BABYMONSTER Shines with Confidence, Never Dropping their Hand-Mics at Their First World Tour ‘HELLO MONSTERS’

[엑스포츠뉴스=장인영 기자] This is YG at its best.

On the 26th, BABYMONSTER (RUKA, PHARITA, ASA, AHYEON, RAMI, RORA, CHIQUITA) kicked off their first world tour ‘HELLO MONSTERS’ at the KSPO DOME in Songpa District, Seoul, formerly known as the gymnastics stadium. This event is particularly significant as it marks BABYMONSTER’s debut at the KSPO DOME, a venue considered a holy site for K-pop performances and a barometer of popularity, within their first year of official debut.

BABYMONSTER fired up the start of their first world tour with their debut track from their 1st full album titled ‘DRIP’. From the opening stage with ‘BATTER UP’, they brandished handheld mics, showcasing their monstrous rookie presence. They continued to ramp up their explosive energy with performances of ‘CLIK CLAK’, ‘LIKE THAT’, and ‘SHEESH’.

The members shared their emotions with thrilled expressions, making eye contact with fans. RORA expressed, “Starting our world tour at KSPO DOME, can you believe it? I’m so happy,” while AHYEON added, “Being able to see MONSTIEZ (fandom name) up close is truly a joy. It’s an honor to hold our first concert under our name in Seoul.”

RAMI commented, “The first time is always exciting and meaningful. I’m glad to see MONSTIEZ again following last year’s fan meeting tour.” ASA shared, “Thank you for coming to the concert despite the cold. Let’s have fun,” engaging the crowd and lifting the spirits.

Their first solo concert highlighted each member of BABYMONSTER’s individual talents through a variety of solo stages. Even before their debut, AHYEON’s ‘Dangerously’ drew heated responses, followed by RORA’s ‘Someone You Loved’, PHARITA’s ‘What Other People Say’, RAMI’s ‘Pick Up Your Feelings’, ASA’s ‘Godzilla’, RUKA’s ‘Gwola’, CHIQUITA’s ‘traitor’, and a BABYMONSTER rap line performance by RUKA & ASA called ‘Woke Up In Tokyo’, offering a feast of sights to see.

The encore stages of ‘SHEESH’, ‘DRIP’, and ‘Love In My Heart’ showcased their unreleased track performances like ‘Love, Maybe’, ‘DREAM’, ‘BILLIONAIRE’, and ‘Really Like You’, throwing the audience into a frenzy.

ASA remarked, “Today’s reaction seems even hotter than yesterday’s performance. We had many ideas because we wanted to show so much to everyone for our first concert. It was a fun and precious time.” RORA stated, “Re-singing songs from my trainee days felt new, and I wanted to show MONSTIEZ how much we’ve grown.”

BABYMONSTER performed all their stages live with handheld mics, showcasing their robust vocal abilities that resonated through the band’s session performance. They even teased a remake of senior girl group 2NE1’s songs, having appeared as guests at a 2NE1 concert before. Their renditions of ‘Clap Your Hands’ and ‘GO AWAY’ fully unleashed their explosive energy.

The concerts revealed the next generation of ‘performance-oriented girl groups’ with the entire setlist arranged for live band performances from FOREVER to ‘Love In My Heart’, allowing even the breathing to be heard alongside intense performances.

RUKA shared, “I’m happy and thrilled to perform at such a big venue. Look forward to even greater performances next time.” PHARITA said, “All the members were a bit nervous since it was our first concert. The members have worked hard since their trainee days,” and CHIQUITA expressed, “The concert has been a dream of mine for a long time, and I’m so happy it came true.”

AHYEON stated, “Thank you to Executive Producer YANG HYUN SUK and the staff who supported us till the last day of our first concert in Seoul. Also, thanks to the fans for giving us your precious time. Whenever you face hard times, think of us and gain strength. We hope BABYMONSTER can be like a home for you,” adding, “Thanks to the parents of all seven members for bringing us to this point.”

RORA reflected, “I worried a lot if MONSTIEZ enjoyed our first performance yesterday. It’s still tough, but seeing you all stand up, it seems like we’re doing well. Thank you to MONSTIEZ and the YG family for this great opportunity. I want to say thank you to the Executive Producer for choosing us seven.”

ASA expressed, “We’ve been looking forward to this day for so long. It feels unbelievable and dream-like to stand on stage together as BABYMONSTER. Thanks to MONSTIEZ, we could make it. We hope to be like vitamins in your life, giving you strength. We’re really grateful that you came to make precious memories.”

RAMI, moved to tears, said, “During our long trainee days, we watched many performances from where MONSTIEZ are sitting now. It’s unbelievable that all seven of us are standing here together. We could come this far thanks to the love and interest of MONSTIEZ. Thank you always for loving and caring about us.”

The concert unleashed BABYMONSTER’s overwhelming live performance skills to the fullest, thanks to the undying energy requested by fans for encore stages of ‘SHEESH’, ‘DRIP’, and ‘Love In My Heart’.

Following Seoul, the world tour will continue across New York, Los Angeles, Kanagawa, Aichi, Osaka, Fukuoka, Singapore, Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh City, Bangkok, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, and Taipei.

2025. 1. 27.