Meet the Rising Stars: YG Entertainment Unveils New 7-Member Girl Group 'BabyMonster'
YG Entertainment has announced the members of their upcoming girl group, BabyMonster which is changed to BABYMONS7ER.
On May 12, KST, YG Entertainment (YG) revealed the final lineup of BabyMonster through their official YouTube channel. The debut lineup was selected from YG's top trainees after overcoming a competition with thousands of applicants.
Yang Hyun-suk, the executive producer, said, "This is the first girl group we've launched in seven years. In front of me are the name tags of three Korean members, Ah-hyun, Haram, and Rora; two Japanese members, Ruka and Asa; and two Thai members, Chiquita and Phaita. I will explain why I chose these five members while considering the others."
Yang Hyun-suk chose 15-year-old Ah-hyun, a trainee of four years and three months, as the first member. He explained, "She has the widest vocal range and is the most optimized member as a pop artist. She has the ability to lead BabyMonster."
Next, he selected 20-year-old Japanese member Ruka, saying, "She has a lot of charm. I believe many people will fall for Ruka's charm."
The third member chosen was Thai member Chikita. Yang said, "Chiquita is the youngest and has the shortest training period of one year and nine months. Her biggest advantage is her rapid growth and high potential for development."
The fourth confirmed member was 15-year-old Korean member Haram. Yang explained, "When Haram sings solo songs, she brings her own style to them, different from the original. This was the most influential factor in her selection. Her creativity and originality will be a great help to BabyMonster."
Finally, the last member chosen was 17-year-old Thai member Phaita. Yang said, "The group must be global-oriented. Phaita speaks English and Thai fluently. That moved me the most. The group consists of two Korean members, two Thai members, and one Japanese member."
Yang also explained why Lora and Asa were not included. "I wanted to use Lora as the main vocalist for the next girl group we're preparing since she's young. Asa is a trainee of four years and nine months. I gave her high scores for being able to sing as an all-rounder, not just rap," he said. He added that Rejeong named Ruka and Asa as the best dancers.
Yang publicly mentioned another reason for excluding Asa. "I wanted to include Asa in a global girl group project in Japan that will begin at the end of this year or early next year," he said. He continued, "There are four vocalists and one rapper, Ruka, but Ah-hyun can also rap. Chiquita is learning to rap, so we have three members who can rap. Adding four vocalists, I believe it will be a powerful team."
Yang explained why it took two weeks to finalize the lineup. "There were so many fans who wanted all seven members to debut. I think YG's fans are the true YG Family," he said, suddenly announcing, "I'll take all seven members with me."
Yang asked fans to think of Lora and Asa as members chosen by YG's fans. He added, "It's just an estimate, but I don't think the debut will be later than this fall."
- YG's BABYMONSTER to Announce Final Debut Lineup on May 12; YouTube Teasers Surpass 400 Million Views
- Introducing BabyMonster: YG Entertainment's First Girl Group in 7 Years since BLACKPINK
- YG's Finely Crafted BABYMONSTER: Will They Debut as 5 or 7 Members? A New Generation Shift in K-pop Girl Groups?
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