REPORT

“Gotta perform at Coachella” BABYMONSTER Earns Praise on Their First Variety Show Appearance

K-pop’s sensational rookie group BABYMONSTER showcased their skills on the variety show ‘Knowing Bros’.

On the episode of JTBC’s ‘Knowing Bros’ aired on April 13th, BABYMONSTER (RUKA, PHARITA, ASA, AHYEON, RAMI, RORA, CHIQUITA) appeared as guests, marking their first foray into a variety show. They joined the cast members for a spring camping trip.

The members of ‘Knowing Bros’ gathered at the campground base camp run by Min Kyung-hoon, where BABYMONSTER made a dramatic entrance, initially hidden inside a ‘Monster Ball.’ Min Kyung-hoon was the first to find his partner RUKA, unveiling the group. PHARITA paired up with Lee Jin-ho, Seo Jang-hoon with RORA, Kim Hee-chul with RAMI, Kim Young-chul with ASA, Lee Sang-min with AHYEON, and Lee Soo-geun with CHIQUITA.

BABYMONSTER, the new girl group from YG Entertainment, recently went viral with their debut music video ‘SHEESH’, reaching 100 million views in record time. Lee Soo-geun joked about RORA being born in 2008, saying, “She’s a friend of my Tae-jun.” CHIQUITA, born in 2009, prompted Seo Jang-hoon to exclaim, “Isn’t she the same age as Si-hoon, not Tae-jun?” shocking Kang Ho-dong.

RORA expressed her surprise at the overwhelming love for their debut song, “I didn’t expect it to go this well.” RUKA explained their choice of ‘Knowing Bros’ for their first variety show, “We really love it. Especially Ho-dong, who is too cute,” making everyone laugh by saying he resembled Ebisu, a deity from Japan.

BABYMONSTER proved to be exceptionally talented. CHIQUITA from Thailand showed her passion for Taekwondo, breaking boards higher than herself. AHYEON, known as “the female Kim Jong-kook,” said, “I used to do 800 sit-ups a day, but I reduced it because fans were worried,” and then impressed everyone with a demonstration of her abdominal exercises.

RUKA, introduced as the ‘variety show specialist,’ spontaneously made small dog noises, causing Kim Hee-chul’s dog Gibok to run over in shock.

As the broadcast drew to a close, the members, experiencing an outdoor BBQ for the first time, were praised by Kang Ho-dong, “It’s impressive how these kids, friends of Tae-jun and Si-hoon, are already experiencing social life.” Super Junior’s Shindong, also an idol senior, advised, “I’ll see you in five years. You should be heading to Coachella starting next year.”

BABYMONSTER is already receiving critical acclaim abroad. AHYEON sang Charlie Puth’s hit ‘Dangerously’ and even got a shout-out from Charlie Puth himself. She later performed it live, earning a standing ovation from the ‘Knowing Bros’ cast. Kang Ho-dong exclaimed, “She looked so young all day, but the moment she grabbed the microphone, she was a total pro.”

Another member, RAMI, performed AKMU’s ‘DINOSAUR’, showcasing her dolphin-like vocal range, which amazed everyone. Lee Soo-geun was astounded, “How can such a voice come out?” and Kim Hee-chul added, “BEMON naturally has a ‘dolphin’ tone. Shouldn’t she be on ‘Phantom Singer’ later?” adding laughter to the show.