ILLIT is continuing its rapid rise, landing back-to-back appearances on some of Japan’s biggest year-end music programs.
HYBE’s Belift Lab announced on Tuesday that members will perform on TBS’s CDTV Live! Live! Christmas Special, airing December 15.
The holiday broadcast highlights artists who have made a notable impact throughout the year. ILLIT’s second consecutive invitation to the program underscores their growing influence in Japan. They also stand out as the only K-pop girl group featured in this year’s lineup.
Beyond CDTV, the group is booked for several major Japanese year-end festivals, including Fuji TV’s FNS Music Festival on December 10 and NHK’s 76th Red and White Year-End Song Festival on December 31. The packed schedule reflects how quickly their presence has expanded in Japan since making their official Japanese debut in September.
ILLIT has been gaining considerable traction in the Japanese market this year. Their track “Almond Chocolate,” originally produced as the theme song for the film I Don’t Like You Just Because You’re Pretty, saw a surprise resurgence on local streaming charts. Within five months, it surpassed 50 million streams, earning a Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of Japan.
Their first Japanese single, “Toki Yo Tomare” (“Stop Time”), released in September, went on to dominate major charts including Oricon and Billboard Japan.
Meanwhile, ILLIT’s first single album, NOT CUTE ANYMORE, is drawing strong reactions from global fans. The title track entered Spotify’s Daily Top Songs Global chart (as of November 27) and continues to chart well across regions including South Korea, Japan, Singapore, and Malaysia.
“NOT CUTE ANYMORE” has also taken off among younger listeners, especially teens and twenty-somethings. The track has surged on Instagram Reels, hitting No. 1 on the platform’s Trending Audio chart and consistently staying near the top. In just one week after release, short-form videos using the song surpassed 14,000 uploads.
