The group ILLIT has kicked off its popularity with a strong performance on the day of its new album release.
According to the album sales aggregation site HANTEO Chart on the 17th, ILLIT's mini album 'bomb' sold 326,117 copies on the day of its release, placing it at No. 1 on the daily album chart.
They continue to show a steady increase, breaking their previous first-day sales records with each album. In particular, the new release has reached high positions on the iTunes and Apple Music 'Top Albums' charts in various countries/regions including Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand, indicating ILLIT's expanded global influence.
The music as well has made a strong impression. The title track 'Do the Dance' quickly entered the Melon 'Top 100' along with rising real-time charts on Bugs and Genie as soon as it was released. With its dreamy yet lively beat and unique lyrics like 'Doomchit Nyang' and 'Koongshil Nyang', strong addictiveness is expected to lead to a gradual upward trend.
ILLIT's popularity stands out even more on Japan's major music sites. In AWA music's real-time rising chart, the tracks 'little monster' and 'oops!' alternated in taking the number one spot. The title track 'Do the Dance', along with 'jellyous' and 'Night Picnic', followed, sweeping the top five positions on this chart.
The response to the music video is also hot. The music video, which captures the bold girls straightforwardly chasing their first love, quickly increased views after its release, landing in the upper ranks of YouTube's trending music.
The signature hand gesture choreography of ILLIT has also become a topic of discussion. The 'cat stretch dance', which expresses a cat's movements, is a cute and desirable dance that is expected to lead trends in various short form videos.
Foreign media reviews have also continued. The British music magazine NME noted on the 16th (local time) that "bomb is a whirlwind of upbeat and exciting pop music and it seems that ILLIT, now entering its third album, has clearly identified a style that suits them well." They added that "The particularly standout element in 'Do the Dance’ is the cute post-chorus made up of 'do' and 'da' that comes after the chorus, resembling the excitement and hesitation when young lovers try to talk to each other."
Meanwhile, ILLIT has organized events where fans can experience the mini album 'bomb' in various ways. Today (17th), they will hold a 'Friends Night Picnic' at the outdoor stage of Yeobit Island in Seoul, where they will unveil their new song performance for the first time. Additionally, until the 26th, a pop-up store run by Everline at Stage 35 in Seoul will feature a photo zone themed around 'bomb' along with physical albums and merchandise.
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