BABYMONSTER has announced its final lineup!
On May 12 at midnight KST, YG Entertainment held a live broadcast with agency founder Yang Hyun Suk announcing the five trainees chosen to debut as members of BABYMONSTER, YG’s first girl group in seven years since BLACKPINK.
Yang Hyun Suk announced the final members one by one, introducing each trainee and explaining why he chose them for the lineup. His final lineup for BABYMONSTER was Ahyeon, Ruka, Chiquita, Haram, and Pharita.
On why trainees Rora and Asa were kept out of lineup, Yang Hyun Suk explained that he wanted Rora to debut with YG’s next girl group, and that he wanted Asa to partake in a girl group project he was planning in Japan.
Regarding why this decision took two weeks to make, Yang Hyun Suk shared that there were so many fans who wanted all seven trainees to debut, so he had to re-evaluate his decision to choose only five members. Elaborating on the importance of fans’ opinions, Yang Hyun Suk commented, “‘YG Family’ is not just the gathering of YG artists, as I believe that YG fans and everyone who has diligently tuned in to these broadcasts are the true YG Family.”
Yang Hyun Suk then took the opportunity to replace the poster board of BABYMONSTER’s five members with one of all seven trainees. Now referring to the seven-member group as BABYMONS7ER, Yang Hyun Suk announced, “I will take all seven with me.”
The founder explained that the five members he initially announced were chosen by YG, while Rora and Asa were chosen by fans. He added that they will debut as soon as possible, likely no later than this fall.
Catch the full announcement video with English subtitles below!
Source: Soompi