YG Entertainment's highly anticipated new girl group BABYMONS7ER (Ah-Hyeon, Ruka, Chiquita, Haram, Pharita, Rora, Asa) is set to debut as a seven-member group, instead of the initially anticipated five members.
On May 12, YG Entertainment revealed the final lineup for BABYMONS7ER through their official YouTube channel. Yang Hyun-suk, the executive producer, introduced the members one by one, emphasizing that this is the first girl group YG has launched in seven years.
Starting with 15-year-old Korean member Ah-Hyeon, Yang praised her wide vocal range and suitability as a pop artist. He then introduced 20-year-old Japanese member Ruka, highlighting her many charms. Thai member Chiquita was selected as the third member, with Yang noting her rapid growth and development potential despite being the youngest and having the shortest training period.
Yang also introduced 15-year-old Korean member Haram, praising her unique style and creative abilities. The final member, 17-year-old Thai member Pharita, was chosen for her language skills in English and Thai, which are essential for a global-oriented group.
Yang explained that Rora and Asa were initially excluded due to their age and training duration but ultimately included them because of the overwhelming number of fans who wanted a seven-member debut. Yang asked fans to consider Lora and Asa as members chosen by YG's fans themselves and hinted that the group's debut is likely to happen before this fall.
Following the announcement, YG Entertainment officially confirmed BABYMONS7ER's seven-member debut by changing the group's English name from BABYMONSTER to BABYMONS7ER.
Coming seven years after BLACKPINK, BABYMONS7ER is YG's latest girl group and has already garnered much attention in the music industry. With a multinational lineup of Korean, Thai, and Japanese members, and training in various languages such as Korean, English, Japanese, Thai, and Chinese, the group is expected to appeal to a diverse range of cultures and excel in the global market.
Even before their debut, BABYMONS7ER's official YouTube channel quickly surpassed 2 million subscribers, and their videos have accumulated over 400 million views in just 127 days. Major foreign media outlets like Billboard and the UK's NME have been closely following the group, expressing high expectations that BABYMONS7ER will bring a new wave to the K-pop genre.