER, and having lunch, I took my second son, who was feeling unwell, to the hospital.

Returning from the hospital, it was time to head to the Shinagawa Prince Hotel where Jo Yu-ri's concert was being held!

I rested a little in the lobby of the Shinagawa Prince Hotel and then moved to the venue, Stellar Ball.

Although I was in the 2nd-floor seating, it was in the center and a very easy-to-see position!

And finally, Jo Yu-ri appeared!

In line with the Christmas season, she wore a red outfit like a Santa fairy for the daytime show, and for the evening show that I saw, she wore reindeer antlers and an orange Santa outfit, which was very cute!

Her first concert in Japan was in a fan meeting format, with a structure that included singing songs interspersed with talk time. During the talk time, with the reliable MC Furuya-san, Yu-ri was relaxed as she answered letters from fans collected in advance one by one, completed decorating a Christmas tree, and talked not only about her music activities but also about her role-building for her first starring drama "MIMICUS" (which was interesting!), making me look forward to the future of actor Jo Yu-ri as well.

Setlist

GLASSY
This Time
Loveable
Opening
Love Shhh!

The show opened with her debut song, the beloved "GLASSY," and it felt as if the venue was enveloped by Jo Yu-ri's voice. I was also happy that the latest song "Loveable" was a song I like, overflowing with euphoria! And I was truly able to deeply savor her singing voice in "This Time" and "Opening," which she sang carefully while holding the microphone. The vibe of "Love Shhh!," which she sang for the encore, was great, and her punchy singing voice was refreshing!

Her slightly husky and sweet singing voice echoing through the venue touched my heart; it was the best time ever!

Jo Yu-ri was adorable, her live singing was incredibly skilled, her vocal projection was powerful, and the talk segments were fun (as expected with Furuya-san's hosting), filling the venue with a heartwarming sense of euphoria.

And finally, a photo session with GLASSY.

Man, it was the best.

While savoring the lingering excitement, I boarded the train and happened to open my email, only to find that I had received a notification that I won tickets to the LE SSERAFIM Japan debut showcase!

LE SSERAFIM includes Sakura Miyawaki and Kim Chaewon, who performed together with Jo Yu-ri in IZ*ONE, making it truly a miraculous night for IZ*ONE fans, and I headed home feeling so happy.

Hearing Jo Yu-ri's live singing for the first time that day, I became even more convinced of her potential as a songstress. Her exquisite voice is something I could listen to forever without ever getting tired of it. I really want everyone to listen to Jo Yu-ri's singing voice and her many wonderful songs.

Next year, I hope she will let us hear even more of her beautiful voice in a solo concert.

I want to continue supporting Jo Yu-ri from here on out.

Fighting!