Earlier this month Babymonster set their sites on Seattle with a performance at Climate Pledge. If you’re new to hearing about this young group of women then you may not be alone, at least in the states. They debuted little under a year and a half ago but had high expectations even before that day. Formed through a series of auditions, years of training and a show that would change the intended lineup from five to seven members, Babymonster has had all eyes on them for quite some time. They are the first female group to come from YG Entertainment (one of the “big three” Kpop production companies) since Black Pink so you can imagine the pressure that has built up to make it, and make it big.

Like I mentioned, they were originally slated to be a five member group but after the popular reality show Last Evaluation was filmed as the members were chosen and the final two additions, Rora and Asa, were pulled in after becoming fan favorites. A little different than most groups, Babymonster had two different debut dates. Member Ahyeon wasn’t able to participate in the first go around when their first official single “Batter Up” dropped in November of 2023 because of health issues, so a second debut in April of 2024 was a celebration of all seven members releasing their first mini album Babymons7er. All that is to say, they haven’t been around for all that long so a world tour is pretty impressive with legs in the US and Asia.

One thing that’s kind of interesting and somewhat concerning is two members having extended leave with health concerns. First Ahyeon as I mentioned, but now Rami has had to sit out a chunk of this year’s tour for health reasons as well. That’s not to say this is unprecedented but it doesn’t exactly bode well… but honestly it could be coincidence. There are always concerns around longer absences in an industry that already puts unbelievable strain on their trainees, much less groups after they debut. We’ve heard from countless groups about eating disorders as well as pushing themselves passed their limits both mentally and physically. It’s a wonder we don’t see more issues regularly within the industry.

Now on to my thoughts about the show in Seattle. A huge part of the crowd that night were very young girls. While that may seem to be the intended audience for much of Kpop, you’d be surprised at the diversity in age as well as gender at most concerts that have graced one stage or another in our fair city. However, this time the expectation turned out to be true with pre-teens young teenagers dominating the fandom in Climate Pledge. Delighted dancing, singing and screaming could be heard throughout the night despite the relative newness of the group. To be fair, as I mentioned, Babymonster has had all eyes on them for quite some time, so even before debut they were making waves.

I’ll admit I was having a hard time getting into the groove of the night because these women are very young. I struggle with not calling them girls because they should still be enjoying their youth… becoming women is a bit down the road for them and seeing the spare use of cloth in their outfits and more adult-like style of their clothing was off-putting. I realize this is an accepted (and even encouraged) aspect of female groups in Kpop. It’s actually the opposite in male groups. They try to keep them covered as much as possible until they age up a bit. Such an odd dichotomy, but I digress. That feeling melted away as the night went on and was replaced by a sense of delight and fun. What I have seen over the last couple years of watching female groups as press is a lot of choreographed and precise dancing, expected fan service and beautiful voices, but the thing I have been missing from most groups is camaraderie.

When I watch some of my favorite male bands, one of the things that really sticks out in my mind is the interactions with each other. I don’t exactly mean the expectation of shipping (which is definitely there and highly encouraged by their companies and loved by some fans) but moreso a visible manifestation of the bond they share. They lean on each other, hug, lay a hand on a shoulder, etc. With the female groups, it’s felt a lot more sterile. That isn’t to say the shows weren’t entertaining and impressive, but I want to believe (and hey, we see what they want us to see after all, but still…) that these groups of young people really enjoy the company of their bandmates. They spend nearly every second of every day with them at least in pre-debut and most often for several years after. They sleep, eat and work in the exact same places day in and day out, so I’d hope they really like each other.

I bring this up because Babymonster looked genuinely joyful to be around each other. That interaction I described above was felt throughout the second half of the show among all the members whether it be between the three highly talented rappers Ruka, Asa and Ahyeon, the vocal line, the dance line or the whole group. It was even evident that Rami’s absence was felt by the group; definitely by the fandom, anytime her image graced the video screens the crowd erupted in cheers and screams (occasionally pre-recorded highly-produced videos are played during costume changes). I found myself falling under their spell the more I saw. Hopefully they have a long career ahead of them whether that be as one unit, through solo work or otherwise because they’re not only artists, but great entertainers. At such a young age with the eldest, Ruka, being 20 years old and the youngest, Chiquita, being 16 (which means she debuted at 14) their level of comfort on stage and with each other is impressive. They seem to be off to a fantastic start both professionally and interpersonally, so keep an eye on them, I definitely will.