Group ILLIT: Just debuted and they were criticized for being bad at singing live and imitating everything from NewJeans?

ILLIT is a 5-member girl group, operating under Belift Lab - a subsidiary of HYBE group. Just released, ILLIT has caused a lot of controversy from singing live to suspicions of imitating NewJeans.

ILLIT is a lineup of potential trainees coming out of the survival show RU Next, initially expected to debut with 6 members. However, Youngseo - the trainee with the most fans - withdrew at the last minute. The group "closed the book" with 5 very young girls, including Yunah, Minju, Moka, Wonhee and Iroha.

Explaining the group's name, the producer of the program RU Next said that ILLIT comes from the phrase "I Will Be It". In particular, "I Will" represents the group's independent spirit and will for adventure, while "It" represents the personality of each member.

Yunah

Yunah was born and raised in Chungju (a city in North Chungcheong Province in South Korea). She started working as an idol trainee in 2018, when she was only 14 years old.

Yunah interned under Stardium Entertainment and then transferred to Source Music - where GFriend and LE SSERAFIM were trained in 2020. By mid-2021, Yunah was accepted into the company Belift Lab.

In 2023, Yunah became a contestant on the show RU Next? as an intern at Belift Lab. She had the longest internship period among the 22 contestants.

On the night of September 1, 2023, through the final of the program, Yunah officially became the last member of the ILLIT group to be announced. Yunah is the oldest member and holds the position of group leader

On March 25, 2024, Yunah and 4 other members first appeared in public with their debut album. However, despite possessing stable singing and dancing skills, the female idol faces many mixed opinions about her beauty. Korean netizens think that her appearance and face are "dull" compared to the other members and do not match ILLIT's cute, sweet concept.

Minju

Minju started pursuing the path of becoming a Kpop idol at the age of 15. What was your total time as an intern until joining RU Next? is 5 years and 4 months. Minju once interned under "big guy" YG Entertainment and is a member of the project group BABYMONSTER and has a close relationship with the group.

In 2021, Minju left YG and moved to Belift Lab, continuing to work as an idol trainee. She was trained and oriented to become a member with a vocal position in the group. In addition to singing, Minju is also able to play musical instruments, specifically the violin.

In 2023, Minju is one of the Belift Lab interns participating in RU Next?. Right from the early stages, Minju was evaluated as a potential candidate for the final debut position.

After her debut, the female idol was often a topic of discussion on social networks in Korea thanks to her beautiful Korean-style beauty, compared to her doll appearance like senior NMIXX Sullyoon.

Moka

Moka has been involved with Korean music and entertainment since she was a child because her mother was a "hardcore fan" of the group BIGBANG.

In 2020, Moka successfully joined Big Hit Japan and trained under HYBE group in Japan. Her strength is dancing. According to Moka, Jennie (BLACKPINK) is an ideal role model in the entertainment world.

In 2023, Moka is one of 6 Japanese contestants participating in RU Next?. By the time she joined the program, Moka had spent 3 years as a trainee. Since the release of her own poster, Moka has received a lot of attention from the audience because her beauty is quite similar to actress Shin Ye Eun.

After debut, Moka received many compliments from the audience for her good performance ability and cute, innocent beauty, suitable for ILLIT's concept.

Wonhee

Wonhee's experience as a trainee is quite special compared to the other members of the group. She had absolutely no thought of becoming an idol. In a Q&A segment on social networks in February 2023, when an anonymous account advised her to become an idol, Wonhee still replied: "How can I become an idol?"

In April 2023, she was discovered and cast by a HYBE employee right at the subway station. It is known that street casting idols all possess extremely outstanding beauty, impressing others the first time they see them.

Not long after, in May 2023, Wonhee started filming for the show RU Next?. Thus, Wonhee only had nearly 1 month to practice all her skills to participate in the battle to win the debut spot.

Iroha

Before coming to Korea to pursue the path of becoming a Kpop idol, Iroha attended dance classes in Japan. Iroha has been exposed to music and dancing since she was 3 years old, so her dancing skills are quite good despite her young age.

Iroha was a trainee under JYP Entertainment and had time to train with NiziU and NMIXX. However, she left the company around the second quarter of 2021.

In 2023, she was introduced as an intern of Belift Lab and participated in the program RU Next?. Even though she is a foreign contestant, Iroha receives great love from the audience when her voting rankings are always at the top. Besides, Iroha's position after each round has never been out of the top 10.

Controversial since debut

In the April 2 episode of the music program The Show on SBS MTV, rookie girl group ILIT won the weekly trophy thanks to the song "Magnetic".

With this achievement, ILLIT is the first Gen 5 Kpop girl group to win on a Korean music show.

However, the group's live performance at The Show caused controversy.

On the online community theqoo, there were mixed reactions to ILIT's live performance of "Magnetic" on The Show.

Minju and Yunah are considered the 2 members with the most stable live ability in the group, the remaining 3 members are criticized for their poor live performance, especially the Japanese female idol Moka. Although "Magnetic" is a gentle song, there is no need for difficult techniques.

Moka is compared to the female idol who is often criticized for her disastrous live performance, Sakura from the group LE SSERAFIM.

In addition, many opinions say that HYBE Group has not focused on idol training, so their idol groups often cause controversy when singing live.

Imitating NewJeans?

Korean media reported that ILLIT's recent debut created a familiar melody reminiscent of NewJeans' debut.

The style choice for ILLIT seems to have been inspired by the NewJeans group during their early debut, creating similarities between the two groups.

Korean media also emphasized that the similarities do not stop at images and ideas; even the debut songs of both groups feel eerily similar.

Hanni NewJeans posted a vlog about Vietnam: Learning proverbs, falling in love with home country's "specialties". Đình Như07:07:45 15/03/2024In January this year, fans caught Hanni in Vietnam. Up to now, she has posted a vlog talking about this trip - like a long-time friend, so when she met me, she felt extremely happy.