(Photo provided by BELIFT LAB)

 

Group ILLIT will release their new album ‘MAMIHLAPINATAPAI’ on April 30. The title track will be ‘It’s Me’, their agency BELIFT LAB announced on the 16th.

 

ILLIT (YUNAH, MINJU, MOKA, WONHEE, IROHA) successfully concluded their first tour concert ‘ILLIT LIVE ‘PRESS START♥︎’ in SEOUL’ (hereafter ‘PRESS START’) held on the 14th–15th at Ticketlink Live Arena (formerly the Handball Gymnasium) in Songpa-gu, Seoul. With stable live vocals, outstanding performance abilities, and relaxed stage manners heating up the venue, the members excited fans by first sharing this news toward the end of the final day’s concert.

 

The album title is particularly unique. ‘MAMIHLAPINATAPAI’ is a word derived from the language of the Yaghan, an indigenous group in South America. Listed in the Guinness World Records as “the longest word in meaning and one of the hardest to translate,” it refers to the subtle and urgent glance exchanged between two people who both hope the other will voluntarily do something that is necessary for both of them, yet neither truly wants to do themselves.

 

Fans’ curiosity is growing over what kind of music and concept ILLIT will present through the new album. In particular, following the Seoul concert, the tour will continue with stops in Aichi (June 13–14), Osaka (June 20–21), Fukuoka (June 29–30), Hyogo (July 18–19), Tokyo (July 23 and 25–26), and Hong Kong (August 22), raising expectations for their new stages.

 

At the Seoul concert that opened the tour, ILLIT showcased a solid musical world by performing songs from their first to third mini albums as well as all tracks from their latest single album over approximately 120 minutes. The stage composition, which unfolded like clearing levels in a game, along with kitschy pixel art production, drew praise for clearly imprinting ‘ILLIT core’, a term referring to the group’s unique sensibility and aesthetics. It was a moment that hinted at ILLIT’s “level up.”

 

In fact, the members’ special stages also drew attention. From the audition program ‘R U Next?’, where ILLIT was formed, YUNAH, MINJU, and IROHA performed the mission song ‘Desperate’, while MOKA and WONHEE performed ‘Scrum’ as unit stages, once again highlighting the group’s wide musical spectrum. The members shared, “It felt overwhelming as it reminded us of the time we spent running toward our dreams.”

 

ILLIT also unveiled the performance of ‘NOT ME’, a track from their first single album that highlights a hip charm, for the first time, and left a strong impression with an encore stage that repeated ‘oops!’ multiple times. As the atmosphere reached its peak toward the latter half of the concert, ILLIT stepped down into the audience during the ‘oops!’ stage to interact closely with fans, passionately singing the song for about 10 minutes while delivering explosive energy.

 

ILLIT said, “Thanks to GLLIT (GLLIT, fandom name) who were with us, we were able to press our start button well. We are approaching our second debut anniversary soon, and ‘PRESS START’ became an opportunity for us to reaffirm our determination to keep working hard.” They added, “We were happy to create a stage where GLLIT and ILLIT could become one. We will work hard to become artists you can be proud of,” drawing enthusiastic responses from fans.

 

Meanwhile, ‘ILLIT LIVE ‘PRESS START♥︎’ in SEOUL’ sold out all sessions on the day of the fan club presale, and additional restricted-view seats were opened for both days, demonstrating the intense enthusiasm surrounding the group.