BabyMonster (
Korean: 베이비몬스터;
RR: Beibimonseuteo; stylized in
all caps), also known as Baemon (Korean: 베몬), is a South Korean
girl group formed by
YG Entertainment through Last Evaluation (2023); and consists of seven members: Ruka, Pharita, Asa, Ahyeon, Rami, Rora, and Chiquita. The ensemble officially debuted on April 1, 2024, with their eponymous first
extended play (EP) BabyMons7er.
History
2018–2022: Formation and pre-debut activities
Following the launch of
YG Entertainment's representative girl groups,
2NE1 (2009) and
Blackpink (2016), news of their next girl group circulated as early as 2018.[1][2] They received applicants from various countries, some of whom were accepted into its training program as early as age 10, training an average of four to five years.[3] In the number of recruits, each prospective member placed first against thousands in their respective auditions.[4] In January 2020, "BabyMonster", one of many names initially considered for Blackpink,[5] and "Baemon" (a
syllabic abbreviation of the former) were trademarked in English and Korean by the label and tentatively used by media outlets until the eventual disclosure of their official uses.[6][7][8]
Its selection process was chronicled in Last Evaluation (2023), a
reality show showcasing seven potential members.[9] Label founder,
Yang Hyun-suk, enlisted assistance by
Lee Su-hyun of
AKMU, and
Winner's
Kang Seung-yoon and
Lee Seung-hoon amidst others to judge, rank, and determine its formation for the duration of the show.[10][11] Yang revealed the number of members he first planned was five;[12] however, a seven-piece ensemble was finalized with three South Koreans (Ahyeon, Rami, Rora), two Japanese (Ruka, Asa), and two Thai members (Pharita, Chiquita).[13] Ahyeon, Ruka, Chiquita, Rami, and Pharita were selected by the label, while Rora and Asa were contemplated to be placed into two different projects before ultimately joining the final line-up as the "fans' choice".[13]
Most held prior experience in the entertainment industry ahead of their acceptance into YG Entertainment. Rami began as a
child model at age two ahead of her audition in 2018;[2] Ruka debuted in the Japanese girl group
Shibu3 project [
ja] (2017) before she became the longest trained member of the seven;[6][14] Rora joined the children's music group U.SSO Girl as "U.ha" with Hyein of
NewJeans prior to her audition in May 2018;[15][16] and Pharita modelled in contests and auditioned for
survival reality programs until she was chosen out of 1,226 applicants amidst her audition in July 2020, becoming the sixth to be accepted.[17][18][19] Asa and Ahyeon auditioned for the label in 2018 and December 2018, respectively.[20] Chiquita became the final member to join BabyMonster,[2] training for three months since her recruit in 2021,[18][21] the shortest period of all members.[2] During this time, the members' vocals were often recruited in the background of their senior labelmate's work, including in the final chorus of the
lead single, "Iyah" (아이야; aiya) by
Kang Seung-yoon.[22]
2023–present: Introduction and debut
YG Entertainment signaled the septet's formal introduction on December 30, 2022, with a poster and the subtext "YG Next Movement".[23] It heralded a trailer-esque video posted on
YouTube on
New Year's Day that garnered 15 million views in three days,[24] and featured appearances by members of
Winner and
Blackpink, sibling duo
AKMU, dancer and choreographer
Leejung Lee, and label founder
Yang Hyun-suk.[25] BabyMonster's introduction, together with the announcement of
G-Dragon's feasible return as a soloist that same day, contributed to a subsequent rise in the label's stocks, leaping by 11.74%.[26] The seven members were revealed to the public through gradual releases of live performance videos starting on January 12[6] (in order: Rami, Ahyeon, Chiquita, Asa, Rora, Pharita, and Ruka);[27] and a pre-debut promotional single titled "Dream"—exclusively released via YouTube on May 14, 2023,[28] debuting atop the Billboard Hot Trending Songs chart.[29] Their channel soon surpassed one million subscribers in 52 days since its creation on December 28, 2022,[18] and two million subscribers in 129 days, becoming the fastest
K-pop girl group to reach the milestone.[30] The group released two
singles as a six-piece titled "
Batter Up" and "
Stuck in the Middle" on November 27, 2023,[31] and February 1, 2024,[32] respectively, with the former serving as the sextet's debut single and BabyMonster's pre-debut release.[33] Label-mates
Lee Chan-hyuk of AKMU and
Choi Hyun-suk of
Treasure contributed in penning the former piece, while its member Asa, worked on both its music and lyrics.[31] Its music video amassed 22.59 million views within a day, became the most viewed debut music video in the first 24 hours in K-pop history,[34] and became the fastest debut music video to reach 100 million views on the platform, eighteen days after its release.[35] It found further success on
Spotify, achieving 10 million streams in ten days, the fastest for a rookie K-pop girl group.[36] Ahyeon, who was absent from its releases due to health reasons,[37][38] soon recovered and returned from her hiatus, joining the ensemble to promote their future activities as a seven-member group.[39]
Marking the group's official debut,[40] their first
extended play (EP) BabyMons7er, was released on April 1.[40] It was primarily supported by the titular single "
Sheesh", included re-recordings of "Batter Up" and "Stuck in the Middle" with all seven members,[40] and a gift by
Charlie Puth titled "Like That" following a viral cover of "
Dangerously" sung by Ahyeon.[41] BabyMonster will be holding their first fan meeting tour in May 2024 in five countries, namely Singapore, Japan, Thailand, Taiwan and Indonesia.[42]
Public image
Created with a "high-teen" image different from the label's prior female acts, the septet maintains the signature "charismatic" elements of YG Entertainment.[43] BabyMonster was touted as an "all-rounder" group and its members labelled as "elites" by the public and media alike,[44][45] wherein each excel in vocals, rap, and dance.[46] The ensemble is also proficient in multiple languages, including Korean, English, Japanese, Thai, and Chinese.[47]
In a survey conducted by entertainment business magazine JoyNews24, two hundred industry workers from entertainment companies and broadcasters, film and broadcast content producers, and entertainment reporters ranked the tentative group ninth in the "Most Anticipated Artist of Late 2021 and 2022", tied with
Ive amidst others.[48]
Other ventures
Endorsements
In February 2024, BabyMonster became presenters for
Pepsi in the Asia-Pacific region,[49] and the face of
LG Household & Health Care's cosmeceutical brand CNP Laboratory,[50] to aid advancements into the Japanese beauty market.[51] Two months later, the group became global partners of
Adidas.[52]
Members
Ruka (루카)
Pharita (파리타)
Asa (아사)
Ahyeon (아현)
Rami (라미)
Rora (로라)
Chiquita (치키타)
Discography
Extended plays
List of extended plays, with selected details, chart positions, and sales
^"Stuck in the Middle" did not enter the Circle Digital Chart, but peaked at number 45 on the component download chart.[71]
References
^Hwang, Mi-hyun (September 19, 2018).
[단독] YG, 자사 新걸그룹 선보인다...관련 프로 올 연말 론칭 [Exclusive] YG New Girl Group Introduction... Related Program Launch Year-End]. News1 (in Korean).
Archived from the original on May 19, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
^Ji, Min-kyung (May 20, 2021).
[단독] YG 새 걸그룹, 15~16세 하이틴 최정예로 선발 [Exclusive] YG New Girl Group, 15~16 Year Old High-Teens Selected as Elite Players]. Osen (in Korean).
Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
^Kim, No-eul (January 1, 2023).
YG 새 걸그룹=베이비 몬스터..양현석 "YG 유전자 가졌다" [YG New Girl Group=Baby Monster; Yang Hyun-suk: "Has the YG Genes"]. Star News (in Korean).
Archived from the original on January 1, 2023. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
^Jung Joon-hwa (November 3, 2016).
[Oh!쎈 토크] 블랙핑크가 직접 밝힌 #3대기획사 경쟁 #YG #2NE1 [Oh!Sen Talk] Blackpink Reveals: #3 Biggest Company Competition #YG #2NE1]. Osen (in Korean).
Archived from the original on October 22, 2020. Retrieved January 1, 2023 – via Naver.
^Kim, Soo-young (May 18, 2021).
YG, 블랙핑크 동생 걸그룹 내놓는다...'베몬' 데뷔? [공식] [YG Blackpink's Sister Girl Group Will Come Soon, 'Baemon' Debut? [Formula]]. The Korea Economic Daily (in Korean).
Archived from the original on June 20, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
^Lee, Soo-yeon (February 17, 2023).
'데뷔만 두 번' 뉴진스 혜인, 알고 보니 '베이비 몬스터'와 인연이? [Debuted Twice, NewJeans' Hyein Seems to Have a Relation With BabyMonster?]. TV Report (in Korean).
Archived from the original on February 20, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
^Honami, Arai (March 5, 2023).
[随時更新] BabyMonster(ベイビーモンスター)のメンバー紹介|Blackpinkの妹グループとしてデビュー予定 [[Time-to-Time Updates] BabyMonster Member Introduction|Scheduled to Debut as Blackpink's Sister Group]. Elle Japan (in Japanese).
Archived from the original on March 26, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
^Choi, Hye-jin (February 13, 2023).
베이비몬스터 파리타, 소개 영상..1226대1 경쟁률 뚫은 태국 소녀 [BabyMonster Pharita: 1226-1 "Competitively-Pierced" Thai Girl]. Star News (in Korean).
Archived from the original on February 20, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
^Todoroki, Yuki (March 4, 2023).
Blackpinkの妹分!日本人も2人所属する韓国の大型新人グループ「BabyMonster」を大解剖 [Blackpink's Little Sister! A Dissection of BabyMonster, a Big Korean Rookie Group with Two Japanese Members]. Cosmopolitan (in Japanese).
Archived from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2023 – via
Yahoo! News Japan.
^Choi, Hye-ran (January 4, 2023).
'YG NEXT MOVEMENT' 베이비몬스터, 공개한 티저 영상...3일만에 '천오백만 뷰' [Baby Monster Releases Teaser Video "YG Next Movement", 15 Million Views in 3 Days]. New Culture (in Korean).
Archived from the original on January 4, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
^Ji, Min-kyung (May 14, 2023).
YG 베이비몬스터, 프리 데뷔곡 'DREAM' 공개..7人 완벽 하모니 [YG BabyMonster Unveils Pre-debut Song 'Dream', 7 Individuals in Perfect Harmony]. Osen (in Korean).
Archived from the original on May 14, 2023. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
^Choo, Seung-hyun (April 1, 2024).
[인터뷰]베이비몬스터 "7명 데뷔 당연...신인상 한 번 더 도전" [[Interview] BabyMonster: "Debut with 7 members was Natural, Challenge for the Rookie of the Year Award"]. Newsis (in Korean).
Archived from the original on April 3, 2024. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
^Heo, Min-nyeong (November 16, 2023).
"'베이비 몬스터' 데뷔 초읽기" ['BabyMonster' debut countdown] (in Korean). Sports Donga.
Archived from the original on November 20, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2023 – via Naver.
^Choi, Na-young (May 19, 2021).
"[단독] YG 새 걸그룹, 올 하반기 올킬할 슈퍼루키의 탄생(종합)" [Exclusive] YG New Girl Group, Birth of an All-Kill Super Rookie Within the Second Half of the Year]. Osen (in Korean).
Archived from the original on May 19, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
^Yoon, Jun-ho (February 2, 2023).
YG 신인 걸그룹 베이비몬스터, 6번째 멤버 17세 '태국 출신 파리타' 공개 [YG's New Girl Group, BabyMonster, Reveals Its 6th Member, 17-year-old 'Pharita From Thailand']. Ten Asia (in Korean).
Archived from the original on February 1, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
^Marie Claire Korea (January 24, 2023).
YG엔터테인먼트 신인걸그룹 '베이비 몬스터' 멤버 공개! [Members of YG Entertainment's New Girl Group 'Baby Monster' Revealed!]. Marie Claire Korea (in Korean).
Archived from the original on January 24, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
^Seon, Mi-kyung (February 8, 2023).
베이비몬스터, '괴물 신인' 입증할 전력 분석 [Oh!쎈 초점] [Power Analysis Proving BabyMonster as 'Monster Rookies' [Oh!Sen Focus]]. Osen (in Korean).
Archived from the original on February 11, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
^Kim, Jin-suk (March 14, 2023).
베이비몬스터, 데뷔 전인데 벌써 '2억뷰' 넘기는 '괴력' [BabyMonster Already Surpassed 200 Million Views Prior Debut, Displaying 'Strength']. JTBC News (in Korean).
Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
^Jung, Ji-won (November 11, 2021).
[창간17년] 에스파, 올해의 신인 1위...신선했던 노래·내년 기대주 1위 [17 Year Anniversary] Aespa Wins Rookie of the Year, New Music · Most Anticipated Rising Star Next Year]. JoyNews24 (in Korean).
Archived from the original on November 11, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
^CNP의 새로운 얼굴! 베이비몬스터 [The New Face of CNP! BabyMonster]. The Korea Times (in Korean). February 28, 2024.
Archived from the original on February 28, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
BabyMons7er:
週間 アルバムランキング 2024年04月15日付 [Oricon Weekly Album Ranking April 15, 2024] (in Japanese).
Oricon. Archived from
the original on April 10, 2024. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
週間 アルバムランキング2024年04月15日付 [Oricon Weekly Album Ranking April 15, 2024] (in Japanese).
Oricon. p. 1. Archived from
the original on April 10, 2024. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
週間 アルバムランキング2024年04月22日付 [Oricon Weekly Album Ranking April 22, 2024] (in Japanese).
Oricon. p. 2. Archived from
the original on April 17, 2024. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
"Batter Up":
"Digital Chart [Week 48 of 2023]" (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association. November 26 – December 2, 2023.
Archived from the original on December 7, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
"Sheesh":
"Digital Chart [Week 16 of 2024]" (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association. April 14–20, 2024. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
"Batter Up":
"Week 49 (1–7 Dec 2023)". Recording Industry Association Singapore. December 1–7, 2023. Archived from
the original on December 12, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
"Sheesh":
"Week 15 (5–11 Apr 2024)". Recording Industry Association Singapore. April 5–11, 2024. Archived from
the original on April 16, 2024. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
^"Download Chart [Week 5 of 2024]" (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association. January 28 – February 3, 2024.
Archived from the original on February 8, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
^@champ____88 (November 27, 2023).
"BabyMonster – 'Batter Up'".
Archived from the original on December 3, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2023 – via Instagram.
^Seon, Mi-kyung (March 7, 2024).
"베이비몬스터, 유령의 집 깜짝 방문에 '괴성'..'BAEMON TV' 1화 공개" [BabyMonster makes a 'screaming sound' during a surprise visit to a haunted house...'BAEMON TV' Episode 1 released] (in Korean). Osen.
Archived from the original on April 2, 2024. Retrieved April 2, 2024 – via Naver.
^Myung, Hee-sook (January 10, 2024).
"베이비 몬스터, 음방+시상식 출연 無에도 신인상 수상 (써클차트 어워즈)[엑's 이슈]" [BabyMonster Wins Rookie Award Despite No Appearances on Music Shows + Awards Ceremonies (Circle Chart Awards) [X's Issue]]. Xports News (in Korean).
Archived from the original on January 11, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
^올해의 신인상 Nominees [Rookie of the Year Nominees]. Circle Chart Music Awards (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association.
Archived from the original on December 26, 2023. Retrieved December 26, 2023.