Meet BABYMONSTER, the K-pop Rookies Playing By Their Own Rules
Courtesy of YG Entertainment
For BABYMONSTER's final promotional performance of "SHEESH" on Inkigayo, the rookie girl group did something unusual for a weekly music show appearance — they brought a band. Their company, YG Entertainment, had reworked the song for live accompaniment, and the seven members wielded hand microphones instead of standard headsets to create a more dynamic atmosphere. The result was electrifying, a palpably in-your-face display of their talent and magnetism punctuated by guitar riffs and actual balls of fire. The stage even prompted one X user to ask with genuine curiosity, "Why r they treating inkigayo like its coachella?"
Since the release of their debut EP, [BABYMONS7ER], in early April, members Ruka, Pharita, Asa, Ahyeon, Rami, Rora, and Chiquita have seized every opportunity to demonstrate their skills. They charmed listeners of Park Myung-soo's Radio Show with their raw vocals; gave fans a mini concert on MBC's "It's Live" YouTube channel; and showcased the breadth of their talent on Knowing Brothers, a popular variety show and highly coveted television booking for idol groups, in which Rami delivered a pitch-perfect cover of AKMU's "Dinosaur" and Ahyeon shocked the celebrity hosts with her now-viral rendition of Charlie Puth's "Dangerously."
With years dedicated to honing their abilities, it's no surprise that BABYMONSTER look like such naturals on stage. It takes a lot of effort to make it look effortless. "I think our practice has paid off," Rora tells Teen Vogue.
Over the past month, "SHEESH" has steadily climbed the charts in South Korea, where it now firmly sits in the Top 10. While it's not uncommon for girl groups to dominate domestically, BABYMONSTER's rise feels hard-won in an era of K-pop increasingly defined by restraint. Instead, "SHEESH" is a maximalist assortment of sounds and textures familiar to YG — gentle piano, spooky synths, melodic progression, beat drop, punchy rap verses, vocally dynamic bridge, and a pivotal shift into rallying cries of "B-A-B-Y-M-O-N, tell a friend" and "watch out, we on a roll." The track evokes the bombastic spirit of all the YG artists who have come before them, including megastars BLACKPINK. It highlights their individual charms as one of the representative groups of K-pop's so-called fifth generation.
"We wanted to surprise everyone like the song's title," Rora explains over a video call from YG's Seoul headquarters in trendy Mapo-gu. The 16-year-old carries herself with the poise of an idol years her senior, both endearing and resolute as she articulates her thoughts. She speaks much like she sings — deep and calm like a soothing melody, with an underlying intensity. Pharita, 18, calls it one of Rora's strengths. "Born to be!" she jokes in response to the younger's aptitude for clear communication. "We took speech classes during our training," Rora smiles, "but I've always been good at it."
That training is evident in this conversation. Teen Vogue is their first interview with an outlet outside of Asia, which might explain some of their shyness. (They're also a group of introverts.) Rora and Pharita mostly take the lead. The latter is fluent in English, having attended an international school in her native Thailand before moving to Seoul to train at YG. Rora describes Pharita as "the elegant one," someone who's stylish and worldly. Kind of like a princess? "I guess so," Pharita laughs. It's fitting then that Pharita would stand out among her groupmates, who are all dressed in various black attire, in a white bucket hat and an oversized white t-shirt featuring a charming image of a cat eating a croissant.
Rora says BABYMONSTER are defined by their "limitless potential." As their name suggests, they're artists who are still developing and yet possess monster-like skills. "We're seven different members with all different kinds of charms," she explains. Ruka, 22, is a fluid hip-hop dancer and rapper ("She's the one who has all the charisma," Rora says). And Asa, 18, a passionate rapper from Japan known for her swift delivery ("Despite Korean not being her mother tongue, her pronunciation is perfect," Rora adds). Ahyeon, 17, is a quadruple threat: singer, rapper, dancer, and belter ("She's the vocal queen," Pharita says). Rami, 16, is as beloved for her humor as she is for her octave jumps and smooth vocal runs ("She's able to hit those high notes, the whistle tones," Rora adds). Bright, bubbly Chiquita, 15, is an expressive singer and performer keenly adept at conveying emotion on stage and off ("She's very cute and very outgoing," explains Pharita). The group has no defined leader; the responsibility is distributed evenly, making the seven-year gap between Ruka and Chiquita seem inconsequential to their overall teamwork. "I don't feel the age difference at all," Pharita says.
"Our team is very balanced," she adds. "Even though there are seven of us, I feel like each of us has a role to do. Since we've been together for a long time, we know each other so well."
They've started to pick up one another's habits, some having more success than others. "Asa's morning routine is to always make her bed, and I wanted to take on that habit as well," Rora says. "But unfortunately, I failed." Asa is the one who always reminds the other members to do certain chores around their dorm. "I tell Chiquita to always wash her dishes after she eats," Asa says, glancing at Chiquita, who covers her face with her hand. Does Chiquita get a pass because she's the youngest? "No pass," Asa says firmly with a hint of a smile. "I feel like I've picked up all of their facial expressions," Pharita says, demonstrating one of Chiquita's go-to moves: putting her hand under her nose in mock astonishment. When they have the time, they like to huddle together on the couch in their living room and watch scary movies ("I don't like horror movies at all," Ahyeon sighs, clearly outvoted. "I always scream.") As for meals, Asa and Rora run the "cooking station" in their dorm, preferring to chat about the day's events over delicious food. Ruka enjoys spicy dishes, saying, “Malatang makes me happy.”
They freely express their feelings when they have creative discussions as a team. "We like to share lots of ideas and opinions," Pharita says.
To shed more light on their group dynamic, Ahyeon points to a particular incident from their trainee days: While toasting marshmallows with Chiquita in their dorm's shared kitchen, the pillowy treats caught fire. Panicked, they cried out — and Ruka turned on her camera. "Ruka was laughing on the side and filming us on her phone," Ahyeon recalls. "She was like, 'Oh my God, this is art. I gotta record this.'" They all laugh about it now. Reflecting on their trainee period, silly moments like this tend to eclipse what was otherwise a stressful experience for them.
For K-pop trainees, the future is mostly uncertain, marked by the daunting challenge of realizing their dreams in a high-pressure environment where they compete with their friends for the opportunity to debut. BABYMONSTER spent much of this time together, enduring monthly evaluations and growing as artists. Ruka, Asa, Rami, and Rora trained at YG for six years, Ahyeon for five, Pharita for four, and Chiquita for three. When watching early clips of the members as trainees, it becomes clear how this rigorous training shapes idols. Rami, for instance, entered the company in 2018 as a bespectacled young kid, a former child model who exhibited a lot of confidence while performing but wasn't necessarily a vocal prodigy. She found her voice through meticulous training, emerging as a versatile vocalist who can seamlessly flow between genres. Her prowess shines particularly in R&B, effortlessly hitting the high notes and executing agile runs in Jazmine Sullivan's "Pick Up Your Feelings" while also delving into her euphonic lower register on BABYMONSTER's B-side track "Like That" (written by Puth).
Ruka auditioned for YG when she was 16, with a decade of dance experience already under her belt. "Ever since I first started, I think I've been dancing every day," she explained in her introduction video, released by YG last year, adding, "I'm going to dance until I die." At an age when some idols were debuting, Ruka became a trainee. It was hard, at first, to watch her friends move on and start their lives while she remained in stasis, never quite sure when or if she'd get to fulfill her dream. It didn't help that she was so away from her family in Japan. "My mom [has waited] for my debut more than anyone else," she said in her introduction. "I want to work even harder to pay back her love." (When asked about her mom's reaction to her debut, Ruka says in English, "She was very happy.")
As trainees, BABYMONSTER established ways of communicating with one another that transcended language — like the spontaneous freestyle dance sessions they'd initiate in the practice room. "Because there is a language barrier, communication is key," Asa says. "We relied on each other a lot when it came to learning Korean and adapting to a new city."
"We were able to get through it because we have each other," Ruka adds. “We were always together, 24/7. That's how we got through it." Despite the initial hardships, Ruka found solace in dance, using it to release stress and find happiness. Her innate sense of rhythm naturally drew her towards rapping, and she joined Asa and Ahyeon as part of the group's dextrous rap line.
For one of her evaluations, Asa performed a self-penned rap. "Maybe I'll take the stage at Coachella," she spat with fire in her eyes. The girls of BABYMONSTER know what's possible for them because of the artists who led the way, and many of them credit BLACKPINK for inspiring them to pursue this path — especially Thai-born Pharita and Chiquita, who call Lisa their idol. Pharita auditioned for YG with a dance performance of BLACKPINK's "How You Like That," and upon arriving in Korea, Lisa became an older sister figure to her. In a 2022 interview with Rolling Stone, Lisa said their relationship goes beyond giving advice. "We eat together, go shopping," she explained. Her support means a lot to Pharita and Chiquita; they even wrote her handwritten notes to express their gratitude. "I feel like she opened many doors for us to come here," Pharita says. "So we're very thankful." Of the many things they've learned from Lisa, the tip that's stuck with them the most is this: "It doesn't matter if you're in the center or not. You can shine wherever you are."
Jennie also gave them crucial feedback when they were trainees, which changed how they approached their performances. "She said, 'Don't focus on the nitty-gritty parts — think about making it an experience for the audience. Focus on that,'" Asa recalls. They also learned a lot from watching BLACKPINK on stage. "We attended their concert in Korea, and the thing that we observed is how they were hyping up the people in front of them, just like doing ad-libs or like, you know, saying, 'Let's go!'" Pharita laughs. "Like those kinds of things. We haven't gotten the chance to do that yet because we haven't had a concert in front of our fans, but we're excited to try it!"
They will soon experience the rock-star life. They're kicking off their first fan meeting tour in May, which will take them to Tokyo, Jakarta, Singapore, Taipei, and Bangkok. They can't spoil anything during this call in late April, but Pharita teases that they've prepared "lots of fun games and also some performances."
While BABYMONSTER technically debuted in November of last year with the braggadocious "Batter Up," it didn't feel complete. Not only did Ahyeon sit out on "Batter Up" due to an undisclosed health concern, they didn't perform the song on any music shows, making "SHEESH" their first time performing in front of fans. "It feels really cool because it's something that we've always waited for," Pharita says. "Seeing people in front of us who know the lyrics and give us so much love is such an unreal feeling." For Ahyeon, the cheers were unforgettable, and she's still struggling to accept all of the love she's been receiving.
"I was really happy to debut with the members," she says in English. (Besides everything she's good at, she's also a polyglot who speaks Korean, Mandarin, and English.) "I'm really happy to show fans our stage." She pauses to find the right words, then laughs. "Sorry, I'm a little nervous."
Right now, their attention is on BABYMONSTER, and with so much momentum pushing them forward, they have a lot to look forward to. Their EP sold over 400,000 copies in its first week, setting a new benchmark for debut album sales by a girl group. Simultaneously, the music video for "SHEESH" has amassed over 208 million views on YouTube. Amidst all the excitement, they also think it's imperative to find some semblance of work-life balance in an industry that tends to move at hyperspeed. "I think it's important for everyone to find that time," Pharita says. She's an avid journaler, preferring to check in with herself at the end of each day. "We obviously get stressed sometimes, so I like to let my mind free and just check in with myself."
Each member finds that time in their own way. Ruka dances daily, feeling better just by moving her body to music. Sometimes, Chiquita joins her. On other days, the youngest talks with her mom or immerses herself in creating digital art. Ahyeon, too, enjoys art. She calls herself a novice, but the work says otherwise — she likes to draw butterflies and roses. Ahyeon drew a portrait for Chiquita's birthday. "I never learned drawing, but I just enjoy it," she says. If she really wants to decompress after schedules, she listens to music. "I'm just listening to music and staring at the ceiling," she says. (Currently, SZA's "Snooze" is on heavy rotation.) Rami likes learning new things, whether "dancing or singing or playing instruments," she says. She plays guitar "a little bit" but wants to enhance her musicality further. Rami also likes making melodies, and Asa says Rami is one of the best freestylers in the group when it comes to turning on beats and crafting toplines off the dome. Asa enjoys shopping, often blasting hip-hop music in her headphones while browsing. She works on music when she can, usually pulling inspiration from her older siblings' relationship stories.
In contrast, Rora's bliss lies in the simplicity of sleep. "I love sleeping," she gushes. "I also love drawing, and sometimes I watch dramas… But then go to sleep. I sleep it off."
With midnight approaching in Seoul, Rora likely has sleep on her mind. They'll take the Inkigayo stage with their band in a few hours for one last show. There will be more comebacks and opportunities to show their talents in the future. But nothing can ever compare to the rush of a debut performance when everything still feels so new and exhilarating. As trainees, they were "scared to grab that mic and sing," Pharita says. Now, it feels like breathing — a natural and essential part of who they are.
"We want to perform together for a very long time," Asa says, "to show everyone that this is BABYMONSTER."
Editor's note: This story has been updated. It previously identified Ruka, instead of Asa, as the member who performed the self-penned rap with the Coachella reference.
Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue
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