ILLIT’s “It’s Me” as a Critique About Relationships

Photo: BELIFT LAB Official X

If you ever wonder who’s your bias, ILLIT’s latest comeback should answer that question for you. Their fourth EP, MAMIHLAPINATAPAI, highlights how external influences impact internal values of self-worth and identity. The title track “It’s Me” evolves ILLIT’s sound while keeping touches of what made their earlier tracks so viral. 

ILLIT debuted two years ago with SUPER REAL ME, an EP that launched their bubbly dance-heavy discography. Yunah, Minju, Moka, Wonhee, and Iroha came out with upbeat tracks with infectious hooks that knew how to stay stuck in people’s minds. The group started to redefine themselves in 2025’s NOT CUTE ANYMORE, and that mentality seeps into MAMIHLAPINATAPAI as well. They rejected notions of fitting into one set image—“NOT ME,” in particular, called out haters that refused to see ILLIT as a distinct artist with their own individuality—and began creating a basis for gradual progression. 

The Dual Meaning of “It’s Me”

MAMIHLAPINATAPAI, the title of ILLIT’s new EP, is a term in the Yaghan language spoken by Indigenous peoples in South America’s Tierra del Fuego. In its reinterpreted meaning since the 19th century, it describes when people anticipate an action, but neither person wants to make the first move. Many usages of this term refer to a romantic relationship that can’t start due to both individuals’ bashfulness. Using “Mamihlapinatapai” as a theme for the EP gives the title track “It’s Me” two meanings. It could imply that the song focuses on drawing in a crush’s attention, as in that person would have no doubts who they feel attracted to (“It’s me!”), or another meaning tied to the K-Pop idol industry. 

Released on April 30, the title track “It’s Me” also focuses on expectations that make it hard for people to embrace their true selves. The hook “Who’s your bias? I’m your bias!” seems to reference the cutthroat nature of K-Pop that relies on groups never falling from the public consciousness. Idols have to remain audiences’ favorites or else they lose their appeal. The self-absorbed mentality expressed in the lyrics says more about ILLIT’s surrounding environment than themselves. 

The sound of “It’s Me” comes from the techno genre, drawing from EDM. The hook is still an earworm, much like their past songs, but ILLIT delivers a style never seen from them before. They keep their charms through the feminine and eccentric concept and change up their formula with the sonic execution. 

The song relies heavily on chanting and the instrumental to carry itself forward. The dreamy, melodic pre-chorus comes in as classic ILLIT before switching off to the new ILLIT for the chorus. As other HYBE girl groups LE SSERAFIM and KATSEYE have also adopted a similar structure in past releases, it leaves questions as to if or how ILLIT will employ this strategy going forward.