BabyMonster

Following the launch of YG Entertainment's representative girl groups, 2NE1 (2009) and Blackpink (2016), news of the label's next girl group circulated as early as 2018.[3][4] The company received applicants from various countries, some of whom were accepted into its training program as early as age 10, training an average of four to five years.[5] In the number of recruits, each prospective member placed first against thousands in their respective auditions.[6] In January 2020, the written forms of "BabyMonster", one of many names initially considered for Blackpink,[7] and "Baemon" (a syllabic abbreviation of the former) were trademarked in English and Korean by the label and tentatively used by media outlets until the eventual disclosure of their official uses.[8][9][10]

The group's selection process was chronicled in Last Evaluation (2023), a reality show filmed a year prior to its airing, showcasing seven potential members.[11] YG Entertainment founder, Yang Hyun-suk, enlisted assistance by Lee Su-hyun of AKMU, and Winner's Kang Seung-yoon and Lee Seung-hoon amidst others to judge, rank, and determine its formation for the duration of the show.[12][13] Yang revealed the number of members he first planned in the earliest stage was five;[14] however, a seven-piece ensemble was finalized with three South Koreans (Ahyeon, Haram, Rora), two Japanese (Ruka, Asa), and two Thai members (Pharita, Chiquita).[15] Ahyeon, Ruka, Chiquita, Haram, and Pharita were selected by the label, while Rora and Asa were contemplated to be placed into two different projects before ultimately joining the final line-up as the "fans' choice".[15]

Several from its line-up held prior experience in the entertainment industry ahead of their acceptance into YG Entertainment. Haram began working as a child model at age two;[4] Ruka and Rora debuted in the Japanese girl group Shibu3 project and children's music group U.SSO Girl with Hyein of NewJeans in 2017, respectively;[8][16] and Pharita modelled in contests and auditioned for survival reality programs.[17] Ruka trained the longest of the seven,[18] preceding Asa and Haram who auditioned in 2018,[19] Rora in May 2018, and Ahyeon in December 2018.[20] Pharita was chosen out of 1,226 applicants amidst her audition in July 2020, becoming the sixth to be accepted.[21][22] Chiquita was the final member to join BabyMonster,[4] training for three months since her recruit in 2021,[21][23] the shortest period of all members.[4] During this time, the members' vocals were revealed to be featured in the final chorus of the lead single, "Iyah" (아이야; aiya) by labelmate Kang Seung-yoon.[24]

YG Entertainment signaled the septet's formal introduction on December 30, 2022, with a poster and the subtext "YG Next Movement".[25] It heralded a trailer-esque video posted on YouTube on New Year's Day that garnered 15 million views in three days,[26] and featured appearances by members of Winner and Blackpink, sibling duo AKMU, dancer and choreographer Leejung Lee, and label founder Yang Hyun-suk.[27] BabyMonster's introduction, together with the announcement of G-Dragon's feasible return as a soloist that same day, contributed to a subsequent rise in the label's stocks, leaping by 11.74%.[28] The seven members were revealed to the public through gradual releases of live performance videos starting on January 12[8] (in order: Haram, Ahyeon, Chiquita, Asa, Rora, Pharita, and Ruka).[29] BabyMonster's YouTube channel soon surpassed one million subscribers in 52 days since its creation on December 28, 2022,[21] and two million subscribers in 129 days, becoming the fastest K-pop girl group to reach the milestone.[30] The septet released a pre-debut single exclusively on the platform entitled "Dream" on May 14, 2023, first teased in their survival documentary series,[31] and debuted atop the Billboard Hot Trending Songs chart.[32]

On October 9, YG confirmed that BabyMonster's official debut would take place in November. The production of their lead track's music video and choreography are expected to be completed by end-October before their debut.[33]