BabyMonster

BabyMonster (stylized in all caps), also known as Baemon, is a South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment through Last Evaluation (2023); consisting of seven members: Ruka, Pharita, Asa, Ahyeon, Rami, Rora, and Chiquita. The group officially debuted in April 2024, with their eponymous extended play (EP) BabyMons7er.

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. 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. In the number of recruits, each prospective member placed first against thousands in their respective auditions. In January 2020, "BabyMonster", one of many names initially considered for Blackpink, 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.

Its selection process was chronicled in Last Evaluation (2023), a reality show showcasing seven potential members. 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. Yang revealed the number of members he first planned was five; however, a seven-piece ensemble was finalized with three South Koreans (Ahyeon, Rami, Rora), two Japanese (Ruka, Asa), and two Thai members (Pharita, Chiquita). 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".

Leading to their acceptance into the company, Rami started as a child model at age two; Ruka debuted in the Japanese girl group Shibu3 project (2017); Rora joined the children's music group U.SSO Girl with Hyein of NewJeans; and Pharita modelled in contests and auditioned for survival reality programs. Ruka, the longest trained member of the seven, Rora, and Asa, trained under the label for six years anterior to their debut. Rami and Ahyeon honed their craft for five years, and Pharita, who was chosen out of 1,226 applicants amid her audition, trained for four years. Chiquita became the final addition to the prospective group, following three months of training, the shortest period of all members, cultivating with its members for three years. In this time, their vocals were often recruited in the background of their labelmate's work (i.e. the final chorus of Kang Seung-yoon's "Iyah" (아이야; aiya)).

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". It heralded a trailer-esque video posted on YouTube on New Year's Day that garnered 15 million views in three days, and featured appearances by members of Winner and Blackpink, sibling duo AKMU, dancer and choreographer Leejung Lee, and label founder Yang Hyun-suk. 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%. The seven members were revealed to the public through gradual releases of live performance videos starting on January 12 (in order: Rami, Ahyeon, Chiquita, Asa, Rora, Pharita, and Ruka);
 * Rami (#1):
 * Ahyeon (#2):
 * Chiquita (#3):
 * Asa (#4):
 * Rora (#5):
 * Pharita (#6):
 * Ruka (#7): and a pre-debut promotional single titled "Dream"—exclusively released via YouTube on May 14, 2023, debuting atop the Billboard Hot Trending Songs chart. Their channel soon surpassed one million subscribers in 52 days since its creation on December 28, 2022, and two million subscribers in 129 days, becoming the fastest K-pop girl group to reach the milestone.

The group released two singles as a six-piece titled "Batter Up" and "Stuck in the Middle" on November 27, 2023, and February 1, 2024, respectively, with the former serving as the sextet's debut single and BabyMonster's pre-debut release. 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. 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, and became the fastest debut music video to reach 100 million views on the platform, eighteen days after its release. It found further success on Spotify, achieving 10 million streams in ten days, the fastest for a rookie K-pop girl group. Ahyeon, who was absent from its releases for health reasons, soon recovered and returned from her hiatus, joining the ensemble to promote their future activities as a seven-member group.

Marking the group's official debut, their first extended play (EP) BabyMons7er, was released on April 1. It was primarily supported by the titular single "Sheesh" and included re-recordings of "Batter Up" and "Stuck in the Middle" with all seven members, alongside a gift titled "Like That" by Charlie Puth following a viral cover of "Dangerously" sung by Ahyeon. The eponymous release recorded over 460,000 pre-orders, and debuted at number three on the Circle Album Chart. Initially released to lukewarm reception, "Sheesh" climbed the domestic charts following a surge in popularity through its live performances, peaking at number ten on the Circle Digital Chart. Furthermore, it became the highest entry for a K-pop girl group on Spotify that year, debuting with 1.76 million streams on its Daily Top Songs Global Chart at sixty-ninth place. In commemoration of their debut, a pop-up store was held at The Hyundai Seoul on the same date for ten days, welcoming 2,000 visitors in its first two days. In conjunction to their latest release, the septet embarked on their first fan meeting tour in May amidst six Asian regions: Singapore, Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, Indonesia, and South Korea. In result, BabyMonster entered "arena-class" venues within forty days of their debut, selling out 26,000 tickets in their Tokyo stop alone.

For BabyMonster's upcoming first studio album, a pre-release digital single titled "Forever" was released on July 1.

Image and reception
Created with an image possessing two contrasting qualities, a "baby" side and a "monstrous" side akin to their name, wherein they display their child-like and playful sides offstage, and a professional demeanor when delivering intense performances onstage; the septet maintains the signature "charismatic" elements of YG Entertainment, embodying the better known moniker, the "YG DNA", a trait deeply rooted in their musical identity. BabyMonster was touted as an "all-rounder" group and its members labelled as "elites" by the public and media alike, wherein each excel in vocals, rap, and dance. The ensemble is also proficient in multiple languages, including Korean, English, Japanese, Thai, and Chinese.

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.

Influences
BabyMonster cited all YG Entertainment artists as their role models, known for their "stage presence" and "musical prowess", learning from artists including Blackpink and 2NE1.

Endorsements
In February 2024, BabyMonster became presenters for Pepsi in the Asia-Pacific region, and the face of LG Household & Health Care's cosmeceutical brand CNP Laboratory, to aid advancements into the Japanese beauty market. Two months later, the group became global partners of Adidas.

Members

 * Ruka (루카)
 * Pharita (파리타)
 * Asa (아사)
 * Ahyeon (아현)
 * Rami (라미)
 * Rora (로라)
 * Chiquita (치키타)

Filmography

 * Last Evaluation (2023, YouTube)
 * Baemon TV (2024, YouTube)