ILLIT, a new girl group from HYBE entertainment, has recently debuted on March 25, consisting five members: Minju, Moka, Iroha, Wonhee, and Yunah.
The five members were introduced to each other through “R U Next,” a survival show initiated by HYBE entertainment, which was designed for 22 trainees in the company. The survival show involved endless individual and group competitions demanding high levels of vocal and dance skills along with strong stage presence.
The competitions were followed by detailed feedback from famous idols in the current industry such as Jo Kwon, Aiki, and Vincenzo, who participated as mentors. After a rigorous competition, the final members were decided by the mentors and the public through a voting procedure.
“R U Next had many talented participants and each competition round result was hard to predict,” Ellen Park (10), survival show fan, said. “The competition themes and missions were highly challenging throughout the entire show, and I have to say that the five members that debuted consistently stood out.”
Initially, ILLIT was a six member group; however, Youngseo left the group before their debut. Until their debut, ILLIT was active on their YouTube channel and Instagram account promoting their group and activities. Later in March, on the day of their debut, they presented their new album “SUPER REAL ME” with their title song: “Magnetic.”
The album has four songs in total: “My World,” “Magnetic,” “Midnight Fiction,” and “Lucky Girl Syndrome.” The album seems to have generated some ambiguity and mystery. ILLIT’s “imaginary world” that they were trying to portray was not clear.
“The concept is definitely a strong one,” Keanu Park (11), ILLIT fan, said. “I would say that ILLIT had a successful debut with an appealing concept, an addictive song, and an eye-catching choreography.”
Despite their successful debut, ILLIT has also received criticism for not having a definite concept. Critics note that some of their choreographies resemble LE SSERAFIM; their concept fairly similar to NewJeans.
Even though ILLIT faces mild criticism on their overlapping concept and choreography, fans strive to support ILLIT’s bright future with the potential improvement they would bring to the K-POP industry.
“I am excited for ILLIT’s future activities in the K-POP industry,” Yeseo Lee (10), K-POP fan, said. “They will surely be successful and continue to improve as a group!”
