BABYMONSTER Debut Underwhelms, But Rapper Asa Impresses Fans

The long-awaited debut of YG's newest K-Pop girl group BABYMONSTER was met with mixed reactions from K-Pop fans.

On Monday, BABYMONSTER made its highly-anticipated debut with the six-member group's first digital single, "Batter Up," accompanied by a music video.

However, some K-Pop fans thought the girl group's debut was "nothing new, fresh or original." One claimed on X, formerly Twitter, "...It sounds like all YG's other groups' songs and even ends exactly the same as the rest. Same unoriginal garbage. The people who enjoy this are easily impressed by simpletons."

Another wrote, "[To be honest], the whole music video felt [like a] deja vu. I think it's because of the way YG shoots their music videos and how [they are] all kind of the same. Lol."

"I mean, it's not the worst debut, but [it is] definitely very underwhelming considering the hype that YG put on this group. The girls are talented, but the song is not it. It's not impressive. It's not innovating, and it feels like a desperate mix between 2NE1's and BLACKPINK's 'aesthetic,'" a third user opined.

"The girls are too talented for this basic s-," commented another. "They need a new team. They're too talented for that garbage," seconded a different user.

A sixth X user said, "Didn't YG say the debut was late since they were working to improve the quality? So what was that? I'm sorry, but it was mid as hell. All the kids look great, but this is just bad."

Meanwhile, other users on X showed their disagreement with the negativity and came to BABYMONSTER's defense.

"This is a formula that can make a legendary group. It's proven a successful start from early second generation until the current generation...," commented one user.

A second fan wrote, "Well it's from YG. The BLACKPINK theme was very evident [but] it's good for a debut. Let's see their other releases."

One member of the new girl group also caught the attention of K-Pop fans because of her rapping skills. Despite being Japanese, fans said member Asa nailed rapping her lines in Korean. 

"The insane fact is that she's Japanese, but look at her spitting those and having the cadence," tweeted a fan account.

"Her flow is insane like a proper rapper," stated a second X user, while a third supporter claimed, "[She is] here to end everyone else."

BABYMONSTER is YG Entertainment's newest girl group. The group was supposed to debut with seven members, but member Ahyeon had to focus on getting rest for the time being due to health reasons, thus missing the group's debut activities. She will reportedly join the group's future activities after her health improves. 

On Monday, BABYMONSTER released its debut single, "Batter Up," featuring only six members: Ruka, Pharita, Asa, Rami Rora and Chiquita.

Since "Batter Up's" music video release on YouTube, it has already gained over 11.6 million views and is currently trending at No. 1 on the online video streaming platform.