ICYDK, YG Entertainment is producing another girl group after seven years. 

BabyMonster, the group set to debut on May 12, has been teased to the public for three months now. The highlight of all of this is that their journey towards their final evaluation has been documented and turned into a mini-series—hyping the public up for their impending debut. 

“Final Evaluation” features seven girls (Ruka, Pharita, Rora, Asa, Chiquita, Ahyeon, and Haram) who are on the final stretch of their trainee journey. These ladies have dedicated years of their lives in order to reach their dreams of becoming an idol. However, not all will make it.

In its last episode, YG Entertainment founder and executive producer Yang Hyun-suk revealed that he initially envisioned BabyMonster as a five-member group. This means that two of the girls we have been following on YouTube may not make it.

Although it would be nice to see all seven of them debut, the possibility of BabyMonster being a five-person group is very high at this point. If that’s the case, here what I think the lineup would look like:

Ahyeon

Personally, she’s my day one bias. I see her as the Jennie of the next gen YG because she’s the most versatile trainee—much like her sunbae. However, what makes her stand out is her vast vocal range. The only person we can compare her to in the YG Entertainment roster would be Park Bom. And to wrap up this prediction, Yang Hyun-suk himself said that Ahyeon is the embodiment of what he envisions Babymonster to be.

Ruka

If you have been up to speed with the trainees’ performance on “Last Evaluation,” you would know that Ruka was the star of their 2NE1 mashup dance. And while her rap skills are very commendable (referring to the previous challenges), I think one of the biggest factors in debuting is stage presence. The swagger this girl has is definitely through the roof—putting the “monster” in BabyMonster.

Asa

Here I am inserting another Japanese trainee, but for good reason. If you’ve seen their “Scars To Your Beautiful” group performance, Asa is a great compliment and duo for Ruka when it comes to rap verses. They remind me of Twice’s Chaeyoung and Dahyun to an extent. And in their 2NE1 mashup dance, Asa added to the alluringness of the whole performance—especially whenever the focus would be on her.

Chiquita

Initially, I was skeptical of what Chiquita had to offer. It seemed at first that she had no distinguishable traits other than the fact that she was Thai. Seeing how high Lisa set the bar, the appeal of seeing a new Thai trainee wasn’t a wow factor in itself. Though seeing her journey in “Last Evaluation,” it seems that she has a certain charm that makes her stand out. And just like her Thai sunbae, she’s equally a perfectionist. 

Pharita

If Ruka puts the “monster” in BabyMonster, Pharita embodies the “baby.” Her angelic face matches the sweetness of her singing voice. Much like Lia of Itzy, she brings grace and gentleness to the group—but with the soul of a YG artist. I think she would be a great asset to soften the overall concept of BabyMonster and distinguish them from the rest of YG’s portfolio.

Don’t get me wrong, every trainee they’ve presented so far has a lot of talent to show—even Rora and Haram. But the girls I mentioned above are my personal predictions based on my observation (and admittedly, a bit of bias). Whether YG Entertainment will bend the rules and finally produce a bigger group (compared to their other rosters) or even cut the current lineup into two, it’s safe to say that BabyMonster is a group to definitely look out for.

Art by Ella Lambio

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