[TEEN VOGUE] Meet BABYMONSTER, the K-pop Rookies Playing By Their Own Rules

“We want to perform together for a very long time
Asa tells Teen Vogue.

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.