There are only a few days left until the debut of HYBE Labels‘ new girl group, ILLIT, set to happen on March 25. The five-member group was created through the survival show R U Next?, with the winning line-up consisting of Yunah, Minju, Moka, Wonhee, and Iroha.
In the days leading up to their debut, their label has been dropping teasers for their debut album, SUPER REAL ME, and accompanying title track “Magnetic”.
[Behind Cut 📸]
ILLIT SUPER REAL ME Film & Logo Film(https://t.co/LZR1E9wQ7G)#ILLIT #아일릿 #SUPER_REAL_ME
— ILLIT official (@ILLIT_official) March 16, 2024
Snippets of “Magnetic” have already been getting quite a bit of virality on TikTok, thanks to it being very easy on the ears and, to many, highly reminiscent of NewJeans‘ popular sound.
The five young members of ILLIT are also being praised for their visuals and skills, which have already been tested thanks to them appearing on, and winning, R U Next?.
The city-pop, Y2K sound and aesthetic that it seems ILLIT is going for is definitely still trendy, but that, paired with the girls all having long dark hair and there being five of them, has made it understandable why some people are already making comparisons to NewJeans.
A lot of people seem to think this is a good thing, though, and given “Magnetic” has already been successful on social media, there is a lot of optimism for the group’s success (especially given that they’re also under “Big Four” label HYBE).
However, that sentiment isn’t shared with everyone. Some people think that the comparisons could be detrimental to ILLIT’s success by having to “compete” with the popularity of NewJeans, rather than benefit from it.
We’ll just have to wait and see how ILLIT is received after their debut on March 25!
Source: The Qoo and Pann Choa
