Babymonster: What to know about Haram, Ahyeon, Chiquita, Asa, Rora, Pharita, Ruka

Known as Blackpink’s 'baby sisters', YG Entertainment’s highly anticipated K-pop girl group Babymonster is expected to take the world by storm just like their predecessors

It has been a long time coming. Babymonster—consisting of Haram, Ahyeon, Chiquita, Asa, Rora, Pharita, and Ruka—is a multi-national K-pop girl group that's years in the making.

Rumours about Babymonster first surfaced in 2018, only two years after Blackpink debuted, when young, female trainees were spotted in and around entertainment juggernaut YG Entertainment's headquarters in Seoul. In 2020, the rumours were cemented when YG Entertainment was spotted filing a trademark for 'Babymonster' and 'Baemon' (an abbreviation of 'Babymonster').

Fun fact: Babymonster was one of the many group names initially considered for Blackpink.

In 2021, Noh Hee Young, the CEO of YG Entertainment's eatery chain YG Foods was quoted as saying: "Babymonster is no joke. They're like 10 Jennies," referring to Jennie Kim of Blackpink. On December 30, 2022, YG Entertainment teased the members' first formal introduction followed by a short video released on New Year's Day. The septet were later individually introduced through gradual releases of live performances.

Here's everything you need to know about the seven members of Babymonster.

Haram (하람)

Above Babymonster's Haram singing a cover of 'Let Me Love You' by Mario

Birth name: Shin Haram (신하람)

Age: 15

Nationality: Korean

Fun fact: Haram was a former child actor and model for commercials. She began training at YG Entertainment in 2017.

Ahyeon (아현)

Above Babymonster's Ahyeon singing a cover of 'Sway With Me' by Michael Bublé

Birth name: Jung Ahyeon (정아현)

Age: 15

Nationality: Korean

Fun fact: When she was only 11 years old, she was accepted into JYP Entertainment but ultimately decided to audition for and train under YG Entertainment.

Chiquita (치키타)

Above Babymonster's Chiquita singing a cover of 'Bedroom' by JJ Lin ft. Anne-Marie

Birth name: Riracha Phondechaphiphat (ริรชาพรเดชาพิพัฒน์)

Age: 13

Nationality: Thai

Fun fact: The baby of the group and the second Thai idol to debut after Blackpink's Lisa, Chiquita was in a cover group called RedRose when she was younger.

Asa (아사)

Above Babymonster's Asa singing a cover of 'Look Alive' by BlocBoy JB and Drake

Birth name: Enami Asa (榎並杏紗)

Age: 16

Nationality: Japanese

Fun fact: One of the first Japanese idols to debut under YG Entertainment, Asa was a child musical actress. She is believed to have joined YG Entertainment in late 2016 or 2017.

Rora (로라)

Above Babymonster's Rora singing a cover of 'Forfeit' by Kiana Ledé

Birth name: Lee Dain (이다인)

Age: 14

Nationality: Korean

Fun fact: The second youngest member of Babymonster, Rora was previously part of a local kids’ idol group called U.SSO Girl with Hyein of NewJeans under the name U.ha.

Pharita (파리타)

Above Babymonster's Pharita singing a cover of 'What Other People Say' by Demi Lovato and Sam Fischer

Birth name: Pharita Chaikong (ภาริตา ไชยคง)

Age: 17

Nationality: Thai

Fun fact: Pharita is fluent in Thai and English, having attended an international school from a young age in Thailand. She was also a former model.

Ruka (루카)

Above Babymonster's Ruka singing a cover of ‘Feel Good’ by P-Lo and G-Eazy, and 'Gwola' by Honey Cocaine, Kid Ink, and Maino

Birth name: Kawai Ruka (河井瑠花)

Age: 20

Nationality: Japanese

Fun fact: Ruka has been a YG trainee for the longest of the seven members. Before joining YG Entertainment, she was a member of the Japanese girl group Shibu3 Project.

On May 11, 2023, YG Entertainment founder and head producer Yang Hyun-suk officialised the line-up for Babymonster–all seven girls will be debuting as the agency's newest K-pop group. While Babymonster's official debut date is still being kept under wraps, Yang confirmed that Babymonster is tentatively scheduled to debut by fall of 2023. As well, the soon-to-be-idols also released a music video for their pre-debut track titled, Dream.

Above Babymonster unveils a music video for their pre-debut track titled, 'Dream'

On November 9, YG Entertainment uploaded a teaser and later released a visual film and photos for Babymonster, starting with Chiquita, the youngest of the group. The agency also confirmed that Babymonster is set to make its long-awaited debut on November 27 at midnight KST.

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Topics

Babymonster YG Entertainment Haram Ahyeon Chiquita Asa Rora Pharita Ruka K-Pop

Tatler Asia

Babymonster: Meet the 7 members of YG Entertainment’s upcoming girl group

Haram (하람)

Ahyeon (아현)

Chiquita (치키타)

Asa (아사)

Rora (로라)

Pharita (파리타)

Ruka (루카)