“I don’t get the hypocrisy”: BABYMONSTER Chiquita’s Coachella comment garners mixed reactions

BABYMONSTER’s Chiquita recently talked about her desire to perform at Coachella, one of the world’s largest music festivals. The comment took the K-pop fandom by storm as it received both negative and positive responses. Many attacked the 14-year-old for talking about Coachella while not even officially debuting while others defended her.

South Korean netizens expressed their discomfort with the statement. As per them, the 14-year-old’s comment seemed problematic since she had not officially debuted. According to South Korean netizens, the statement made her appear as if she was unable to comprehend the hard work required to achieve the recognition. Others quickly jumped to defend the artist, sharing that she had the freedom to dream.

The soon-to-debut group’s agency, YG Entertainment, posted a video on YouTube on May 18 about the members’ reaction to their debut lineup announcement. Each member gave a solo interview talking about their dreams. Chiquita, one of the youngest members who recently turned 14, mentioned that she wanted to perform at Coachella.

BABYMONSTER Chiquita talks about her “big dream” of performing at Coachella, the comment rubs some people the wrong way

In the video titled DEBUT MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENT REACTION released on May 18 on YouTube, 14-year-old Thai rookie Chiquita excitedly talked about her big dream. BABYMONSTER is YG Entertainment’s upcoming girl group, which is also the first female idol group the company will debut after its superstar group BLACKPINK.

While the comment seemed harmless, some netizens had a problem with it. An anonymous user posted a blog with the screenshot of the comment on the forum Nate Pann on May 19 with the title “LOOKS LIKE BAE-MON ALREADY WANTS TO PERFORM AT COACHELLA.”

Comments underneath the post were harsh and criticized Chiquita for wanting international validation even before debut, and not rooting for South Korean wins.

However, other fans quickly rose to defend the Thai rookie. They mentioned that saying out loud one’s dream does not mean that they are belittling the hard work that goes behind it. Some also shared that she was only a young teenager talking about her dreams and she shouldn’t be attacked for the same.

A few netizens added that BABYMONSTER and Chiquita grew up watching their direct seniors BLACKPINK make history multiple times. Hence, it was natural that they looked up to them as role models and dreamt of achieving similar things.

Meanwhile, the upcoming rookie group has had its share of controversies even before its official debut. The K-pop fandom got into a heated debate last year when YG Entertainment announced the trainees for the rookie group. Chiquita’s age being 13 years old left many stunned.

However, BABYMONSTER will comprise Pharita, Ahyeon, Rora, Chiquita, Ruka, Haram, and Asa. The group released a pre-debut single titled Dream on May 14, 2023. The septet’s debut date has not yet been revealed but it is slated for this year.

About the author

Afreen has been a K-Pop Content Specialist at Sportskeeda since 2021. She holds a Bachelor's degree in English Literature, along with a Post-Graduate Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication. Afreen has over 4+ years of working in various positions including being an entertainment content writer with Pinkvilla’s K-pop division Hallyutalk and CineDope, and as a copywriter at Flying Cursor.

As per Afreen, she loves her work because she gets to write about the things she is obsessed with. Her thorough research and following the two-genuine-source rule of journalism helps her produce the most accurate content, along with helping her be up-to-date with the industry.

Afreen has had the privilege to interview The Rose's frontrunner, WOOSUNG, and LIONESSES, K-pop's first openly LGBTQ+ group. She is a big fan of SEVENTEEN, Stray Kids, BTS, and The Rose for their hard work, sincerity, and the comic relief their shows provide.

When she is off her shift, Afreen explores the streets of Nottingham in the UK, cooks, and listens to new music.

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