Now at April's end, this past month has seen an influx of K-Pop acts take the stage and mesmerize fans across various stages. This includes hotly anticipated comebacks, highly anticipated group and soloist debuts, and incomparable viral moments. One of the most notable happenings in K-Pop for the month of April was the undeniable presence of rookie girl group, ILLIT. While they made their official debut on March 25th, their title track 'Magnetic' became a viral hit. It could be heard as the background music across numerous social media clips, including the addictive dance challenge. Their entire debut mini-album, "SUPER REAL ME", received overflowing positive reception with millions putting the album on repeat all week long. Considering how they received such an amazing response, it's hard to believe this wasn't the same sentiment when the group first came together. ILLIT have come a long way since their survival show beginnings, becoming a worldwide craze that shows no signs of stopping. But it's important to look at how they got here and how public perception has ultimately changed for the better.   ILLIT's Origins And Survival Show Hurdles For those who came to know ILLIT through 'Magnetic', they may not fully know about the girl group's origins. They were formed through the JTBC reality competition program, "R U NEXT?" with the final episode airing on September 1st, 2023. It was a cutthroat competition between 22 contestants that had viewers tuning in every week. Audiences became invested in the show, trying their best to ensure their favorite trainee made it into the final debut lineup. And while the top 2 most voted trainees made it through, the show threw in a twist: the company's final pick. In collaboration with BELIFT LAB, the coaches chose the remaining four contestants that would ultimately make the girl group ILLIT (previously styled as I'LL-IT). This caused a lot of strife among the community who felt betrayed and angered to see such talented contestants rank high in voting, but ultimately were not selected through the company's picks. The initial backlash was difficult to imagine, considering the members were simply chasing after their dreams and didn't deserve the hate they were getting. This served as one of the first huge hurdles the girls had to face, however, through various content pieces and social media uploads, ILLIT remained undeterred and continued moving towards their dream. If their persistence and hard work during "R U NEXT?" proved anything, it's that ILLIT were determined to push forward, past all the hardships that lay in their path. And with the help of their support system, whether it was their family, staff, or just each other, they wouldn't go down without proving to the world why they deserved to stand on every stage.   Pre-Debut Interest Even before the dust had settled for "R U NEXT?", the girl group went straight to work and with the help of their supporting staff, uploaded various forms of pre-debut content onto their official YouTube channel. This

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