YG Entertainment K-pop girl group BabyMonster consists of members Ruka, Pharita, Asa, Ahyeon, Rami, Rora, and Chiquita, and they debuted on November 27, 2023 with “Batter Up.” They were the first girl group from YG to debut since Blackpink back in 2016, and prior to debut, they were perhaps the most hyped group in K-pop history! K-Pop Answers presents this comprehensive, current, and regularly updated BabyMonster members profile page with a bio, fun facts, and other trivia for Ruka, Pharita, Asa, Ahyeon, Rami (Haram), Rora, and Chiquita — and every fact has been painstakingly researched by us with precise citations. Please enjoy!
(Although, if you just want to know how old the BabyMonster members are, we have all of that information conveniently spelled out elsewhere!)
BabyMonster Members Profile: Ruka, Pharita, Asa, Ahyeon, Rami, Rora, and Chiquita Bio & Facts
Ruka Profile: Bio, Facts, and Trivia
Ruka Bio & Profile Summary: Ruka, born on March 20, 2002 as Kawai Ruka (河井瑠花), is the oldest of the BabyMonster members and is originally from Japan. In Japan, she was part of the girl group Shibu3 Project between 2017 and 2018, and she joined YG Entertainment in 2018. Ruka is a dancer and a rapper, and her passion for dancing is so great that she once said, “I feel so happy when dancing, and I even feel better after I dance. I’m going to dance until I die.”
- Ruka modeled in her youth, notably at the L4 show at Design Festa in 2014. (Our BabyMonster predebut photos archive has several photos of young, adorable Ruka!) [Ameba Blog, August 13, 2014]
- Ruka was introduced as part of Japanese girl group Shibu3 Project on February 24, 2017, and she joined its “Blue Class.” Her final performance with Shibu3 Project may have been on April 15, 2018. [Shibu3 Project Twitter, February 24, 2017 / Shibu3 Project Twitter, April 15, 2018]
- Ruka was a background dancer in the Atsumi Ueda music video for “ハッピーハロウィン！” (“Happy Halloween!”). [上田あつみ/ハッピーハロウィン！MV, October 3, 2017]
- Ruka auditioned for YG Entertainment in 2018 when she was 16 years old, at which point she said she had already been dancing for 10 years. Ruka did not speak Korean at that time. Regarding her YG training period, YG executive producer Yang Hyun-suk said, “I don’t think I’ve ever criticized her with dancing before.” [Introducing Ruka, February 9, 2023]
- Prior to debut, when she had turned 20, Ruka expressed guilt that her Japanese friends had gone to college and helped their families, while she had ostensibly not accomplished anything yet as a YG trainee. She turned her feelings into rap lyrics, and she resolved to debut at YG to “pay back” her mother’s love. [Introducing Ruka, February 9, 2023]
- Ruka and Asa first met at the YG audition site in Japan, and they became each other’s close support in Korea. [Introducing Asa, February 20, 2023]
- BabyMonster members chose their favorite number to wear for filming the “Batter Up” music video, and Ruka selected the number 3 as her favorite. [“Batter Up” M/V Making Film Ep.1, November 30, 2023]
Pharita Profile: Bio, Facts, and Trivia
Pharita Bio & Profile Summary: Pharita, born on August 26, 2005 as Pharita Boonpakdeethaveeyod (ภริตา บุญภักดีทวียศ) but also known as Pharita Chaikong (ภาริตา ไชยคง), is the second oldest of the BabyMonster members and is originally from Thailand. Prior to joining YG Entertainment in 2020, Pharita did extensive modeling, for which she won awards. She is praised for the unique and peaceful tone of her voice.
- Pharita attended Ruamrudee International School, which is likely where Pharita learned to speak fluent English. [Thairath, February 2, 2023]
- As a model, Pharita won the Grand Prize at the China Trendy Children’s Hundred Cities Selection Competition, held December 30 – 31, 2019 in Guangzhou, and Pharita’s modeling team at Inter Model Thailand reportedly won 13 prizes in total at the event. (Our BabyMonster predebut photos archive offers a variety of photos from Pharita’s modeling career.) [Thai Press Release, January 6, 2020]
- Pharita auditioned for YG Entertainment in July 2020, and out of 1,226 applicants at the time, she was the only one selected to go to South Korea for training. She did not speak any Korean at that time. [Introducing Pharita – February 13, 2023]
- Pharita’s role model is Blackpink and particularly Lisa, for being “so charismatic on stage” and dancing “so powerfully.” [Introducing Pharita – February 13, 2023]
- Describing Pharita as a person, Ahyeon has said, “Whenever things get rough, she’s the type to give more energy. She smiles a lot and tries giving more positive energy to others.” [Last Evaluation Ep.1, March 10, 2023]
- Pharita knows how to play guitar. [Pharita | Character Playlist, February 15, 2023]
- BabyMonster members chose their favorite number to wear for filming the “Batter Up” music video, and Pharita selected the number 1 as her favorite. [“Batter Up” M/V Making Film Ep.1, November 30, 2023]
Asa Profile: Bio, Facts, and Trivia
Asa Bio & Profile Summary: Asa, born on April 17, 2006 as Enami Asa (榎並杏紗), is the third oldest of the BabyMonster members and is originally from Japan. Asa had been performing in front of others since age 7, and she joined YG Entertainment in 2018 at age 12. She is a rapper and multifaceted performing artist, and Asa even has a composition and lyrics credit on BabyMonster’s debut song, “Batter Up.”
- When Asa was 7 years old in dance school in Japan, she danced in front of people for the first time with “Very Good” by Block B. Asa had started dancing in year 2 of school, and this “Very Good” performance was what made her dream of becoming an artist. [Introducing Asa, February 20, 2023]
- In May 2017 at age 11, Asa performed in the Green Musical Ladybird, Ladybird as an insect. [Ameba Post, April 6, 2017 / Ladybird, Ladybird Behind the Scenes, May 1, 2017]
- Asa auditioned for YG in 2018 at 12 years old in year 6 of school. She did not speak Korean at that time. Asa wanted to audition for YG after watching a Blackpink music video and falling in love with YG’s “distinctive hip-hop style.” [Introducing Asa, February 20, 2023]
- During training at YG, Asa wrote her own song for the first time to “present a different side” of herself. Music producer Bigtone praised her perfectionism, saying, “When I teach her one thing, she takes it and upgrades it on her own.” [Introducing Asa, February 20, 2023]
- Asa and Ruka first met at the YG audition site in Japan, and they became each other’s close support in Korea. [Introducing Asa, February 20, 2023]
- Asa became skilled at speaking Korean quickly, such that, during Last Evaluation, Chiquita said, “Asa is Japanese, but she’s like a Korean.” Rora too said Asa is “really good at Korean.” Asa pushed herself to improve her Korean fluency because she felt a need to differentiate herself from Ruka, since they were both Japanese rappers. [Last Evaluation Ep.2, March 17, 2023]
- In the “Batter Up” music video, Asa wears number 37 as her favorite number because, according to her, she was in her mom’s belly for 37 weeks. [“Batter Up” M/V Making Film Ep.1, November 30, 2023]
Ahyeon Profile: Bio, Facts, and Trivia
Ahyeon Bio & Profile Summary: Ahyeon, born on April 11, 2007 as Jeong Ahyeon (정아현), is in the middle for age among the BabyMonster members and is the oldest Korean member. She joined YG Entertainment in December 2018, and she wants to be an “artist that can pull off different genres.” Yang Hyun-suk had described Ahyeon as the “most optimized member as a pop artist” with “incredible dance skills” and the “widest vocal range.” Ahyeon did not debut with BabyMonster owing to health problems, but she finally debuted for the group’s first mini-album, BABYMONS7ER, on April 1, 2024.
- According to Ruka, Ahyeon said she wanted to be a princess when she was a kid. [Last Evaluation Behind the Scenes #1, March 14, 2023]
- Ahyeon was a student of Ara Dance Academy. [Ara Dance Academy Instagram, February 28, 2023]
- Ahyeon originally auditioned at YG Entertainment in December 2018. She has said that she enjoyed dancing starting at age 5. [Introducing Ahyeon, February 27, 2023]
- Of Ahyeon during her training, YG executive producer Yang Hyun-suk said, “She’s like a warrior that has many weapons. I always think, ‘It’s so difficult to have it all like her,’ whenever I see her.” [Introducing Ahyeon, February 27, 2023]
- At least at one point, Ahyeon was doing 800 reps’ worth of abdominal workouts daily to build and maintain core strength. [Introducing Ahyeon, February 27, 2023]
- Ahyeon is able to project her voice during singing so well that, after her final solo singing performance in Last Evaluation, Winner member Kang Seungyoon commented, “I thought they gave a different mic just for Ahyeon.” Winner member Hoony agreed, saying, “Her mic volume really stands out.” [Last Evaluation Ep.7, April 21, 2023]
- Ahyeon speaks fluent English and Mandarin Chinese, in addition to her native Korean, and she thinks she gained an interest in foreign languages from watching American animation. She started learning English at age 5 and Chinese at age 7. [Introducing Ahyeon, February 27, 2023]
- Prior to missing debut in BabyMonster, Ahyeon had seemed poised to be the leader of the group. When he announced the intended seven-member group lineup of BabyMonster in May 2023, Yang Hyun-suk said that Ahyeon has “the ability and skills to lead BabyMonster, in every aspect.” Now, however, BabyMonster has no formal leader designation. [BabyMonster Debut Member Announcement, May 12, 2023]
- Ahyeon admires G-Dragon to such an extent that she watched his live performances on a daily basis as a trainee. [AllKPop Interview, May 23, 2024]
Rami Profile: Bio, Facts, and Trivia
Rami Bio & Profile Summary: Rami, born on October 17, 2007 as Shin Haram (신하람), is the third youngest among the BabyMonster members and is from South Korea. She joined YG Entertainment in 2018. Prior to then, Rami had been a model since age 2. Rami is praised for the strength and range of her vocals.
- Beginning at age 2, Rami was a model, including for toy and clothing ads and editorial shoots. (We have several of her modeling photos in our BabyMonster predebut photos archive.) [Introducing Haram, March 2, 2023]
- Rami auditioned for YG Entertainment in 2018. Describing Rami’s skills during her training, YG executive producer Yang Hyun-suk said, “The style and charms her vocals have can be put up against renowned pop singers. Her vocals are absolutely phenomenal.” [Introducing Haram, March 2, 2023]
- During training at YG, Rami felt that she initially did not have the “basic skills” of dancing at all, so she rented a practice room to continue practicing on her days off. She said she practiced for 9-10 hours per day to sufficiently improve her skills. [Introducing Haram, March 2, 2023]
- Haram officially changed her stage name to Rami on November 23, 2023, when her visual photos were released ahead of BabyMonster’s debut. At all times prior in predebut (including on Last Evaluation), Rami was known to the public as Haram. (“Rami” is likely derived from the affectionate “Harami.”) [Rami Visual Photo, November 23, 2023]
- Rami’s role model is Rosé of Blackpink for her “unique and distinctive voice that really shows her characteristics.” She was nervous when she performed a song in front of Rosé during a monthly training evaluation, but Rosé praised Rami’s performance. [Introducing Haram, March 2, 2023]
- Rami speaks English, but the extent of her English fluency is not yet clear. [Last Evaluation Ep.2, March 17, 2023]
- BabyMonster members chose their favorite number to wear for filming the “Batter Up” music video, and Rami selected the number 17 as her favorite. [“Batter Up” M/V Making Film Ep.1, November 30, 2023]
Rora Profile: Bio, Facts, and Trivia
Rora Bio & Profile Summary: Rora, born on August 14, 2008 as Lee Dain (이다인), is the second youngest among the BabyMonster members and the youngest member from South Korea. She joined YG Entertainment in May 2018 when she was only 9 years old. Rora is viewed as a strong “all-rounder.”
- Rora both modeled and acted as a child. (We have some examples of Rora’s modeling and acting in our BabyMonster predebut photos archive.) [Rora Commercial, Date Indeterminate]
- On November 17, 2017, Rora debuted with U.SSO Girl (pronounced “You So Girl,” also sometimes written as U.SSO Girls), a 4D Lable kids girl group, with the song “go go sing.” On May 24, 2018, they further released the song “B!B!B! (baby boo).” In U.SSO Girl, she used the stage name “U.Ha.” Remarkably, future NewJeans member Hyein was in U.SSO Girl with Rora during the same period, where they became friends. [Melon, Undated]
- Rora auditioned at YG Entertainment in May 2018. For her first monthly evaluation in July 2018, she performed “Havana” by Camila Cabello, which went poorly because she forgot the lyrics — so she hasn’t listened to “Havana” much since then! [Introducing Rora, February 16, 2023]
- YG Entertainment executive producer Yang Hyun-suk gave her the stage name of “Rora” because he “felt she could become an artist that shines bright like an aurora if we develop the beauty she has.” [Introducing Rora, February 16, 2023]
- Because of how young Rora was, she did not initially live in a dorm with the others during training. Instead, she made a two-hour commute to YG from her middle school, which involved a lengthy intercity bus ride to Seoul. [Introducing Rora, February 16, 2023]
- BabyMonster members chose their favorite number to wear for filming the “Batter Up” music video, and Rora selected the number 8 as her favorite. [“Batter Up” M/V Making Film Ep.1, November 30, 2023]
- Rora loves the season of winter. [“Batter Up” Live Performance (Stadium Ver.) Behind, December 29, 2023]
- Rora’s younger brother, Lee Kang-in (이강인), is an actor, with roles in series like tvN’s Stealer: The Treasure Keeper. [Instagram, May 7, 2023]
Chiquita Profile: Bio, Facts, and Trivia
Chiquita Bio & Profile Summary: Chiquita, born on February 17, 2009 as Riracha Phondechaphiphat (ริราชา พรเดชาพิพัฒน์), is the maknae (the youngest) of the BabyMonster members, and she is originally from the province of Nakhon Ratchasima in Thailand. She joined YG Entertainment in March 2021, being the final member of BabyMonster to join the company, and she has “no fear” as a performer.
- Chiquita auditioned for YG Entertainment in March 2021, so she had the shortest training period of any BabyMonster member. YG executive producer Yang Hyun-suk said he knew immediately after her first monthly evaluation that Chiquita had to be part of the BabyMonster project, and she was selected over trainees who had been training for five-to-six years. [Introducing Chiquita, February 23, 2023]
- Chiquita did not know Korean when she first came to South Korea, and until the events of Last Evaluation, she had only performed English-language songs for her trainee evaluations. [Last Evaluation Ep.2, March 17, 2023]
- When Chiquita and Pharita first got to meet Blackpink’s Lisa, Chiquita gave her a letter saying Lisa was her idol who inspires her and that she told her mom every day that she would be like Lisa one day. [Introducing Chiquita, February 23, 2023]
- In turn, describing Chiquita’s performance skills, YG dance trainer Leejung said during Last Evaluation, “I think she has the potential to become a performer like Lisa.” [Last Evaluation Ep.8, April 28, 2023]
- Chiquita has attended Plookpanya School in Thailand via a “home-based program” while in Korea. [Plookpanya School Instagram, May 11, 2023 / Twitter (sourced from removed Facebook Story), May 29, 2023]
- Chiquita’s dream is to perform at Coachella. [Debut Member Announcement, May 19, 2023]
- BabyMonster members chose their favorite number to wear for filming the “Batter Up” music video, and Chiquita selected the number 7 as her favorite. [“Batter Up” M/V Making Film Ep.1, November 30, 2023]
- Chiquita has a talent for being able to do the “Minions” voice. [Baemon TV – Haunted House Ep. 1, March 6, 2024]
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