YG Entertainment debuted the long-awaited girl group BabyMonster on Nov. 27. This is the agency’s first girl group in seven years, the first being Blackpink. The group was revealed on Jan. 12, introducing seven members: Rami, Ahyeon, Chiquita, Asa, Rora, Pharita, and Ruka. 

Following their pre-debut single “Dream” on May 13, the group has garnered a lot of attention. The single set the stage for their debut, racking up an impressive 19 million views within four days. 

After being pushed back to ensure a “quality debut,” the group finally made its debut on Nov. 27, and to the surprise of fans, as a six-member group, excluding Ahyeon, who, according to YG, is temporarily on hiatus due to health reasons. 

Although it has been less than a month since their debut, the group has faced multiple controversies, the most pressing regarding their debut song, “BATTER UP.”

“BATTER UP” faced accusations of cultural appropriation as the members were seen in durags and box braids. In addition, fans noticed the similarities between “BATTER UP” and “Money” from Blackpink’s Lisa. The agency was criticized for reusing the same beat and sample from Lisa’s song, sparking allegations of unoriginality. YG has remained silent on all of these allegations, releasing no official statements in response to any of the controversies.

With a long list of controversies, the group has gained popularity for the wrong reasons. 

During the last two decades, K-pop has been dominated by three agencies: SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment, and JYP Entertainment, often called “The Big 3.” However, with YG’s dip in popularity, some are questioning whether YG deserves this status. While the announcement of a new group seemed to garner some much-needed publicity, the long list of controversies has only put YG at a further disadvantage.

Despite these challenges, the future remains uncertain, and only time will reveal whether YG’s aspirations for another popular group will come true or not.