[Press conference report] ”ILLIT” holds media showcase to celebrate the release of their long-awaited 2nd mini album ”I'LL LIKE YOU”! If they get 1st place, they'll get a cherry headband Sha WINK Pledge!?

ILLIT is a girl group representing the fifth generation of K-POP and is highly popular both domestically and internationally. Their debut song "Magnetic" was released in March this year and was a hit on various music charts.
ILLIT, who has risen to stardom in an instant, including winning 23 music charts and surpassing 100 million streaming views at the fastest rate of any K-POP girl group, has been in the spotlight for about
After 7 months, the second mini album "I'LL LIKE YOU" will be released on October 21st. On the day of the release, the group will hold a live performance at YES24 in Seoul.
A media showcase was held at the venue in HALL. First, a photo session for the media started.
The choreography for the title song "Cherish (My Love)" is an arrangement of the choreography from their debut song "Magnetic," which became a hot topic on Japanese SNS.
They performed the "Magnetic Heart" pose. In response to the showcase, member MOKA said, "Thank you for sending us lots of support for our first comeback.
Thank you very much. With this album, we made it with the desire to show the charm of ILLIT to even more people. We want to show our growth since the last album.
We worked hard to show you this, so we hope you can see our efforts."
The title song of the album "YOU," "Cherish (My Love)," is about the lyrics, "I'm curious about how you feel, but my feelings for you are more important."
The song is filled with the true feelings of a teenage girl, making it an addictive number that you won't forget once you've heard it.
After the music video was played at the venue, the group performed "Cherish (My
"When I first heard this song, I was a little nervous because it had an atmosphere I'd never performed before, but I was able to practice and breathe.
As we were practicing the song, I thought, "This is definitely our song." Now that we were able to perform our first performance in front of you all, I think we can deliver our future activities with confidence.
" Yunah said enthusiastically. Their debut song "Magnetic" charted on the US Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Official Singles Top 100.
It was recognized as the most streamed K-pop song overseas in the first half of 2024, attracting a lot of attention. How have you been spending the seven months since your debut?
When asked, WONHEE replied, "Thankfully, I have been able to perform in many different places, including Japan, France, and Germany, and I get to meet GLLIT (the name for ILLIT's fans) in each country.
One of the most memorable experiences was participating in Paris Fashion Week and hosting the "Friends Night" event," he said, recalling his memories.
The second mini album "I'LL LIKE YOU" is based on the concept of "I and you" and expresses various stories in five songs.
"This album is a story about my relationship with the person I love. I've been thinking about GLLIT and I've been thinking about things that I've been wondering about and things that I've been struggling with.
"I wanted to express how we sometimes try to be true to ourselves," said MINJU, expressing her thoughts on the album. YUNAH said, "The title song, 'Cherish (My
"We put so much effort into recording "Cherish Love" seven times, and I think this song has helped us grow to a new level," she said, revealing the process of the song's creation.
The members also asked fans to pay attention to the performance of "My Love." "The dance expresses the feelings of a girl who expresses her love for you without turning away or regretting it. From the beginning of the song,
"The choreography consists of making various hearts with your hands until the end, so I hope you enjoy seeing what kind of hearts will come out," MIJU said, highlighting what to look out for.
Next, they changed into casual clothes and performed the album record song "IYKYK" for the first time. "IYKYK" is a catchphrase used on social media, "You know, right?"
I used a newly coined word, which means "I love you," as the title of the song. The lyrics express the appeal of the person you love without them having to say anything, and I expressed it with a lively melody.
"This is my favorite song on BAM," IROHA said with a smile as she introduced the song. From here, it was time for a question and answer session with the media.
Q. "Magnetic" marked ILLIT's debut as one of the most popular K-pop songs of 2024.
What do you think the album "I'LL LIKE YOU" will mean to ILLIT?
MINJU: This album emphasizes the straightforward charm of ILLIT that we have shown so far.
It was also a challenge to broaden our color with songs with a new atmosphere, and at the same time, we have a lot of music that we want to show you in the future, so we hope you will continue to show us your interest.
I'm glad to hear that. Q. How did your family, friends, and others around you react to the success of "Magnetic"? What kind of response are you expecting from this album?
IROHA: When my friends in Japan found our songs and photos in the streets, they took pictures of them and sent them to me, which made me really happy. I think the songs on this album have also made a lot of people happy.
Q. In the music video for "Cherish (My Love)," there are many motifs such as "gum" and "teeth." What is the meaning behind these?
YUNAH: The "teeth" used in the music video refer to "wisdom teeth." I recently had my wisdom teeth removed, and the members and friends of my age also had theirs removed.
Since this is the age where we start to feel unfamiliar, I focused on this idea. The members expressing their feelings when they see their wisdom teeth is unexpected and shows that they are true to what they love.
Q. The brand film has been released.
The message is "ILLIT will continue on its path as ILLIT."
Could you explain specifically what the path of ILLIT envisions? YUNAH:
We are working hard towards our goal of releasing our second mini album.
We have put together a brand film with the message we want to convey to not only our members but also the company staff and GLLIT.
Q. I think you've had a lot of troubles with your office recently. How have you been feeling during this time?
I wonder how you spent your time and how you felt. YUNAH: I want to improve myself while thinking about the fans who continue to support ILLIT no matter what the situation.
We worked hard to prepare the mini album so that we could show you the feeling we want to show you. During that time, we also celebrated our first anniversary, so we wanted to protect the hearts of everyone who loves ILLIT.
Q. I think there were some discussions about live performances early on in the debut. What are your thoughts on this?
IROHA: We took the opinions of many people seriously and, in order to show a better performance, we practiced and put in a lot of effort, checking even the smallest details of the live performance.
We will continue to grow as ILLIT. Q. You achieved great success with "Magnetic," but did you feel any pressure from this comeback?
Do you have any new goals for yourself through this album? MINJU: We received so much love for "Magnetic" and it was a special experience.
I want to get strength and energy from that love and show you a better version of myself. I want people to say that with this album, we've grown more than we did last time. And I hope to see more of those achievements.
I want to show it to everyone, including GLLIT. Q. The choreography for "Cherish (My Love)" is likely to become a hot topic on social media.
Are there any artists you like? MOKA: Personally, I've been watching the activities of the recently debuted "FIFTY FIFTY" a lot, and I know some of the members, so I'd like to take on the challenge with them.
Q. MINJU was selected as the MC for the Korean music show "MUSIC BANK." What are your thoughts on taking over from such distinguished predecessors?
Also, please tell us if you have any promises if you become number one on "MUSIC BANK". MINJU: "MUSIC
I am very honored and happy to be the MC of "BANK". I still have a lot to learn, so I hope to be able to participate in the wonderful
I want to be a cool MC like my seniors. If we get first place, I will be even happier and more pleased because I will also be an MC. My promise is to make the title song "Cherish (My
Since cherries come to mind when thinking about the song "Love" I thought it would be nice to wear a cherry headband and give a wink.
MOKA: If we get first place, I think it would be fun to do an encore using the "teeth" props that appear in the music video.
Q. I think what you most want to show in this comeback is an image that is unique to ILLIT, but what do the members think is unique about ILLIT?
Also, what goals do you have for yourself through this activity? Also, is there anything you would like to be told?
WONHEE: I think the most important thing about ILLIT is that our music is unique. We decide the theme of our songs based on our own ideas.
I think that's how ILLIT's identity comes out. We put a lot of ideas from people our age into our music, so I think our ideas are integrated into the music.
However, I think this shows the uniqueness of ILLIT. I also think that ILLIT's interesting lyrics can evoke empathy. Regarding the goal of this activity,
It's a small goal, but since MINJU is the MC for "MUSIC BANK," I'd like to get first place and receive a trophy from MINJU.
YUNAH: The words I personally want to be told are "Leader representing the 5th generation" and "Icon idol representing Generation Z."
Q. Is there anything you'd like to achieve on the music charts? Also, when I was watching the video earlier, I saw producer Bang Si Hyuk's name in the credits.
What kind of advice or messages of support did you receive from the producers during the preparation process?
WONHEE: We didn't prepare this album expecting it to be as popular as "Magnetic"
However, if we have a fun idea, I think it would be really great if we could chart on the Billboard charts like "Magnetic". Also, the producer said that it would be great if we could make it into the dance music charts.
I received detailed advice on the details, how to express the song, and what facial expressions I should use.
After the Q&A session, the showcase concluded with a closing speech from WONHEE.
"Honestly, 'Magnetic' became so popular that it was such a big hit that I couldn't even comprehend it, so I felt a little pressured while preparing this album. But,
We practiced the songs for this album hoping that everyone would enjoy watching us. This album is full of ILLIT-ness, so we hope to receive a lot of love.
I would like"