[OSENWORLD] HYBE’s rookie girl group ILLIT are building momentum ahead of their official Japanese debut. Their first Japanese original track “Almond Chocolate” has been certified Gold in the streaming category by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) after surpassing 50 million cumulative streams as of July. The milestone was reached just five months after release, making it the fastest Gold certification so far this year for a song by a foreign act.
Under RIAJ rules, streaming certifications are classified as Gold (50 million streams), Platinum (100 million), and Diamond (500 million), and are updated monthly.
Released in February as the theme song for the film I Don’t Like You Just Because You’re Good-Looking, “Almond Chocolate” is a bittersweet confession song about the fluttering emotions of love. With its wistful melody and the members’ clear, delicate vocals, the track spread rapidly among Japanese listeners and enjoyed a reverse-charting surge in popularity.
The song has set multiple records: on July 7, it became the most-streamed song by a foreign female act released in the first half of 2025, according to Oricon. It also stood out as the only K-pop track to enter Amazon Music Japan’s “Top 50 Songs of the First Half of 2025.”
This marks ILLIT’s second RIAJ streaming certification. Their debut track “Magnetic” earned Double Platinum (200 million streams) within just 10 months of release — the fastest for any girl group song in Japan, including local acts.
ILLIT will release their first Japanese single Toki Yo Tomare (時よ止まれ, “Stop Time”) on September 1, officially marking their debut in the market. They will also host their fan concert 2025 ILLIT GLITTER DAY IN JAPAN at Osaka-jo Hall on September 3–4, perform at the Tokyo Girls Collection 2025 Autumn/Winter on September 6, and appear at one of Japan’s biggest music festivals, Rock in Japan 2025, on September 14.
/k_inside@osen.co.kr
[Photo courtesy of BELIFT LAB]
