BABYMONSTER has announced the beginning of their activities as a seven-member group with the return of member Ahyeon. Ahyeon, who had garnered popularity as "Little Jennie" even before her debut, has brought heightened attention to how far BABYMONSTER can soar with her inclusion.

BABYMONSTER is a group that debuted through YG Entertainment's own survival reality program 'Last Evaluation.' YG has historically planned its own audition programs to create groups with a high level of skill and completeness.

Groups like WINNER and iKON were introduced to the public through the Mnet entertainment program 'WIN: Who is Next?' aired in 2013. The victorious Team A debuted as WINNER, while the defeated Team B members reorganized after another survival program 'MIX & MATCH' and debuted as iKON.

WINNER, with most members capable of songwriting and composing, and iKON, which had already demonstrated complete rap and vocal skills upon debut, have both been well-loved by fans.

TREASURE, which debuted through the JTBC entertainment program 'YG Treasure Box,' set YG's first, most, and best records even before their debut. Their debut album sold over 200,000 copies, and their debut song 'BOY' topped the iTunes top song charts in 19 countries upon release.

Thus, fans were highly anticipative of BABYMONSTER's debut through 'Last Evaluation.' The public's expectations were particularly high as they were YG's first group in seven years since BLACKPINK. However, BABYMONSTER experienced member changes even before their debut. Initially composed of seven members including Ahyeon, Rami, Rora, Pharita, Chiquita, and Asa, Ahyeon could not join the debut activities due to health reasons.

YG announced on November 15 last year, "Due to health reasons, Ahyeon will be taking a break for the time being after careful discussion. We are disappointed to not introduce Ahyeon as a member of BABYMONSTER but will support her full recovery and return."

Ahyeon became famous as "Jennie's look-alike" and "Little Jennie" as soon as she was revealed as a member candidate. Her performance of Charlie Puth's 'DANGEROUSLY' during the survival show was well-received, raising expectations for her debut.

Thus, Ahyeon's absence at the debut was disappointing. Excluding Ahyeon, the six-member BABYMONSTER debuted on November 27 last year with 'BATTER UP.' The song, filled with bold confidence and ambition, set a strong presence for BABYMONSTER with its intense hip-hop sound.

'BATTER UP' quickly surpassed 10 million streams on Spotify, setting the record for the fastest K-pop girl group debut song to achieve this milestone, and dominated the iTunes charts in 21 countries. The music video reached 100 million views in 28 days and 200 million views in 53 days, breaking the record for the fastest K-pop group debut song to achieve these milestones.

As a result, BABYMONSTER won the 'Global Streaming New Artist of the Year' award at the 'Circle Chart Music Awards 2023' held on February 10 in Busan. The award is given to the artist with the highest global streaming within 30 days after their first music release between December 2022 and November 2023.

With BABYMONSTER's continuous record-breaking since their debut, fans are eagerly anticipating their upcoming song 'Stuck In The Middle,' set to be released on February 1. This song will focus on the members' exceptional vocal skills and unique timbre, showcasing a new genre never before presented by YG.

Producer Yang Hyun-suk's announcement of Ahyeon's return has generated significant buzz. He stated on YG's official blog on January 25, "Ahyeon has fully recovered and is back at YG starting today to record songs for the album. She will join the activities starting with the first mini-album to be released in April."

According to him, the first mini-album to be released in April will include versions of 'BATTER UP' and 'Stuck In The Middle' featuring Ahyeon. Yang Hyun-suk assured, "You can look forward to the activities of the complete seven-member BABYMONSTER group. We have expanded YG's internal producer team from about 10 to 40-50 members. I promise that things will progress much more swiftly than before. Our goal is to release a full album around autumn."

Notably, on January 23, Yang Hyun-suk purchased 4,619,400 shares of YG's own stock (average price of 43,305 won) in the market, amounting to a total of 20 billion won. This move signifies his firm commitment to the business plans and growth of the company for the year. With YG's successful track record and Ahyeon's return adding a new color to BABYMONSTER, anticipation is high for how far this group can soar and what unique identity they will carve out for themselves.

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