New “I-LAND” Reality Show Receives Criticism From (G)I-DLE Fans

The name of this upcoming survival show is not being well-received by Neverland.

What’s in a name? A lot, according to the (G)I-DLE fans who aren’t happy about the name of Mnet‘s upcoming show, I-LAND. 

I-LAND is the first collaborative project under BELIFT LAB Incorporations (BELIFT): a joint venture between Big Hit Entertainment and CJ ENM. This upcoming reality show will follow participants as they work toward becoming the next generation of K-Pop artists in a competitive setting.

The show’s name is rubbing some Neverlands the wrong way, for several reasons. Firstly, “I-LAND” (a combination of the “I” in “(G)I-DLE” and “land” in “Neverland”) is the name of (G)I-DLE’s first world tour, which was originally scheduled to begin on April 4 in Bangkok.

The tour has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

At one time, “I-LAND” was also under consideration for (G)I-DLE’s fandom name.

Furthermore, fans claim that this isn’t the first time (G)I-DLE has been “plagiarized”, citing a previous incident with their song “Lion”.

These Neverlands are not faulting Big Hit Entertainment or Mnet for the naming controversy, but rather CJ ENM.

On Twitter, Neverlands are now reaching out to CUBE Entertainment with the hashtag #cube_protect_gidle in the hopes that the agency will address this matter.

(G)I-DLE