“We are really late, thank you so much for waiting,” politely mentioned the Okay-pop group Babymonster because the members gathered round a boardroom within the YG Leisure places of work in Seoul.
The seven-member woman group — consisting of Ruka, Pharita, Asa, Ahyeon, Rami, Rora and Chiquita —had been caught in gridlock site visitors as they got here straight from rehearsals to the interview.
Babymonster members have been devoting a lot of their time to rehearsals as they put together for his or her debut world tour, Good day Monsters, which stops in Los Angeles on Sunday on the Kia Discussion board.
The group had been visibly excited as their faces lighted up with the prospect of coming to California and assembly their Monstiez — their fandom title — for the primary time. Rami additionally expressed the way it was “such an honor” to get the chance to carry out at a venue just like the Kia Discussion board and observe within the footsteps of Okay-pop idols akin to aespa, Suga of BTS and Blackpink.
Babymonster members had been tight-lipped about what L.A. followers might count on from the upcoming present as they wished it to be stuffed with surprises and wished every present to be completely different and enjoyable for the followers.
Regardless of their younger age — with the youngest member Chiquita being solely 14 years outdated when she debuted — the group members have carried this identical assured and sleek demeanor all through their journey to stardom.
The members had been introduced collectively from throughout Asia — South Korea, Japan and Thailand — to participate within the high-pressure audition course of to type Babymonster and enter the Okay-pop scene.
“We were really young when we came into this company but we came in knowing that we wanted to do it. There was a lot of pressure on us but we enjoyed some of the moments under that pressure,” mentioned Pharita. “We enjoyed developing ourselves and working towards our goals and we are happy where we are.”
Babymonster made its official debut with a self-titled mini-album in April 2024 and in lower than a yr, the younger group members have been propelled to stardom and captured the imaginations of followers the world over.
“It hasn’t even been a full year since we debuted with our mini-album, ‘Babymons7er,’ but we are so happy with how everything has turned out and incredibly grateful to have received so much love from the beginning,” mentioned Rami.
The self-titled mini-album launched followers to the group’s versatility and emphatic performances with tracks akin to “Sheesh,” “Like That” and “Batter Up.”
The group members additional constructed upon their success with their debut studio album, “Drip,” which was launched in November 2024.
Should you discuss to Babymonster lengthy sufficient, then a phrase that may inevitably come up: “swagger.” That is on the coronary heart of every part they do as they effortlessly specific themselves by way of their music, style and performances.
A music that encapsulates that swagger is the title monitor, “Drip,” which shortly turned a fan-favorite with its infectious hooks and braggadocious lyrics akin to “I could be the GOAT.” Babymonster believes that this monitor completely encapsulates the picture the group needs to venture — exhibiting their true colours with a “super hype” monitor.
The monitor — which has nearly 120 million streams on Spotify alone — was an enormous second for the group because it additional showcased its versatility with the surprising assist of Okay-pop idol G-Dragon.
The Bigbang rapper — who just lately launched his first full-length album in 12 years — has been supportive of Babymonster in the course of the group’s rise to fame as he watched the group’s stay efficiency in Seoul in October and likewise contributed to their title monitor, “Drip.”
Babymonster
(Courtesy of 42West)
“G-Dragon is a senior that we really look up to and we really want to express our gratitude towards the support we received throughout the production of ‘Drip,’ ” mentioned Rora. “G-Dragon provided a lot of help with the demos he sent over and tried to play around with different tones and the swag and hip-hop vibe was something that Babymonster played around with to showcase their best.”
Asa added: “At first, there originally wasn’t a rap part, but after we received a G-Dragon demo we played around with the raps and it was able to showcase the swag that G-Dragon possesses.”
When speaking with Babymonster, it turned evident in a short time how motivated the group was to develop as artists. They’re impressed by their “seniors” — artists who debuted earlier than them — and watch performances from teams akin to 2NE1 and Blackpink.
Additionally they meticulously rewatch their very own performances to “monitor their growth” and be taught from previous experiences, making certain they proceed to develop as artists.
Ahyon shared that when acting at live shows, they totally immerse themselves within the second and benefit from the vitality. “It was a really happy time for us and it’s a very important thing for artists to feel the happiness on stage. [We were able to] express ourselves and feel that vibe and energy.” They continue to be dedicated to studying from each expertise and ship even higher performances for his or her followers sooner or later.
Babymonster stays one of many main fifth-generation Okay-pop teams — artists who made their debut after 2023 — and look to observe within the footsteps of their labelmates Blackpink by bringing Korean tradition to the lots.
“We are thrilled to see Korean culture spread across the world and it’s all thanks to our seniors, who have been doing this continuously for the past [few] years,” mentioned Rora. “Babymonster plans to work as hard to continue this momentum and spread K-pop and Korean culture to the whole world.”