The group ILLIT made a distinct impression by consecutively conquering Japan's representative year-end music programs.
ILLIT (Yuna, Minju, Moka, Wonhee, Iroha) performed Almond Chocolate on the Dec. 30 broadcast of TBS' 67th Japan Record Awards. ILLIT was listed in the excellent work award category on the winners list announced on Nov. 21.
Wearing outfits highlighted by ribbons and frill details, ILLIT appeared and showcased a fresh and lively charm. The members' clear vocal tones added to the sweet and addictive melody, capturing listeners, and their deeper expressiveness and more relaxed live skills enriched the stage. Their precise synchronized choreography down to fingertip movements, as well as the five members' lovely facial expressions, made it impossible to look away.
The Japan Record Awards, hosted by the Japan Composers' Association and started in 1959, is the longest-running and most prestigious music awards ceremony in the country, and ILLIT followed last year's rookie award by taking the excellent work award. ILLIT is the first K-pop girl group to sweep these two categories at this ceremony. The excellent work award is given to 10 songs that represent the year, have gained great popularity with the public, and excel in artistry, originality and planning, and Almond Chocolate was the only work by an overseas artist among this year's winners.
Through social media, ILLIT said, "Thanks to fans, last year we received the rookie award, and this year we received the excellent work award, so we were really happy to be able to perform on stage two years in a row. We will continue to grow and become great artists, so please watch over us."
ILLIT also performed on Dec. 29 on NTV's Announcement! The most listened-to songs of the year ~ annual music awards 2025, showing their strong local popularity. On this program, which announces the top 100 most-listened-to songs of the year based on data from the global audio and music streaming platform Spotify, ILLIT's debut song Magnetic proved its mass appeal by ranking for a second consecutive year.
This year ILLIT solidified its influence in the Japanese music market by placing multiple releases on major local annual charts such as Billboard Japan, Line Music and Apple Music Japan. Especially, songs from their debut track Magnetic, which stood out on global music charts, to their first Japanese single Toki Yo Tomare (original title 時よ止まれ/Toki yo tomare), which upon its Sept. release landed at the top of major album charts, occupied positions evenly regardless of release timing, showing steady long-running popularity.
Active back and forth between Korea and Japan, ILLIT will wrap up the year with global fans by appearing on the 2025 MBC Gayo Daejejeon and NHK's 76th Kohaku Uta Gassen today (Dec. 31).
[Photo] Belift Lab Inc. provided
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