ILLIT Achieves Remarkable Success Before Official Debut in Japan, Winning New Artist Award

The K-pop group ILLIT (아일릿) has made headlines by winning the New Artist Award at the prestigious 66th Japan Record Awards (제66회 빛난다! 일본 레코드 대상) even before their official debut in Japan.

On November 21, their agency, Belift Lab (빌리프랩), announced that ILLIT, consisting of members YoonA (윤아), MinJu (민주), MoKa (모카), WonHee (원희), and Iroha (이로하), has been recognized with this esteemed award.

Expressing their excitement, the group stated, "Our goal this year was to win the New Artist Award, and we are incredibly happy to achieve this dream. We will continue to grow and present new music and performances to our fans."

The Japan Record Awards, organized by the Japan Composers Association, has been held since 1959 and is known for its long-standing tradition and authority in the music industry. This marks the first time in 13 years that a K-pop girl group has received the New Artist Award, following Girls' Generation (소녀시대) and 2NE1. Notably, it is unprecedented for an artist yet to debut in Japan to win this award, making ILLIT the first to do so.

ILLIT has garnered significant love in Japan with their Korean album this year. Their title track "Magnetic" from the mini-album "SUPER REAL ME" released in March has achieved remarkable success, surpassing 100 million cumulative streams on the Japan Record Association and Oricon charts in the shortest time for a single song by a female group. True to their trendsetting nature, the song ranked fifth on TikTok's "Summer Song of the Year 2024" list in Japan.

Additionally, ILLIT has excelled in various charts, securing the top position in the New Artist category of the Tower Records Music 2024 Streaming Rankings and ranking first in the Artist category of the Shibuya 109 Lab's "Trend Awards 2024."

Thanks to their rising popularity, ILLIT is set to perform at the annual NHK Red and White Song Festival (홍백가합전) on December 31, a prominent year-end music program in Japan featuring popular artists, known for its high viewership and cultural significance.

Currently, ILLIT is actively promoting their track "Tick-Tack" from their second mini-album "I'LL LIKE YOU." The catchy melody of "Tick-Tack" has resonated with fans, leading it to become the top trending audio on Reels in both Korea and Japan as of November 20.