The group's development momentum is affected by recent unstable music products, and the management company is launching a large-scale internship recruitment project.
This multinational group of 7 members debuted in 2024 with very high expectations. As YG's first new girl group since Blackpink, the trainees of the Baby Monster lineup were heavily promoted; but the group encountered difficulties right from their debut song "Batter Up" in 2023.
The song was released when member Ahyeon - the most famous trainee in the lineup - was absent, so the performance was not as expected, and received many negative reviews for her outdated style. Baby Monster could not expand their influence in the face of competition from many girl groups from other companies.
YG then changed its strategy by bringing Ahyeon back for the group's official debut in early 2024. This strategy immediately worked.
The first mini album "BABYMONSTER" sold over 400,000 copies in its first week, setting the highest weekly sales record for a Kpop girl group's debut album at the time.
The group continued to attract attention with the title track "Sheesh" and the opening song for their next studio album "Drip".
These two products have removed the elements that were once criticized in "Batter Up", and at the same time received praise for showing the trendy hip-hop style typical of YG. This makes many people believe that the group is gradually shaping its own musical identity.
However, Baby Monster's development slowed down last year with the single "Hot Sauce". The song tried to switch to a classic, kitsch style, but was considered outdated. The second mini album "We go up" also did not achieve the expected results.
Although Baby Monster still has time to recover, they are facing increasing pressure after YG announced the "2026 YG Special Audition: Go! Debut" trainee selection program.
YG founder Yang Hyun Suk directly leads this project, with the goal of "finding a large-scale rookie generation to succeed Big Bang and Blackpink".
Currently, Blackpink only signed contracts with YG for group activities. This makes the company no longer have a main group other than Treasure and Baby Monster.
YG's intensification of searching for a successor to Blackpink has put Baby Monster in a difficult situation, because this group was initially expected to become the "second Blackpink".
However, despite the strategic steps that are not really effective, the foundational capacity of Baby Monster members is still highly appreciated.
Many opinions in the industry believe that they possess outstanding vocal skills and appearance. If oriented with a suitable style and music production to promote their strengths, Baby Monster still has the potential to build a superior position in the 5th generation Kpop market.
