By Hasan Beyaz
Photos Courtesy of BELIFT LAB/HYBE
Since their debut, ILLIT have explored the many uncertainties of growing up and falling in love. With their fifth mini album, BREAK EVEN, the group turns to a different kind of emotional territory, trading some of their signature softness for frustration, anger and a newfound sense of confidence. Across four tracks, the album follows the aftermath of an unrequited crush, from the confusion of mixed signals to the decision to move on and embrace the possibility of something new.
For the members, the release also marks an opportunity to explore a different side of their artistry, from expressing unfamiliar emotions through their facial expressions to finding new ways to approach their vocal performances.
Exclusively for tmrw, ILLIT takes us through BREAK EVEN – sharing the stories, sounds and moments that bring each track to life.
WONHEE BREAK EVEN feels like a new challenge! It’s the first time our album talks about a relationship break, and expressing frustration and anger through our facial expressions was completely new for us, which made it really fun.
IROHA The story in our albums has continued ever since our debut EP, and this time, the tracks are arranged to follow the flow of emotions. In “Super in Love,” you realize the crush was one-sided. In “More,” that confusion turns into frustration. In “You’re Under Arrest,” you confidently draw the line, and finally, in “Pop,” you welcome a new kind of excitement.
YUNAH The keywords for this album are anger and frustration, so when we perform “You’re Under Arrest,” each of us shows our own version of those feelings through our expressions. It’s a side of us we’ve never shown before, so I think fans will have fun watching it.
MINJU If our previous albums had a softer feel, this one feels much bolder and more daring.
IROHA
MINJU
WONHEE
YUNAH
WONHEE “Super in Love” is about realizing your crush was one-sided after a friend gives you a blunt reality check. You could say it’s the song that opens the emotional narrative of the album.
IROHA The feeling I wanted to capture was that moment when you realize you were the only one with feelings, and you end up lost in your own thoughts.
YUNAH The lyric “Guess it was all in my mind” stays with me. Together with the melody, you can feel the acceptance and realization about the relationship, so it made me a little sad even while singing it.
MINJU I put even more emotion into it while recording. Especially when shouting “Super in love,” I sang it as if I was a little angry.
WONHEE “More” captures that moment when you realize you might have misread the whole thing, and the embarrassment slowly turns into frustration and anger at how mixed their signals were. As you listen, you’ll find yourself getting more and more caught up in those feelings as they build!
YUNAH In the upbeat part, there’s a scratch sound like a DJ is spinning, and it’s been stuck in my head ever since I first heard the demo.
MINJU I love the second verse starting with “You gave me my fav iced tea,” which is almost like a rap. Singing that part feels like a total stress reliever.
IROHA It was interesting trying to express excitement and doubt at the same time.
MINJU “You're Under Arrest” is a bold warning to someone whose habitual kindness led you on. You’re declaring them guilty and ending the relationship on your own terms.
WONHEE The intense whistle sound and addictive melody felt really catchy to me.
IROHA The key point of the choreography is the move where we make a finger gun and a whistle with our hands, timed to the whistle sound.
YUNAH When we filmed the performance video, we rehearsed the chorus with a lot of dancers. Doing the chorus choreography all together really felt like we were heading out to arrest someone, which was so much fun.
IROHA After making the arrest in the third track, this song captures the excitement of a new love arriving, expressed through the refreshing fizz of a soda.
YUNAH Since it’s a song about the excitement of a new crush, I sang it with the most butterflies out of all the tracks on the album.
WONHEE My favorite part is the “pop, pop” sound effect. You can really feel the flutter, so it puts me in a good mood every time I sing it.
MINJU As the final song on BREAK EVEN, I hope it leaves listeners curious about how ILLIT will express new love next time.