In this edition of Play This! we bring you a previously unreleased episode that almost didn't air. Shortly after recording our discussion about ILLIT's debut hit single, "Magnetic," news broke of the corporate turmoil and fallout going on at HYBE and ADOR regarding allegations of plagiarism.

In this episode—recorded prior to the allegations surfaced by ADOR's CEO Min Hee Jin—Alexis and Theresa discuss the similarities and differences between NewJeans and ILLIT,  the evolution of girl group concepts and what makes a great K-pop debut song.

LINK TO THE FULL SPOTIFY PLAYLIST: Listen Here

RUNDOWN (with timestamps):

• Disclaimer for Episode
• Original Show Intro (2:20)
• Overview of ILLIT and how it formed (5:01)
• First Impressions of ILLIT's concept (10:18)
• Is it bad for ILLIT to be compared to NewJeans? (13:26)
• Does ILLIT have J-pop vibes? How is it different? (20:21)
• Marketing ILLIT at Fashion Week (23:58)
• HYBE's access to songwriters & the classic K-pop sound (29:49)
• Do groups have to DEBUT with a HIT? (38:49)

SONG RECOMMENDATIONS 

• Overview of the best K-pop debut songs  (44:26)
• NCT U "7th Sense" (45:29)
• SEVENTEEN "Adore U" (55:15)
• EVERGLOW "BON BON CHOCOLAT" (61:04)
• ITZY "DALLA DALLA" (74:15)
• Final Thoughts (85:40)

LET US KNOW: What's your favorite K-pop debut song?

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It's a K-pop Thing is hosted by two journalists and longtime K-pop stans, Alexis Hodoyán-Gastélum and Theresa Avila.

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