Babymonster tops iTunes charts in 14 countries with debut single

What the group is saying: Babymonster is YG Entertainment’s first girl group since Blackpink made their debut in 2016. The multinational sextet consists of Korean members Haram and Rora, Japanese members Asa and Ruka and Thai members Chiquita and Pharita.

“We are happy to welcome this day that we’ve dreamed of for a long time,” the group said in a statement. “We will do our best to show our unique musical colors. We are also preparing diverse content and events for our fans who have waited for our debut, so please look forward to them.”

About “Batter Up”: “Batter Up,” a bilingual hip-hop single, announces the beginning of Babymonster and portrays the members’ confidence, according to YG. The track is based on the same baseball term, which is what umpires call out to indicate the next batter can step up to the home plate.

Successful debut: In just 10 hours since its posting at 12:01 a.m., the song’s music video reportedly amassed 8.69 million views. As of press time, it has surpassed 23 million views and leads YouTube’s trending list in multiple countries.

“Batter Up” also debuted at No. 1 on the iTunes song chart in 14 countries, placing fifth overall worldwide. Additionally, it became the first song of a debuting group in 2023 to enter U.S. iTunes’ top 50 chart.

Reactions: Babymonster’s debut was pushed from September due to track considerations. Fans on social media congratulated the group for finally breaking into the K-pop scene.

“Congratulations on your successful debut, BABYMONSTER! Keep on winning, haters keep on whining,” one wrote.

Another commented, “Babymonster is definitely THE group where you’ll have a hard time picking out your bias.”