[TF Focus] You're Already 'Addicted' to ILLIT's Music

Going bolder than "Catchy," leading with "addictive sound"Achieving consecutive good results, establishing it as a successful formula for ILLITThe title track "Catchy" from ILLIT's fifth mini-album 'BREAK EVEN,' released on October 26th, is achieving strong results on various charts. The photo shows ILLIT's YUNAH MINJU IROHA WONHEE (from top left, clockwise) posing at the media showcase for the release of 'BREAK EVEN' held at Our WON Banking Hall, Blue Square, Yongsan-gu, Seoul on the 26th. / Reporter Seo Ye-won[THE FACT|Reporter Choi Hyun-jung] At this point, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to consider "addictiveness" a representative word for the group ILLIT.ILLIT (MINJU YUNAH MOKA WONHEE IROHA) is once again breaking their career high and enjoying their peak. Their fifth mini-album 'BREAK EVEN,' released on October 26th, sold approximately 420,000 copies in just 5 days, surpassing the previous record of 410,000 copies set by their fourth mini-album 'MAMIHLAPINATAPAI.' The initial sales (first week sales after release) reached 440,000 copies.Not only albums but also digital music is showing strength. As of the 3rd, the title track "Catchy" ranked 3rd on Melon TOP 100, 3rd on YouTube Music Korea Weekly Popular Songs, 2nd on Spotify Korea Daily Top Song, and 1st on Apple Music Korea TOP 100, achieving good results on most music charts.A major reason for ILLIT's consecutive hits is considered to be "addictiveness." The analysis suggests that by actively incorporating sounds that linger in the ear after just one or two listens, they induce repetitive listening.What's interesting is the difference in the "temperature" of this "addictive sound." In fact, ILLIT has been a group that has consistently put "addictive sound" at the forefront since their debut.For example, not only "Magnetic," their debut song and arguably their biggest hit to date, but also representative songs like "Cherish (My Love)," "Borrowed Cat (Do the Dance)," and "NOT CUTE ANYMORE" all intend "addiction" through repetitive hooks or choruses.However, while "NOT CUTE ANYMORE" had a relatively clear process of buildup in its composition and development to highlight specific sections, the difference is that from "It's Me" onwards, they have explicitly brought it to the forefront.In fact, "It's Me" has a structure where the sound and development, which can be broadly divided into three or four sections, are repeated from beginning to end, and each section induces "strong addictiveness."In particular, the synergy created by the combination of ILLIT's unique witty performances, cheerful musicality, the members' vibrant image, and the solid marketing support has made "It's Me" their most successful song after "Magnetic."And perhaps seeing the future of ILLIT here, "Catchy" delivers an even bolder sound than "It's Me." While the overall composition and development of the song are kept simple, the sound of a whistle is persistently placed throughout the song.ILLIT is showing a strategy of more actively placing "addictive sounds" throughout the song in their previous work "It's Me" (above) and the new song "Catchy." / Belift LabIn fact, the longest section in "Catchy" without the whistle sound is only 17 seconds, from 2 minutes 10 seconds to 2 minutes 27 seconds, during the bridge part.Simply put, "Catchy" is a song that places the whistle sound not as an effect but as a core sound that constitutes the song itself, and adds other sounds accordingly. In other words, "Catchy" is a song designed so that no matter where you listen, you cannot escape the "spell of the whistle."The analysis suggests that the recent shift in music consumption platforms to short-form content has also significantly influenced ILLIT's pursuit of extreme addictiveness.From their debut, ILLIT has been a team that has put "music and style tailored to the tastes of teenagers" at the forefront and has put great effort into trends on short-form platforms. The placement of addictive hooks or choruses in most of their songs is not unrelated to this.And "It's Me" and "Catchy" offer sounds that are suitable for short-form use in "all sections of the song," not just "specific sections." This is why "It's Me" and "Catchy" are described as "explicitly putting addictiveness at the forefront."Of course, this kind of song development and sound composition method also has its drawbacks. That is, it strongly divides listeners based on their preferences. "It's Me" and "Catchy" are music that some may praise as fresh and humorous, while others may criticize as monotonous and lacking.ILLIT's "explicit pre-addiction" strategy is leading to chart success. The photo shows ILLIT's performance on Spotify's Korea Daily Artist Chart (top) and Daily Top Song Chart. / SpotifyILLIT member WONHEE also chose this album as her favorite among all albums at the 'BREAK EVEN' showcase held at Our WON Banking Hall, Blue Square, Yongsan-gu, Seoul on October 26th, citing "personal preference" as the reason, saying, "It's so much my taste."And so far, listeners with the same taste as Wonhee have outnumbered the opposite. The various achievements of "It's Me" and "Catchy" prove this.There is keen interest in how far ILLIT's "pre-addiction, then judgment" strategy will continue.laugardagr@tf.co.kr[Entertainment Department | ssent@tf.co.kr]