"It's more important to develop ourselves than compete with other groups": BABYMONSTER responds to a journalist's question on ILLIT as their rival

YG Entertainment's rookie K-pop girl group BABYMONSTER recently spoke to Korean media outlet News Culture about their perspective on their alleged rival group, IILIT.

On Thursday, April 4, News Culture released an interview with the K-pop group. The members were asked several questions about their experience thus far. When asked their thoughts on their alleged rivalry with IILIT, a group that debuted around the same time as BABYMONSTER, Ahyeon said the group is not distracted by comparisons and initiating competitions.

“I think it's more important to develop ourselves than to compete with other groups. We need to comfort each other and create a cool image.”

Since both BABYMONSTER and IILIT debuted as fifth-generation K-pop girl groups, several comparisons have already kickstarted, leading to the question about their alleged rivalry.

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BABYMONSTER responds to journalist's question of IILIT being its rival K-pop girl group

BABYMONSTER is a seven-member K-pop girl group under YG Entertainment. Its members are Ruka, Pharita, Asa, Ahyeon, Rami, Rora, and Chiquita. The group has been the talk of the town for a while due to several reasons.

They are not only the first girl group released by the agency in seven years but their pre-debut activities and the masses' expectations to follow the lineage of 2NE1 and BLACKPINK have netizens eagerly waiting for their debut. Unsurprisingly, several netizens fell in love with their debut track, BATTER UP, and the group has only continued to keep netizens on their toes for its next comeback.

Therefore, when they rolled out SHEESH on March 29, a lot more eyes turned towards them. However, since IILIT, the new HYBE K-pop girl group, also made their debut around the same time with the release of SUPER REAL ME on March 20, comparisons between the two fifth-generation K-pop girl groups flooded the internet.

Naturally, BABYMONSTER was also asked about its opinion on its alleged rivalry during a recent interview with the Korean media outlet New Culture. Ahyeon boldly replied that they aren't worried about competition at the moment. The group is more focused on overcoming the initial struggles of debuting in the music industry and establishing themselves with an image and aesthetic.

Rora added that she's personally close with one of the IILIT members, and she's been rooting for the group with their debut. Though they might be perceived as each other's rivals, she said they don't see a competition between them. Instead, they plan on working hard and standing alongside all the fifth-generation K-pop groups in the industry.

“There is one person I am close to among the members of ILLIT. I'm rooting for them as a colleague. We will work with our own hip-hop vibe. Among the 5th generation idols, there are many prominent people, so we plan to work hard without giving in. I will not be discouraged and will try to move forward believing in my members,” Rora said.

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While many netizens felt that the question was unnecessary or out of context, they also expressed that BABYMONSTER handled it professionally.