The group Ailit (ILLIT) will officially debut in Japan on September 1.
According to their agency Belift Lab on the 14th, Ailit (Yuna, Minju, Mocha, Wonhee, Iroha) will release all tracks of their first Japanese single 'Toki Yo Tomare' (original title 時よ止まれ/Toki Yo Tomare) on September 1. The physical album will be released two days later on the 3rd.
'Toki Yo Tomare' means 'Time, stop,' capturing the moments of sparkling youth that one wishes would never end. The single includes two new songs, the Japanese version of the title track 'Borrowed Cat (Do the Dance)' from their mini album 'bomb,' and their first original Japanese song 'Almond Chocolate,' which caused a reverse chart surge after being released in February, totaling four tracks.
The release poster image, filled with Ailit's unique girl group sensibility, catches the eye. Unique props such as a magic wand from a drawer and a clock decorated with ribbon strings stimulate the viewer's imagination and curiosity around the cute single title logo.
Ailit has been gaining immense popularity even before the official album release in Japan. Their debut song and global hit 'Magnetic' has been a long-running success in Japan, sweeping various annual charts last year. Based on this success, Ailit is set to perform at Japan's representative year-end festival, NHK's 'Kohaku Uta Gassen,' and won the Rookie of the Year award at the 66th Japan Record Awards, the first K-pop girl group to do so in 13 years.
Their growth trajectory is steep. Ailit's mini album 'bomb,' released last month, surpassed the initial sales of their previous work (album sales in the first week after release) within a day and dominated the top ranks of major album charts in Japan. 'Almond Chocolate,' released in February, surpassed 50 million cumulative streams on Oricon (as of July 7), setting the record for the most streams among songs released by foreign female artists in the first half of this year.
Ailit will hold a fan concert '2025 ILLIT GLITTER DAY IN JAPAN' before and after their Japanese debut, meeting with local fans. This performance will take place four times at Pia Arena MM in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, on August 10-11 and at Osaka Castle Hall in Osaka on September 3-4. Previously, Ailit showcased their strong ticket power by selling out all general reserved seat tickets for all performances.
Meanwhile, Ailit, currently active with their mini album 'bomb,' is captivating K-pop fans with their trendy charm and sophisticated music. The title track 'Borrowed Cat (Do the Dance)' gained word-of-mouth popularity on various music broadcast stages, entering the Melon daily chart at 82nd place (as of June 16) and soaring to 31st place (as of July 9). The follow-up track 'jellyous' is receiving a hot response with its addictive sound and high-level performance, comparable to the title track.
[Lee Da-kyum, Star Today Reporter]
