YG‘s new girl group BABYMONSTER, has begun full-fledged debut activities. However, if there is some feeling of disappointment, it is because of the empty seat of member Ahyeon. BABYMONSTER, a seven-member group, overcame the survival competition where there were eliminations due to their teamwork, but the number of members was reduced to six just before debut. K-media wonders if Ahyeon will be able to return to the group.
BABYMONSTER’s Ahyeon | YG Entertainment
When the release of the debut teaser was in full swing, YG announced that Ahyeon had decided to focus on resting due to health reasons for the time being after careful discussion.
BABYMONSTER, whose debut had already been pushed back once, was unveiled and continued to debut without a member. As they were YG’s new hope and investment, they came through as the music video for “BATTER UP” became the most viewed video in 24 hours immediately after its release and topped the global YouTube daily popularity chart for 5 consecutive days.
Nevertheless, K-media feel that if there is any disappointment, it is probably because of Ahyeon’s absence. Before her debut, Ahyeon gained attention for her outstanding skills and overwhelming visuals on the show.
BABYMONSTER | YG Entertainment
Even before the official announcement, there were rumors that Ahyeon would not join BABYMONSTER’s activities. In particular, there were various speculations, ranging from her leaving the group to rumors that she had already received a deposit and moved to another agency. However, as of now, none of these speculations are true. Although YG announced the postponement of Ahyeon’s debut, news such as “contract termination” or “withdrawal from the team”were not mentioned anywhere in the official statement. Even after his official debut, YG’s position remains unchanged.
So, is the possibility of Ahyeon joining a realistic possibility? Recently, there have been many cases of K-pop artists temporarily suspending their activities to protect their physical and mental health. However, there are not many cases where a group debuts without one member like Ahyeon. This is because they value standing on stage as a complete group, even if it means delaying their debut. BABYMONSTER had no choice but to proceed with its debut without Ahyeon because their debut had already been postponed once.
BABYMONSTER | YG Entertainment
A similar example is Lovelyz’ Seo Jisoo. Both Jisoo and Ahyeon were in the debut group, but their debuts were postponed right before their debut. The difference between the two is that Ahyun’s debut was postponed due to health issues, while Jisoo’s debut was postponed due to an incident that spread malicious rumors. Jisoo was able to join the team about a year after Lovelyz debuted.
If Ahyeon’s health recovers sufficiently, she can join the team in a similar fashion. It is not an unfamiliar picture for a new member to join a group that has already debuted, such as Super Junior’s Kyuhyun, Red Velvet’s Yeri, and NCT 127’s Jungwoo. The addition of a new member can sometimes cause backlash from existing fans, but this is not the case for Ahyeon, as she originally debuted in BABYMONSTER and only joined late.
However, among YG’s idol groups, there has been no case of a member joining midway until now. Rather, there were only cases where a member who suspended activities for health reasons left the team. This is also the point that many fans worry about. They are worried that Ahyeon may leave the team and YG like her seniors from previous agencies. Of course, it is also meaningless to assume that Ahyeon would also do this just because there was no previous case like this.
What is clear is that Ahyeon’s joining will be an enormous boost to BABYMONSTER. All possibilities are still open. Attention is focused on when and in what form Ahyeon will appear before us.
