YG Entertainment’s newest seven-member girl group, BabyMonster, or Baemon, made their highly anticipated debut on November 27, 2023, with their debut single, “Batter Up.” Released on April 1, their first mini album, “BabyMons7er,” consists of seven tracks, including “MONSTERS (intro),” “Batter Up (7 ver.),” and “Like That,” a song gifted by American singer-songwriter, Charlie Puth. YG is the home to several big K-pop groups such as BIG BANG, 2NE1, and BLACKPINK, leaving the 5th generation group with high expectations.
YG Entertainment formed BabyMonster through the reality TV show “Last Evaluation 2023.” All eight episodes of the series can be found on the YouTube channel “BABYMONSTER.” The group’s original lineup consisted of seven members, Ruka Kawai, Pharita Chaikong, Asa Enami, Ahyeon Jung, Haram (Rami) Shin, Dain (Rora) Lee, and Riracha (Chiquita) Phondechaphiphat. Due to health reasons, Ahyeon did not participate in the group’s debut single; however, she later joined them for their first mini album, leading to a re-recording of a few songs with seven complete members. The group has five vocalists: Pharita, Ahyeon, Haram, Rora, and Chiquita. The three rappers are Ruka, Asa, and Ahyeon, with Ahyeon owning both vocalist and rapper positions.
“BabyMons7er,” is greeted by “MONSTERS,” a powerful introduction that leads into the rest of the album. Following the introduction is a strong and compelling title track, “SHEESH.” This piece complements the group’s choreography through its overflowing hip-hop elements. Even coming out fresh as a rookie group, the members possess a lot of self-confidence as it is portrayed through the lyrics. The song has a tough and firm melody as it is accompanied by the instrumental of a piano. However, the song received a lot of backlash from fans as they claimed the song was “cringey.” Many also claimed that the word “sheesh” was too repetitive throughout the chorus. Despite these comments, “SHEESH” is a perfect song to tune into when you’re feeling down or unmotivated. This song successfully gained recognition globally and has even reached fans from Mark Keppel High School.
“Yes, I think [they will be successful] because their singing vocals and rapping is really good,” Kevin Pan, a junior who believes in the group’s success, says. His favorite track, “SHEESH,” is full of various elements where the vocals and instruments complement each other, giving the song a complete and powerful feel to it.
BabyMonster’s fame has grown to a substantial amount, as it reaches American pop artist, Charlie Puth. Astonished by the group’s talent through “The Last Evaluation 2023,” Puth decided to gift an unreleased song of his to BabyMonster, entitled “Like That.” It is the album’s only English track that shows the confidence they have to attract a person of popularity amongst other girls. The lyrics, “Cause ain’t nobody stepping up to me and saying nothing when I call you,” show that the girls have no competition and have nothing to be concerned about in terms of winning a person over. The instrumentals include a subtle guitar that ties in with their serene vocals and adlibs.
Lastly, “Batter Up,” was the group’s debut single and has also been featured on this album. The song starts with the shouting of “Attention,” following the sound of a trumpet that leads into the rest of the song. With over 200 million views on YouTube, this piece has become a hit in the K-pop industry, especially for being their debut single. Despite the great music, numerous fans felt a resemblance between the instrumentals of Babymonster’s tracks and Blackpink’s tracks. A lot of people have been commenting that YG Entertainment is attempting to make “another BlackPink” by incorporating similar styles in their music. These claims all started with the song “Batter Up,” however due to these statements, it has only gained more recognition.
BabyMonster’s album and debut are continuing to grow amongst other rising K-Pop artists. The combination of songs brings interest to young users here at school and it is definitely worth a listen. Young artists similar to them bring self-confidence as you tune in to their energy-boosting songs under any circumstance.