ILLIT’s second Japanese single, and the first time the group has brought in featured artists — JISOO and MOMOKA of the Japanese group HANA. It entered the Billboard Japan Hot 100 at number 2.

Why a feature is a bigger deal than it looks

Guest verses are routine in most pop industries and unusual in this one. Korean idol groups are managed as closed units by agencies that control every release, so putting two artists from a different company — and a different country’s industry — onto a title track requires a negotiation, not a phone call. When it happens it is a strategic move: here, a Korean group deepening its position in the Japanese market by borrowing a J-pop audience rather than simply singing in Japanese.

About this release

Published 26 July 2026 as the title track of ILLIT’s second Japanese single, and their first collaboration with a J-pop act. The group’s Japanese debut single, 時よ止まれ (Toki Yo Tomare), is also posted on this board.

Watching from outside Korea

Two charts matter to a release like this and they are not the ones you might expect: Billboard Japan for the Japanese market, and the Korean weekly charts back home. A number 2 debut in Tokyo is the result this single was built for.

→ Every ILLIT (아일릿) video on Oseyo Korea

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