A Main Character

**BabyMonster** (Korean: 베이비몬스터; stylized in all caps), also known as **Baemon**, (Korean: 베몬) is an upcoming South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment. Consisting of seven members—Ruka, Pharita, Asa, Ahyeon, Haram, Rora, and Chiquita—they are scheduled to debut in 2023.

## **History**

### **2018–2022: Formation and pre-debut activities [edit]**

Following the launch of YG Entertainment's representative girl groups 2NE1 (2009) and Blackpink (2016), news of the label's next girl group circulated as early as 2018. The company 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, the written forms of "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. The group's selection process was chronicled in *Last Evaluation* (2023), a reality show filmed a year prior to its airing, showcasing seven potential members. YG Entertainment 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. In its final episode, Yang revealed the number of members he first planned for the group’s creation in its earliest stages was five; however, a seven-piece ensemble was finalized with three South Koreans (Ahyeon, Haram, Rora), two Japanese (Ruka, Asa), and two Thai members (Pharita, Chiquita).

Several members held prior experience in the entertainment industry ahead of their acceptance into YG Entertainment. Haram began working as a child model at age two; Ruka and Rora debuted as founding members of the Japanese girl group Shibu3 project [ja] and children's music group U.SSO Girl with Hyein of NewJeans in 2017, respectively; and Pharita modelled in contests and auditioned for the survival reality program, *Idol Paradise* (2021). Ruka trained the longest of the seven, preceding Asa and Haram who auditioned in 2018, Rora in May 2018, and Ahyeon in December 2018. Pharita was chosen out of 1,226 applicants amidst her audition in July 2020. Chiquita was the final member to join BabyMonster, training for three months since her recruit in 2021, the shortest period of all members. During this time, the members' vocals were revealed to be featured in the final chorus of the lead single, "Iyah" (아이야; *aiya*) by labelmate Kang Seung-yoon.

### **2023: Introduction and scheduled debut [edit]**

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: Haram, Ahyeon, Chiquita, Asa, Rora, Pharita, and Ruka). BabyMonster's YouTube 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, and indicating growing public interest alongside the formation of a loyal fandom ahead of their debut.

## Public image[edit]

Created with a "high-teen" image different from the label's prior female acts, the septet maintains the signature charismatic elements of YG Entertainment. 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 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.

## **Discography**

### BABYMONS7ER Cover’s

* Scars To Your Beautiful
* Don’t Know What To Do (by BLACKPINK )
* Stay (by BLACKPINK)
* Gone (by ROSÉ)

## **Members**

BABYMONS7ER
 Ruka
 Chiquita

 Rora
 ASA