Cute as babies, performing like monsters: K-pop girl group BabyMonster live up to their name

Babymonster Presents: See You There In Singapore

The Star Theatre
June 15

The first thing that struck this reporter when the members of K-pop girl group Babymonster filed into the room was their schoolgirlish charm.

They huddled together on a couch backstage at The Star Theatre like besties and seemed to find comfort in one another in an unfamiliar environment.

Two hours ahead of their See You There In Singapore fan meet at the venue on June 15, their first event in Singapore, The Straits Times had an exclusive interview with the rookie act, who are assembled from three countries by K-pop agency YG Entertainment.

Aged 15 to 22, Babymonster comprise Ahyeon, Rami and Rora from South Korea, Asa and Ruka from Japan and Chiquita and Pharita from Thailand.

Jennie, 28, from superstar K-pop girl group Blackpink, also formed by YG Entertainment, was among the big names who waxed lyrical about Babymonster on the online show Last Evaluation.

The eight-episode reality series, which debuted on YouTube in March 2023, charts their K-pop journey as trainees.

“How can they sing like this at such an age?” an impressed Jennie remarked in an episode.

When asked how they feel about meeting people’s expectations, Asa, 18, said through an interpreter: “(Blackpink) are seniors whom we look up to. When we heard the great things they said about us, it gave us the motivation to work even harder.”

Rami, 16, added that they hope to live up to their name. “When we are not performing, we want to be like ‘babies’ and show our cuteness,” she said with a girlish giggle.

Onstage, they strive to show their “monster-like” singing, rap and dance prowess.

And that the septet certainly did, to a near-capacity crowd of some 5,000 fans eager to witness Babymonster’s powerful performances seen in Last Evaluation.

The members opened the two-hour event with their hip-hop dance hit Sheesh, effortlessly hitting the high notes.

The childlike twinkle in their eyes that this reporter saw earlier were now replaced with stern expressions and fierce stage presence.

K-pop girl group Babymonster performing in Tokyo in May, the first stop of their fan meet tour, which includes Singapore on June 15. PHOTO: YG ENTERTAINMENT

They also captivated with Batter Up, their debut single in November 2023, and followed up with Stuck In The Middle, Dream and Like That from their self-titled first EP, which was released in April.

Like That was co-composed by American singer-songwriter Charlie Puth, who commented on TikTok in May 2023 that Ahyeon’s cover of his 2016 song Dangerously in Last Evaluation was “amazing”.

Another memorable performance from the online series was their snazzy dance item to the tune of K-pop girl group 2NE1’s hit I Am The Best (2011).

Much to the delight of their screaming fans, Babymonster did a live version on the Singapore stage.

The team’s chemistry and smooth vocal layering were also evident in their heartfelt rendition of Canadian singer-songwriter Alessia Cara’s pop ballad Scars To Your Beautiful (2015).

Other highlights of the night were when they entertained the audience with word-guessing drawing games and lucky draws.

K-pop girl group Babymonster performing at The Star Theatre on June 15 as part of their fan meet tour in Asia. ST PHOTO: ELISA CHIA

In the interview with ST, Babymonster said they were excited about their fan meets. Singapore is the third stop of their Asian tour, which kicked off in Tokyo in May and continued to Jakarta. It will also take them to Taipei and Bangkok in June.

“Much as our fans have been waiting patiently for us, we have been waiting for this moment too,” said Rora, 15. “We have been practising a lot to deliver a good show and return the love to them.”

She added that they review every performance and take feedback seriously.

K-pop girl group Babymonster comprise (from left) Chiquita, Ahyeon, Rora, Ruka, Pharita, Asa and Rami. PHOTO: YG ENTERTAINMENT

In Batter Up, the lyrics go: “We are the monsters of the world… Let me show you who we are.”

The line was actually written by Asa, who said: “We want to show the critics and fans that we’re working on improving our skills every time.”

The best is yet to come, she teased.