Netizens Discuss Whether BABYMONSTER Should “Just Re-Debut”

Though it has only been a couple of weeks since YG Entertainment‘s new girl group, BABYMONSTER, debuted with the song “BATTER UP”, they’ve already been met with a lot of criticism, mainly over the song itself and not the actual members’ abilities.

It started with how delayed the group’s debut ended up being, and uncertainty grew when it was announced that popular trainee Ahyeon wouldn’t be debuting with them (whether or not she’s going to join later is still unknown). Then the debut happened, and many people were underwhelmed with the direction that YG decided to go with their concept considering how young some of the members are.

Chiquita, the youngest member of the group at 14 | YG Entertainment

“BATTER UP” ended up being pretty typical for the style that the label is known for, and fans think the girls would have been better suited for something brighter and more appropriate for their ages.

Add onto that the accusations of cultural appropriation in the “BATTER UP” music video, and BABYMONSTER’s debut has been a whirlwind of confusion and disappointment for many fans who were excited for it. Not to mention, the label has done barely anything to promote the group and their debut, such as not having them even attend music shows and little to no activity from the members on any social media platform.

Considering that BABYMONSTER debuted under one of the so-called “Big Four” labels in K-Pop — which consists of SM Entertainment, JYP Entertainment, HYBE Labels, and YG Entertainment itself — it has left some fans to wonder what their company is thinking with how poorly they seem to be handling the group’s debut. There is some speculation that YG was depending on their status as a major label to automatically boost BABYMONSTER into stardom, but given how competitive the K-Pop girl group market is right now with artists like IVE, aespa, LE SSERAFIM, (G)I-DLE, and NewJeans taking over the charts, it seems that the days of big labels always being on top might be over.

IVE | Starship Entertainment

With all of this being said, a post was made recently on an online forum questioning whether or not BABYMONSTER should end up “re-debuting”. There was already some speculation that they could be waiting for Ahyeon to join later on in order for the group to have its “real” debut, though there’s nothing to prove whether this will actually happen.

Here is what people had to say in the comments regarding BABYMONSTER’s “disappointing” debut, and the possibility of a fresh start for them.

Not everyone was quite so negative, though. A few comments shared support for the group’s debut and think that their first comeback will help to propel them into greater success.

How do you feel about BABYMONSTER’s career so far?