Illit (/ˈaɪlɪt/; Korean: 아일릿; RR: aillit; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean girl group formed by Belift Lab, a sub-label of Hybe through the JTBC 2023 survival competition show R U Next?. The group consists of five members – Yunah, Minju, Moka, Wonhee, and Iroha. The group debuted on March 25, 2024, with the extended play (EP) Super Real Me.
Name
Illit's official logo
The name I'll-It (previously) was introduced during the live broadcast of the final episode of R U Next?. In the episode, it was explained that the name "represents choosing your own verb to put between I'll and It", conveying the ability of the members to act and make decisions independently.[2]
Career
2023–2024: Pre-debut activities and formation through R U Next?
The JTBC series R U Next? aired for ten episodes from June 30, through September 1, 2023, in which 22 contestants competed to debut in a six-member girl group under Belift Lab,[3] their first girl group, and the third girl group to debut under Hybe, after Le Sserafim and NewJeans.[4] The final episode saw the formation of the group's six-member lineup, with two members being selected by the public, and four being selected by the company's producers.[5] The final lineup of Wonhee, Youngseo, Minju, Iroha, Moka, and Yunah, was unveiled at the end of the broadcast.[6] On January 5, 2024, Belift Lab announced Youngseo was leaving the group. Previously, Youngseo and Belift Lab had discussed the future activities of her and her group and had decided with mutual agreement to terminate her contract.[7]
2024–present: Debut with Super Real Me
On February 13, Belift Lab confirmed that Illit will be debuting in March.[8] On February 21, it was confirmed again that Illit will debut on March 25 with their first extended play, with Hybe's chairman Bang Si-hyuk participating as producer of their album.[9] On February 26, the agency announced the name of Illit's first extended play Super Real Me, with pre-orders opening on the same day as the announcement. On February 28, Illit made their first public appearance as a group at the Acne Studios show during Paris Fashion Week,[10] making them the first K-pop artist to appear at the event prior to their official debut.[11] The tracklist of Super Real Me was revealed a week later on March 9, with "Magnetic" serving as the lead single.[12] A total of four tracks, including "Magnetic", would be released. The three other tracks on the album are "My World", "Midnight Fiction", and "Lucky Girl Syndrome".[13][14] The teaser for the music video of their upcoming debut single "Magnetic", was officially released on March 22.[15]
Eight days after the debut of Illit, "Magnetic" entered four U.S. Billboard charts.[16] Illit became the first K-pop group to enter the UK Official Singles with their debut single, which peaked at number 80.[17] On April 16, 2024, Illit became the fastest K-pop act to appear on the Billboard Hot 100, when "Magnetic" debuted at number 91.[18] "Magnetic" also became the first debut song by a K-pop act to appear on the Hot 100.[19][20] The music video for the track "Lucky Girl Syndrome" was released on April 17.[21] In May 2024, Super Real Me entered the Billboard 200 chart at number 93. Additionally, Illit also scored 41st on the BillboardArtist 100 chart, and peaked at No. 2 on the Emerging Artist chart.[22]
Endorsements
On March 2024, Illit was selected as the new face of Acne Studios' latest SS24 global campaign.[23] Three weeks after Illit's debut, Wonhee was selected as a new model for Japanese sports drink Pocari Sweat in May 2024.[24] On March 28, 2024, Illit was selected as the new Y brand model of KT Y.[25][26] On May 1, 2024, Illit became the new model for the French cosmetics brand Bioderma.[27][28] On May 28, 2024, Illit became the new model for the American footwear company Crocs.[29]
Members
Yunah (윤아)
Minju (민주)
Moka (모카)
Wonhee (원희)
Iroha (이로하)
Discography
Extended plays
List of extended plays, showing selected details, selected chart positions, sales figures, and certifications
^Jeong, Seung-min (September 2, 2023). "'알유넥스트' 여정 마무리...하이브 차기 걸그룹 '아일릿' 결성" ['RU Next' journey concludes... Hybe's next girl group 'Illit' formed]. MHN Sports (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 2, 2023. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
^ ab"하이브 새 걸그룹 누구?...'알유넥스트', 티저 영상 공개" [Who is Hybe's new girl group?...'RU Next', teaser video released]. MBN (in Korean). June 7, 2023. Archived from the original on June 20, 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2023 – via Naver.
^Ahn, Jin-young (March 9, 2024). "'하이브 막내딸' 아일릿, 데뷔 타이틀 곡은 'Magnetic'" ['Hybe's youngest daughter' Illit, debut title song is 'Magnetic']. Munhwa Ilbo (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 10, 2024. Retrieved March 10, 2024 – via Naver.
^"ko:KT, Y 브랜드 모델로 '아일릿' 발탁..."신규 광고 선보여"" [KT Selects 'ILLIT' as Y Brand Model... "Introducing New Advertisement"]. BIGDATAnews (in Korean). March 29, 2024. Archived from the original on June 4, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
^"ko:KT Y브랜드 새 광고 모델에 걸그룹 아일릿" [Girl group ILLIT is the new advertising model for KT Y brand]. ZDNET Korea (in Korean). March 29, 2024. Archived from the original on April 4, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
^"ko:바이오더마의 NEW 엠버서더 ILLIT" [Bioderma's NEW Ambassador ILLIT]. @bioderma_kr (twitter) (in Korean). May 1, 2024. Archived from the original on May 11, 2024. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
^"ko:크록스와 아일릿이 함께한 순간" [The moment when Crocs and ILLIT came together]. WKOREA (in Korean). May 28, 2024. Archived from the original on May 28, 2024. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
"オリコン月間 アルバムランキング 2024年03月度" [Oricon Monthly Album Ranking March 2024]. Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on April 10, 2024. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
"オリコン月間 アルバムランキング 2024年04月度" [Oricon Monthly Album Ranking April 2024]. Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on May 8, 2024. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
"オリコン月間 アルバムランキング 2024年05月度" [Oricon Monthly Album Ranking May 2024]. Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on June 12, 2024. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
"週間 アルバムランキング 2024年04月08日付" [Oricon Weekly album ranking 2024]. March 25–31, 2024. Archived from the original on April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
"週間 アルバムランキング 2024年04月15日付" [Oricon Weekly album ranking 2024]. April 1–7, 2024. Archived from the original on April 17, 2024. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
"週間 アルバムランキング 2024年04月22日付" [Oricon Weekly album ranking 2024]. April 8–14, 2024. Archived from the original on May 6, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
"週間 アルバムランキング 2024年04月29日付" [Oricon Weekly album ranking 2024]. April 15–21, 2024. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
"週間 アルバムランキング 2024年05月06日付" [Oricon Weekly album ranking 2024]. April 22–28, 2024. Archived from the original on May 2, 2024. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
"週間 アルバムランキング 2024年05月13日付" [Oricon Weekly album ranking 2024]. April 29 – May 5, 2024. Archived from the original on May 8, 2024. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
"週間 アルバムランキング 2024年05月20日付" [Oricon Weekly album ranking 2024]. May 6–12, 2024. Archived from the original on May 16, 2024. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
"週間 アルバムランキング 2024年05月27日付" [Oricon Weekly album ranking 2024]. May 13–19, 2024. Archived from the original on May 23, 2024. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
^Go, In-hye (October 10, 2023). "아일릿, 좌충우돌 첫 여행 리얼리티...'아일 라이크 잇'" [I'll-It, first travel reality show with ups and downs...'I'll Like It'] (in Korean). Newsis. Archived from the original on November 18, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023 – via Naver.
^Seon, Mi-kyung (February 14, 2024). ""데뷔만 남았다"..아일릿, 리얼 버라이어티 마지막 회 공개" ["Only debut left"..ILLIT, last episode of real variety show released] (in Korean). Osen. Archived from the original on June 13, 2024. Retrieved February 14, 2024 – via ChosunBiz.
^Moon, Wan-sik (June 25, 2024). "아일릿, 자체 콘텐츠 'SUPER ILLIT'으로 돌아온다" [ILLIT returns with its own content ‘SUPER ILLIT’] (in Korean). StarNewsKorea. Archived from the original on June 25, 2024. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
^ILLIT、〈Rakuten GirlsAward 2024〉で日本初パフォーマンス 華々しいステージで魅了 [ILLIT's first performance in Japan at Rakuten GirlsAward 2024 captivates with a spectacular stage performance]. CDJournal (in Japanese). May 4, 2024. Archived from the original on May 6, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
^ILLITが魅せた!「Rakuten GirlsAward 2024 S/S」で日本初ステージ 「日本のファンに会えてうれしい」 [ILLIT puts on a great show! The first stage in Japan at "Rakuten GirlsAward 2024 S/S" "I'm happy to meet my Japanese fans"]. Yorozu News (in Japanese). May 3, 2024. Archived from the original on May 5, 2024. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
^ILLIT「GirlsAward」で日本初パフォーマンス!故郷でのステージに感慨深い想いも [First performance in Japan at ILLIT's "GirlsAward"! Feeling emotional about performing on stage in her hometown]. Kstyle (in Japanese). May 4, 2024. Archived from the original on May 6, 2024. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
^Bae, Hyo-joo (March 22, 2024). 소녀시대 태연→아일릿까지...'KCON JAPAN 2024' 라인업 공개 [Girls' Generation Taeyeon → ILLIT... 'KCON JAPAN 2024' lineup revealed]. ChosunBiz (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 14, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
^Bae, Hyo-joo (May 14, 2024). 뉴진스-아일릿 한 자리에 'K-WAVE 콘서트 인기가요' 라인업 [NewJeans - ILLIT 'K-WAVE Concert Inkigayo' lineup in one place]. Newsen (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 14, 2024. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
^Park, Se-yeon (June 16, 2024). 아일릿, '위버스콘' 오프닝 "데뷔 첫 페스티벌, 소원 성취" [ILLIT, 'Weverse Con' opening "First festival since debut, wish fulfillment"]. ISPlus (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 16, 2024. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
^Kang, Joo-hee (June 14, 2024). ‘음악중심’ 인 재팬, 협찬·광고사도 뜨거운 관심…티켓 ‘하늘의 별 따기’ [‘Music Core’ in Japan, sponsors and advertisers are also showing great interest… Ticket ‘picking stars in the sky’]. ISPlus (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 14, 2024. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
^櫻井翔総合司会『THE MUSIC DAY』出演者第1弾25組発表 STARTO勢7組、Number_i、ミセス、吉川晃司も [The first batch of 25 performers for "THE MUSIC DAY" hosted by Sho Sakurai has been announced, including 7 groups from STARTO, Number_i, Mrs., and Koji Kikkawa]. Oricon (in Japanese). June 22, 2024. Archived from the original on June 23, 2024. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
^Ji, Seung-hoon (June 20, 2024). "아일릿, 데뷔 후 첫 중화권 음악 페스티벌 출격...단독 무대" [ILLIT appears at the first Greater China Music Festival since debut...solo stage]. Star Today (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 20, 2024. Retrieved June 20, 2024 – via Naver.
^Choi, Hee-jae (June 25, 2024). 아일릿→스테이씨, SBS '가요대전' 3차 라인업 합류 [ILLIT → STAYC joins SBS ‘Gayo Daejeon’ 3rd lineup]. eDaily (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 25, 2024. Retrieved June 25, 2024.