Iroha is the maknae (a.k.a. the youngest) of HYBE’s newest hit girl group, ILLIT! The K-pop star is originally from Japan, making her one of two Japanese members in ILLIT — and is quickly becoming a fan fav in the rising girl band.
Keep reading to learn more about Iroha.
Who Is Iroha?
Iroha was born in Tokyo, Japan, on February 4, 2008, making her an Aquarius! After moving to South Korea, she was original a trainee at JYP Entertainment, and became friends with multiple members of NMIXX and NiziU. In September 2023, Iroha competed in the TV survival series R U Next? which would ultimately form HYBE’s newest girl group, ILLIT.
She was the fourth member to be introduced as part of ILLIT. The group officially debuted on March 25, 2024, with their EP SUPER REAL ME, and includes members Iroha, Yunah, Moka, Minju, and Wonhee, with former member Youngseo leaving the group in January 2024.
Iroha spoke about some of the valuable lessons she learned while competing on R U Next? during an interview with Nylon Magazine in March 2024.
“One valuable lesson I took away from R U Next? is the importance of facial expressions — I learned that with the right look and expression, I can take the performance one step further,” she explained. “After each round, I monitored myself and tried to reflect on the feedback I received, which I believe helped me enhance my expressions to better deliver the performance.”
Who Is ILLIT?
After debuting with lead single “Magnetic” in March 2024, the group immediately skyrocketed to fame. They even entered the US Billboard chart just eight days after their debut, securing no. 63 on the Global 200 chart and no. 33 on the Global (excluding the United States) chart — which marked the highest debut song ranking for a K-pop girl for both charts.
ICYMI, ILLIT is the third girl group to debut under HYBE, BTS’ music company, following Le Sserafim from Source Music in May 2022 and NewJeans from ADOR in July of the same year.
“At HYBE LABELS, there are so many artists with amazing careers that we look up to,” Moka told Nylon of their girl group counterparts. “I do feel a bit intimidated, but we’re eager to showcase our individual charms and personalities as we strive to become great artists ourselves. What makes us stand out is that we have a playful and high-spirited vibe, like fun high school students, that everyone would like to hang out with!”
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