Babymonster

Babymonster (Korean: 베이비몬스터; stylized in all caps), also referred to as Baemon (/beɪmɒn/ BAY-mon; 베몬), is a South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment. The group is composed of seven members: Ruka, Pharita, Asa, Ahyeon, Rami, Rora, and Chiquita.

Babymonster debuted as a full ensemble on April 1, 2024, with their eponymous extended play (EP) Babymons7er. Its single "Sheesh" became their first top-ten hit on South Korea's Circle Digital Chart. Babymonster subsequently released their debut studio album Drip in November, which sold over one million copies in South Korea. The album's title track became their second top-ten hit in the country. In 2025, the group released their second extended play We Go Up and embarked on the Hello Monsters World Tour.

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

2023–2024: 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. The seven members were revealed to the public through the gradual releases of live performance videos starting on January 12, (in order: Rami, Ahyeon, Chiquita, Asa, Rora, Pharita, and Ruka). They released a pre-debut promotional single titled "Dream" on May 14, 2023, coinciding with the release of Last Evaluation (2023); the YouTube exclusive debuted 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 achieve this 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 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. A gift titled "Like That" by Charlie Puth following a viral cover of "Dangerously" sung by Ahyeon, was also included. The eponymous release received over 460,000 pre-orders, and debuted at number three on the Circle Album Chart. Initially released to lukewarm reception, "Sheesh" experienced a surge in popularity through its live performances, peaking at number ten on the Circle Digital Chart. It became the highest-charting K-pop girl group entry on Spotify that year, debuting at sixty-ninth place on the Daily Top Songs Global Chart with 1.76 million streams. To commemorate their debut, a pop-up store at The Hyundai Seoul, which was held for ten days, attracted 2,000 visitors in its first two days. In tandem with their EP, the septet embarked on their inaugural fan meeting tour in May, covering six countries in Asia: Singapore, Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, Indonesia, and South Korea. Consequently, Babymonster entered "arena-class" venues within forty days of their debut, selling out 26,000 tickets at their Tokyo stop alone.

For Babymonster's first studio album, a digital single titled "Forever" was pre-released on July 1. Drip was released on November 1, and was led by the two singles, "Clik Clak" and "Drip". Notably, G-Dragon participated in the composition and demo recording of "Drip", while Mino of Winner co-wrote the album's b-side, "Really Like You". The album marked a new career high for the septet, with 820,000 orders within a week. Furthermore, Drip became their first entry on the Billboard 200, debuting at number 149. The titular single of the same name recorded a new personal best, peaking at number 30 on the Billboard Global 200, and acquired belated popularity in Korea and Japan, following the virality of their live performances on SBS Gayo Daejeon and The First Take, respectively. In result, the septet obtained their second top ten hit on the Circle Digital Chart, and reached an all-time high on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 at number 26. "Really Like You" also attained belated success following its virality on short form platforms including YouTube and TikTok, where it ranked atop the former's Viral 50 Music Chart for five consecutive days from January 11–15, 2026. Its popularity translated to favorable results on the Circle Digital Chart, peaking at number 79.

2025–present: First world tour

From January 25–26, 2025, Babymonster held a two-day concert at KSPO Dome in Seoul, the onset to their first world tour Hello Monsters, which comprised two legs spanned across Asia and North America; it drew an audience of est. 20,000 attendees. The seven-piece became the fastest female act to headline the venue, achieving the milestone within eight months of their debut. Following demand in North America, which included shows in Newark and Los Angeles, six additional dates were added in the region, featuring performances in Toronto, Rosemont, Atlanta, Fort Worth, Oakland, and Seattle. In Japan, all 100,000 tickets for the initial dates sold out, prompting the opening of restricted view seats and additional shows to accommodate to demand; the tour ultimately attracted 150,000 attendees across ten concerts in the country, setting a record pace for a K-pop girl group. The remaining Asia leg, held from May 17 to June 29, covered seven markets—Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Taiwan—and attracted a further 100,000 attendees across ten sold‑out shows, including an added date in Hong Kong due to demand. Rami entered an indefinite health‑related hiatus at the beginning of this leg and stood absent for the remainder of the tour. Hello Monsters concluded with a cumulative audience of 300,000 across thirty-two shows in twenty cities.

Initially introduced as a piece from a two-part pre-release sequence for their sophomore extended play, "Hot Sauce" was ultimately released as a standalone digital single on July 1, recorded by the group's six active members, following Rami's hiatus. The track paid homage to Seo Taiji and Boys' 1992 debut, drawing on late‑1980s hip‑hop influences and incorporating visual references to the trio's original album design, including a logo styled after the debut's typography. We Go Up, supported by the titular single of the same name, was released on October 10. It became their first project to chart in the European market, appearing on album rankings in Germany, Belgium, Austria, Portugal, and Hungary. The release cycle preceded the ensemble's subsequent fan‑concert tour, Love Monsters, a performance‑driven series positioned between a fan meeting and a full concert. Held across twelve shows in three countries—including two sold‑out dates at Taipei Arena in Taiwan—the tour attracted an est. 140,000 attendees and concluded on January 3, 2026, bringing the group's cumulative audience for the year to approximately 440,000, in under two years of their career.

Babymonster is scheduled to release their third EP, titled Choom, on May 4, 2026. A world tour dubbed after their EP will commence in Seoul beginning on June 26, followed by new locations in South America, Europe, and Oceania.

Artistry

Image and reception

Babymonster's artistic identity was crafted around the duality embedded in their name, pairing an offstage charm with a performance style defined by intensity and precision. They were designed to embody 2NE1's charisma and Blackpink's glamour, conceiving what is often referred to as the "YG DNA", a signature mix of talent, boldness, and distinctive edge. Building on this foundation, the members have frequently been described as "all‑rounders", noted for strong vocal, rap, and dance abilities, and for foregrounding live performance as a central component of their artistry, distinguishing them from acts that rely on backing tracks to prioritize choreography, fashion, and visuals.

Critical and industry evaluations of Babymonster's early output highlighted a disconnect between the members' well‑regarded abilities and the group's inconsistent conceptual direction. Early singles such as "Batter Up" (2023) and "Stuck in the Middle" (2024) were criticized for dated production, while "Sheesh" (2024) drew comparisons to Blackpink by NME's Carmen Chin despite praise for the B-side "Like That" (2024). The former single and "Drip" (2024), which the group identified as most representative of their color, were later viewed as steps towards establishing a clearer musical identity; however, this momentum slowed with the retro‑styled "Hot Sauce" (2025) and the underperformance of We Go Up (2025), a piece cited to reflect each members' artistic aspirations. The group's technical strengths, however, remain widely acknowledged, and assessments consistently note that more cohesive conceptual production would position Babymonster to compete more decisively within the emerging fifth‑generation landscape.

Musical style and influences

Babymonster's musical style is anchored in the hip-hop‑oriented characteristic of their label, yet their discography demonstrates a versatility that allows them to adapt across multiple genres. Tracks such as "Drip" (2024) foreground percussive rap delivery and rhythmic bass structures, while "Like That" (2024) adopts a more melodic, R&B‑leaning approach. Their ballad‑focused pre‑release "Stuck in the Middle" (2024) highlights the group's emphasis on vocal clarity, while works including "We Go Up" (2025) integrate EDM‑inflected production and dynamic arrangement shifts.

The group identifies fellow YG Entertainment artists as primary influences, namely drawing inspiration from 2NE1 and Blackpink, whose impact is evident in the septet's use of accent‑driven choreography, structural contrasts between rap and melodic sections, and reliance on performance intensity as a defining aesthetic.

Public image

Industry professionals began paying attention to the group prior to their debut. In a survey conducted by JoyNews24, two hundred industry professionals from entertainment companies and broadcasters, film and broadcast content producers, and entertainment reporters ranked the tentative act ninth with Ive in the "Most Anticipated Artist of Late 2021 and 2022". Their official introduction, together with the announcement of G-Dragon's feasible return as a soloist that same day, contributed to a subsequent rise in YG Entertainment's stocks by 11.74%. Following their debut, Babymonster was recognized as one of the "Next Generation Leaders" through a survey conducted by Sisa Journal and Gallup Korea, and was named "Future of Music" by Rolling Stone Korea in 2024.

The ensemble includes members proficient in languages such as Korean, English, Japanese, Thai, and Chinese, allowing them to connect with a diverse audience, as a multi-national group. In the media, the group have also been referred to as the next generation "YouTube Queens", attributed to the viewership and subscribers count they had accumulated on the platform.

Other ventures

Endorsements

In the advertising industry, Babymonster became a figure that generally attracts a large younger customer base. In result, the group became presenters for Pepsi in the Asia-Pacific region, the face of LG Household & Health Care's cosmeceutical brand CNP Laboratory, the muse of LeSportsac Japan, and global partners of Adidas—which they later became ambassadors for. The group also served as endorsement models for Moon Boot, the cosmetics contact lens brand, a-eye, and Sunsilk Indonesia. Furthermore, they were appointed as brand ambassadors for Banila Co. and Good Day Latte[id], and collaborated with PUBG Mobile, Google Pixel in Japan, McDonald's in Hong Kong, Oreo in Southeast Asia, and Uniqlo.

Philanthropy

Together with the Muju YG Foundation, Babymonster supported child welfare initiatives during the group's first two years. They first established a support fund through Naver's Happy Bean to address child hunger and assist children with disabilities, and subsequently worked with Loving Hands to raise ₩9.9 million to provide winter coats for eighty-five young beneficiaries.

Members

• Ruka (루카; ルカ)
• Pharita (파리타; ภริตา)
• Asa (아사; アサ)
• Ahyeon (아현)
• Rami (라미)
• Rora (로라)
• Chiquita (치키타; ชิกิต้า)

Timeline

Discography

• Drip (2024)

Filmography

• Last Evaluation (2023)
• Baemon House (2025)

Tours and concerts

Tours

• Hello Monsters World Tour (2025)
• Choom World Tour (2026–2027)

Accolades

External links