ILLIT, after dominating 2025 music specials, is set to release their new single "Sunday Morning" on January 13, 2026.
January/5/2026 18:02Related Groups & Members
At the end of 2025, ILLIT, which dominated Japan's major music specials, is gearing up for the release of a new original Japanese song, raising expectations for their activities in 2026. The concept photo for ILLIT's second digital single in Japan, "Sunday Morning," set to be released digitally on January 13, was unveiled today. In the released concept photo, ILLIT stands in a space where sunlight gently pours in. Their visuals harmonize with the antique interior of a retro restaurant, radiating a nostalgic glow. The members elevate their classical uniform look with white blouses, ribbons, and black jumpers. In the group cut, angles that showcase their natural style and upward-looking compositions highlight their transparency and charisma. Solo cuts bring out each member's individuality, presenting the group's new charm and enhancing immersion by evoking the story behind the song. This song has been chosen as the opening theme for the second season of the TV anime "Hime-sama 'Goumon' no Jikan desu," set to air from January 12, 2026, and the music video has already garnered attention. Portions of the audio previewed in the music video will be gradually released on various social media platforms, raising expectations for the return of ILLIT, known for their viral hits on TikTok. "Sunday Morning" is a J-POP ROCK style song that depicts the "great power of a loving heart" that cannot be stopped. It sings about the sparkling emotions of being infatuated with someone you want to meet every Sunday morning, mixed with the bittersweet longing of love. The song is produced by Mega Shinnosuke, a 2000-born artist known for creating viral hits on TikTok, and is crafted to captivate listeners with just a glimpse of the audio. In 2025, ILLIT made a significant impact in Japan with the hit of their first original Japanese song "Almond Chocolate" and their Japanese debut. This song became a popular follow-up to their globally successful debut song "Magnetic" and won the "Excellent Work Award" at the 67th Japan Record Awards, being the only overseas artist to do so. At the end of the year, they appeared on five major music specials, including Fuji TV's "2025 FNS Music Festival Night 2" (December 10), TBS's "CDTV Live! Live! Christmas LOVE SONG Fes." (15), Nippon TV's "Announcement! The Most Listened to Song of the Year - Annual Music Awards 2025" (29), TBS's "67th Glorious! Japan Record Awards" (30), and the "76th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen" (31), attracting attention. All eyes are on their first release of 2026, the second digital single "Sunday Morning."
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