YG’s Youngest Group BABYMONSTER Rides the 2NE1 Wave Ahead of Their Comeback
[스포츠동아=유지혜 기자] This fall, YG Entertainment’s new girl group, BABYMONSTER, is already benefiting from the “halo effect” of their immediate predecessors, the iconic group 2NE1. BABYMONSTER has rapidly emerged as a super beneficiary by performing at 2NE1’s 15th Anniversary Concert, which marked their first solo performance in ten years and has stirred a syndromic level of buzz.
BABYMONSTER performed as guests for three days at the “WELCOME BACK IN SEOUL” concert held at the Olympic Hall in Seoul Olympic Park from October 4th to 6th. During the concert, they took the stage to perform their hit songs “SHEESH” and “BATTER UP,” marking their first time appearing as guests at another group’s concert.
In front of a crowd that included big names like G-DRAGON and Daesung of BIGBANG and JENNIE of BLACKPINK, BABYMONSTER delivered a flawless live performance and impressed with their sharp choreography, earning enthusiastic applause. Members AHYEON and RAMI elevated the heat by spontaneously belting out a cappella verses from 2NE1’s hits “UGLY” and “LONELY.”
BABYMONSTER’s appearance has stamped their mark anew in the eyes of 20-30-year-old concertgoers who attended reminiscing about the ‘living legends’ 2NE1. Post-performance, numerous social media posts praised BABYMONSTER’s impressive performance, with attendees posting rave reviews like, “Seeing BABYMONSTER live was truly breathtaking.” Indeed, many were so surprised by the performance that they were caught filming it on their phones.
On the day of the performance, BABYMONSTER also trended online across YouTube and various social media platforms. Fan-uploaded ‘fancam’ videos from the event have surged in views, some surpassing 200,000 views.
Particularly, there’s a longstanding tradition within YG Entertainment where new artists rise to stardom after featuring as guests at senior artists’ concerts. This has been seen with WINNER and iKON who gained fame after performing at concerts of BIGBANG and 2NE1. There are now high expectations that BABYMONSTER will continue this tradition.
DARA from 2NE1 expressed great satisfaction with BABYMONSTER’s performance during the concert, reminiscing, “Watching BABYMONSTER reminded me of our early days when we used to perform at BIGBANG’s concerts. They are really talented and lovely juniors.”
Meanwhile, BABYMONSTER is slated to release their first full-length album this fall and commence full-fledged activities. The album is generating buzz as it features contributions from WINNER’s MINO.
2024. 10. 8.
