YG Entertainment revealed a clearer blueprint for its rookie groups, detailed a roadmap for expanding new global IP and declared it would make a full-scale dash into the 2026 music scene.
YG Entertainment posted a video titled BABYMONSTER, TREASURE, AND UPCOMING ROOKIES | YG ANNOUNCEMENT on its official blog on the 30th, in which Yang Hyun-suk, the chief producer, personally introduced the second-half projects. Yang Hyun-suk first provided a detailed introduction to BABYMONSTER's mini third album [CHOOM], whose release is scheduled for May 4. The title track '춤 (CHOOM)' expanded choreography commissioning to an unprecedented scale of 10 teams to match the song's title performance, and Yang personally participated in work on the chorus section to raise its level of completion.
He said the album will include the dark hip-hop track 'MOON', the fast-tempo upbeat 'I LIKE IT', and the slow song 'LOCKED IN' that highlights vocal ability. Regarding the first track 'MOON', Yang said, "YG has been actively running song camps recently," and noted, "This is the first collaboration with the overseas production team on this song; they are a team that makes sound design very sophisticated and distinctive," piquing curiosity. BABYMONSTER will use this album as a turning point to sequentially release four music videos — a June digital single 'SUGAR HONEY (working title)', 'I LIKE IT' in July and 'MOON' in August — and will launch an all-out global push with full support.
TREASURE has confirmed the release of a mini album that will open a new chapter on June 1. About the new record, which contains four hip-hop-based tracks, Yang said, "TREASURE debuted during the pandemic and faced many difficulties in the global market," and added, "This album is personally my favorite result," expressing strong confidence. With the massive project of Big Bang's world tour to mark their 20th anniversary also gearing up, YG's formidable lineup this year is getting music fans around the world excited.
Alongside the active activities of established artists, the large-scale emergence of next-generation rookies who will shoulder YG's future is also an important turning point. Yang said of the rookie boy group being presented for the first time in six years, "In a past interview I mentioned in the subtitles that we plan to launch a new YG male group this fall," and said, "For now, we expect to introduce YG's new male group in September. The number of members, which many people are curious about, is five." This suggests the birth of a "completed group" that maximizes individuality and skill through an elite member composition differentiated from the many-member system of TREASURE.
Also, as Yang previewed that "we will sequentially reveal the new IP and rookies YG is planning," the third member of the next girl group, tentatively called "Next Monster," was unveiled. YG posted a video on its official blog titled YG NEXT MONSTER | KAYCI - "When We Were Young" and introduced KAYCI 10 months after Iveli and Chanyae.
Born in 2012 and 13 years old, KAYCI is a global talent born to a Korean father and a Chinese mother and is fluent in three languages. She is an "all-rounder" member who mastered vocals, dance and rap in just one year and six months of trainee period. In the video, KAYCI made an overwhelming impression as a prepared "monster rookie," perfectly delivering husky, soulful singing up to explosive highlight high notes. With only one member left, attention is focused on completing the final lineup of "Next Monster."
At the end of the video, chief producer Yang Hyun-suk said, "The BABYMONSTER album, which producers and I have worked on to the best of our ability over the past year, will be released soon, and TREASURE's album will be released about a month later," and he asked with affection, "I hope the joy, emotion and pleasure that exceed my expectations will be delivered to fans like a gift." Finally, he added, "We will also sequentially reveal the rookies YG is planning," underscoring YG's relentless sprint that will heat up the 2026 music scene.
From the glamorous return of the legendary groups that once dominated the K-pop scene to the comebacks of trendsetting groups targeting the global market, and the successive launches of "completed" rookies who will lead the next generation of music, YG Entertainment has solidified the strong position of its existing IP while securing new IPs as powerful growth drivers for the future, raising expectations about what explosive synergy it will display to shake up the global music market during 2026.
[Photo] OSEN DB
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