(From left) Stray Kids, BabyMonster. Images: Courtesy of JYP Entertainment, YG Entertainment
MANILA, Philippines — 2024 is shaping up to be a jampacked year for the K-pop industry with many groups gearing up for their upcoming activities.
Such is the case for Stray Kids of JYP Entertainment and YG Entertainment’s rookie group BabyMonster.
On their respective YouTube channels, Stray Kids and BabyMonster — represented by YG Entertainment co-founder Yang Hyun-suk — shared what fans can expect in the coming year, including new songs, new albums, and even a world tour for the JYP group.
Here are some of the plans that Stray Kids and BabyMonster have lined up for this year:
Stray Kids
Stray Kids. Image: Courtesy of JYP Entertainment
Fresh from a successful 2023, fans of Stray Kids — dubbed as Stays — can expect an all-out year for Stray Kids as they will embark on their third world tour and a fan meeting. The boy group will also release a new album and a special record within the year.
Stray Kids will continue to update their video series in their arsenal including “SKZ-PLAYER,” “1 Kid’s Room,” and “2 Kids Show.”
The octet will launch a “Skzoo” pop-up store in the cities of Seoul and Busan in South Korea.
Stray Kids — consisting of Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, and I.N. — experienced a breakthrough in the global music scene in the past year after releasing new albums, performing on international stages such as the Billboard Music Awards and the Asia Artist Awards 2023 in the Philippines, and collaborating with different artists.
BabyMonster
BabyMonster is currently composed of Ruka, Pharita, Asa, Rami, Rora and Chiquita. Ahyeon is on hiatus due to “health reasons.” Image: Courtesy of YG Entertainment
BabyMonster, who debuted in November 2023, will drop their new single “Stuck in the Middle” on Feb. 1, while their first mini-album will be released on April 1.
“This song is not a hip-hop track. It’s so fresh to me that I wonder if YG has ever released a song like this,” Yang said in a video uploaded on Dec. 31. “It feels fresh to me too.”
The music producer said the new song shows off the members’ vocal prowess, while bringing him into a “state of zero gravity.”
“The skills and unique colors of the members’ vocals [in the song] make me want to focus on even the smallest breath. It makes me focus intensely when listening. I think it’s a song that can be described as ‘beautiful,’” he added.
Unlike senior groups BigBang, 2NE1, and Blackpink, Yang said he opted to oversee the production of BabyMonster because the members made their debut at a younger age and “earlier” than their predecessors.
“Rather than feeling like they’re junior artists in the industry, I find myself caring for them as if they were my own daughters. That’s the biggest change for me,” he said, noting that its youngest member Chiquita is a year older than his daughter.
Yang also opened up about the current state of Ahyeon, who was initially revealed as a member of BabyMonster, who chose to “stop training” due to “health reasons.”
“As BabyMonster’s debut had to be pushed beyond this year, they had to debut on November 27 as six members. It’s still uncertain when Ahyeon will join so I will inform you publicly in due course,” he said.
Aside from Ahyeon, BabyMonster made their debut as a six-piece act with Ruka, Pharita, Asa, Rami, Rora and Chiquita.