ILLIT won Artist of the Year at the 2026 TMA, impressed with dynamic performances, and announced a comeback with BREAK EVEN on October 26.
September/23/2026 12:31Related Groups & Members
ILLIT embraced a trophy at a major pop music awards ceremony and heightened its presence as a “trend of 2026.” ILLIT won “Artist of the Year,” equivalent to a grand prize, at the “2026 THE FACT MUSIC AWARDS” (hereinafter, “2026 TMA”) held on September 19 at Busan Asiad Main Stadium. ILLIT said, “The reason we were able to receive the ‘Artist of the Year’ award is thanks to GLLIT (the fandom name). Thank you for always supporting us and loving us,” and added, “We will continue to work even harder and become artists who keep striving. We also have a comeback in October, so please look forward to it.” On this day, ILLIT captivated the venue with a performance full of transformations. Appearing in sophisticated styling accented with ties, they delivered restrained movements and a performance with dignified expressions to “NOT CUTE ANYMORE.” In the following stage of “It’s Me,” they completely changed the atmosphere and released explosive energy. As if showing the strength of a hit song, loud cheers and a huge singalong erupted from the audience. This year, ILLIT proved its strong presence on global charts. The title track “NOT CUTE ANYMORE” from their first single became a word-of-mouth hit as background music for short videos and reversed its course, recording No. 7 on the U.S. Billboard “Bubbling Under Hot 100.” The single “ICONIC BY MISTAKE,” a collaboration with LE SSERAFIM and KATSEYE, also left a big mark by ranking No. 38 on Billboard’s “Hot 100” and No. 22 on the UK Official “Official Singles Chart Top 100.” The long-running popularity of the title track “It’s Me” from their 4th mini album is also tremendous. Nearly five months after release, the song remains firmly established near the top of major domestic and international music charts. In particular, it has ranked on Billboard’s “Global 200” and “Global Excl. U.S.” charts for 19 consecutive weeks (as of September 19), achieving overwhelming results in overseas markets. ILLIT’s unstoppable momentum continues. They will make a comeback on October 26 with their 5th mini album “BREAK EVEN.” This album tells a story related to the economic term “break-even point,” which means a state of neither loss nor profit, and conveys a resolute message that they will no longer spend their feelings or time on relationships that, no matter how much they give, are not rewarded. Attention from fans around the world is gathering around the group’s new side, as they have drawn attention with a different concept and music for each release.
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Girls' Generation's Seohyun and entertainer Jeon Hyun-moo appeared on the red carpet at the 2026 THE FACT MUSIC AWARDS, held on the afternoon of the 19th at Busan Asiad Main Stadium. The event gathered artists including RIIZE, ILLIT, ATEEZ, TREASURE, EVAN, ALPHA DRIVE ONE, and more.
RESCENE appeared on the red carpet event for the 2026 THE FACT MUSIC AWARDS, held on the afternoon of the 19th at Busan Asiad Main Stadium. The ceremony gathered many artists, including RIIZE, ILLIT, ATEEZ, TREASURE, EVAN, ALPHA DRIVE ONE, Choi Ye-na, NMIXX, CORTIS, KiiiKiii, and others.
RIIZE appeared on the afternoon of the 19th at the red carpet event for the 2026 THE FACT MUSIC AWARDS (TMA 2026) held at Busan Asiad Main Stadium. The ceremony brought together RIIZE, ILLIT, ATEEZ, TREASURE, EVAN, ALPHA DRIVE ONE, Choi Ye-na, NMIXX, CORTIS, KiiiKiii, RESCENE, CLOSE YOUR EYES, ALLDAY PROJECT, tripleS, IDID, xikers, Lim Young-woong, and others.
ILLIT appeared on the red carpet event for the 2026 THE FACT MUSIC AWARDS, held on the 19th at Busan Asiad Main Stadium. The ceremony gathered many artists, including RIIZE, ILLIT, ATEEZ, TREASURE, EVAN, ALPHA DRIVE ONE, Choi Yena, NMIXX, CORTIS, KiiiKiii, RESCENE, CLOSE YOUR EYES, ALLDAY PROJECT, tripleS, IDID, xikers, and Lim Young-woong.
EVAN, formerly Heeseung of ENHYPEN, appeared on the red carpet at the 2026 THE FACT MUSIC AWARDS held on the 19th at Busan Asiad Main Stadium. The ceremony brought together many artists, including RIIZE, ILLIT, ATEEZ, TREASURE, ALPHA DRIVE ONE, Choi Yena, NMIXX, CORTIS, KiiiKiii, RESCENE, CLOSE YOUR EYES, ALLDAY PROJECT, tripleS, IDID, xikers, and Lim Young-woong.
Former IZ*ONE member Choi Ye-na appeared on the red carpet event for the 2026 THE FACT MUSIC AWARDS (TMA 2026), held on the afternoon of the 19th at Busan Asiad Main Stadium. The ceremony also brought together RIIZE, ILLIT, ATEEZ, TREASURE, EVAN, ALPHA DRIVE ONE, NMIXX, CORTIS, KiiiKiii, RESCENE, CLOSE YOUR EYES, ALLDAY PROJECT, tripleS, IDID, xikers, and Lim Young-woong.
Im Young-woong appeared on the red carpet event for the 2026 THE FACT MUSIC AWARDS, held on the afternoon of the 19th at Busan Asiad Main Stadium. The ceremony gathered many artists, including RIIZE, ILLIT, ATEEZ, TREASURE, EVAN, ALPHA DRIVE ONE, Choi Ye-na, NMIXX, CORTIS, KiiiKiii, RESCENE, CLOSE YOUR EYES, ALLDAY PROJECT, tripleS, IDID, and xikers.
Former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin won a damages lawsuit brought by BELIFT LAB creative director Huh over her 2024 claims that ILLIT copied NewJeans. The court dismissed the claims, saying the evidence did not show Shin, the former ADOR vice president, was involved, and that Huh was not clearly identified as the defamation victim. Huh later abandoned the appeal, making the ruling final and leaving court costs to him.
