BABYMONSTER's Ahyeon to rejoin group activities following debut absence

Ahyeon of BABYMONSTER / Courtesy of YG Entertainment

BABYMONSTER, a rookie girl group on YG Entertainment, welcomed back Ahyeon, bringing the group back to its original seven-member lineup ahead of their upcoming mini-album release.

Yang Hyun-suk, the group's chief producer, shared the news through a video posted on the agency's official blog, Thursday.

"Fortunately, Ahyeon's health has fully recovered and she is back at YG, actively participating in the recording of songs for the upcoming album," he said.

Ahyeon, known for a pre-debut viral video where she sings Charlie Puth's 2016 hit "Dangerously," had initially left the group 12 days before its official debut on Nov. 15, 2023. The agency cited health reasons at the time, noting that "after careful consideration, Ahyeon decided to focus on her recovery for the time being," through an official statement.

Ahyeon is set to resume group activities starting with the release of BABYMONSTER's first mini-album in April. The group's previously released songs will also be rerecorded to include Ahyeon in the new album.

Prior to that, the group will unveil its new single, "Stuck in the Middle," on Feb. 1 with a six-member lineup.

Through Thursday's video, Yang also highlighted internal restructuring at the agency, raising expectations for increased engagement from the rookie girl group.

"We have strengthened the internal producer team at YG from around 10 members to over 50," the producer explained. "We are progressing much faster than before, and our goal is to release BABYMONSTER's first full-length album around autumn."