[Herald Interview] Babymonster sets out to target global listeners with YG ‘DNA’

Dropping the group's first EP, “Babymos7er,” Monday, YG Entertainment’s latest girl group, Babymonster, made its official debut.

“We are announcing our new beginning as a group of seven with Ahyeon joining us for the promotion of this album,” said Rora of Babymonster during a group interview with local reporters on Monday.

Babymonster previously debuted with a digital single, “Batter Up,” on Nov. 27, 2023 as a group of six -- Ruka, Pharita, Asa, Rami, Rora and Chiquita.

Ahyeon who was among the seven finalists to debut as Babymonster had dropped out due to health issues.

“I had a hard time psychologically so I had to focus on recovery. I focused on exercising and eating well. The support from my group members and fans was a lot of help. Now I am fully recovered and I am happy to get back on stage,” said Ahyeon.

Babymonster’s first EP, “Babymos7er,” is led by the title track, “Sheesh,” a YG-style hip-hop number with baroque piano sounds.

“’Sheesh’ is an English slang expression used to express disbelief or exasperation. We hope that using such trending slang can help our song go viral," said Rami, adding that people are already making short-form content with the track. "We hope to get more global attention," said Rami.

YG founder and Executive Producer Yang Hyun-suk took part in bringing up this album as well as deciding the final choreography for “Sheesh.”

“He came to see us filming the music video for the lead track. He advised us to work on our facial expressions and also how to sing certain parts of the song better,” said Rora.

The EP also includes side track “Like That,” produced by American pop singer-songwriter Charlie Puth.

“It is an honor getting to work with a song made by Charlie Puth. We did our best recording it,” said Rami.

Other tracks on the EP include “Monsters,” about the group’s ambitious plan to expand its reach overseas, as well as “Stuck in the Middle (7 ver.)” and “Batter Up (7 ver.).”

The group members see their musical identity as deeply rooted in YG.

“What people call ‘YG DNA’ runs in us. We do charismatic, edgy and young hip-hop. We want people to see our potential,” said Rora.

“We learn from other preceding YG artists such as Blackpink and 2NE1. We want to able to own the stage like them with such great skills,” said Asa.

Babymonster says their strength lies in having two different charms.

“We play around like kids when we are not working but we change into monsters when in work mode. We are a group with monstrous charisma,” said Ruka.

The group looks forward to its first fan meeting tour in five countries in Asia: Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan and Indonesia.

“I’m happy that my parents will finally get a chance to see me perform on stage. It’s been my dream to perform as a K-pop idol on stage in Japan. It’s an honor to present our performance in Japan and other countries,” said Ruka, a Japanese member of the group.

Babymonster hopes to win global recognition through this new album.

“We want to grow into a globally beloved artist. We hope to get global listeners interested in our music. Our dream stage is Coachella. We want to show our talents on such a big stage,” said Rora.