'We are showing how we are': ILLIT debuts with whimsical EP

ILLIT, HYBE's newest girl group, performs ″Magnetic,″ the lead track of its debut EP ″Super Real Me″ during a showcase on Monday in central Seoul. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]

  “Witty and whimsical” and "music suitable for our age" are cliché phrases for many debuting K-pop bands. But ILLIT, HYBE’s latest girl group, demonstrates just that both on and off stage with its debut EP “Super Real Me.”   “I think our group name, ILLIT, is a name that suits us just right. We are a group filled with unique colors and it really shows,” ILLIT’s Wonhee said during a press showcase Monday at the Blue Square Mastercard Hall in Yongsan District, central Seoul, ahead of the release of its first EP later that day.  

  The group’s name is a combination of “I will” and “it,” lacking a verb in between the words. This shows ILLIT’s future potential as the group fills out that verb with “endless possibilities,” according to the girl group’s agency, Belift Lab.   “The EP shows the way we are, how [teenagers] are honest about their emotions and how we are expressing such feelings. We are showing how we are, frankly,” said Moka.     Both “My World,” the first track in the EP and the lead track “Magnetic” show exactly such a playful yet lighthearted side of the artists, according to ILLIT members.   “'Magnetic’ shows the honest yet confident messages of teenagers as they head towards the person they like,” Wonhee said. “It’s filled with fun unpredictable melodies [just like ILLIT].”   “Magnetic” was produced by none other than Bang Si-hyuk, the founder of HYBE, alongside other teenage producers that were not named. Similarly, members explained that “My World” is one that “shows what the group saw, felt and experienced first hand.”   The five members of ILLIT — Yunah, Minju, Moka, Wonhee and Iroha — may have appeared nervous and shy throughout the press showcase, but they proved their point through their performances of “My World” and “Magnetic” on stage.  

  ILLIT’s two stages were lighthearted — and as the members kept pointing out — whimsical. While similar at first sight to HYBE’s senior girl group, NewJeans, ILLIT also managed to show colors that were different from others.   “It’s not like [the witty and whimsical] side is only shown on stage when we perform our songs,” Yunah said. “Many of our choreographies are inspired by how we play with each other outside our stage. The trivial and odd things we do together are reflected on stage.”     ILLIT, being the latest girl group from the powerhouse of K-pop, also had ambitious goals in mind already: winning trophies in weekly music shows and eventually taking home the Rookie of the Year award.   “You know, Rookie of the Year awards are something you can only receive once,” Moka said.   “Also, being a rookie group, we just want to enjoy more on stage and be more relaxed on stage, just like other senior artists on stage,” Wonhee said.   “[As a HYBE girl group,] we know we are working in a good environment,” Yunah said. “We will try our best not to be ashamed of such titles.”   “We want to meet more of our overseas fans, and we hope people think of ILLIT when they think of fifth-generation girl groups,” Iroha said.   To find out more about ILLIT, visit Celeb Confirmed!      

BY CHO YONG-JUN [[email protected]]