Not only is one of the new generation idols of Kpop, Chiquita is also the youngest Idol of the Korean entertainment industry. With her rare talent, she is expected to be one of the “trumps” of the group.
Accordingly, Chiquita’s real name is Canny Riracha Phondechaphiphat, born on February 17, 2009 is the 3rd member to be announced and also the oldest BabyMonster.
Chiquita’s hometown is in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. She will also be YG Entertainment’s next Thai idols after BLACKPINK’s Lisa, along with member Pharita.
Having been exposed to art since childhood, Chiquita gradually showed her talent in dancing. Besides, having an older brother, Copper Decawat, who is also a male idol in 789 TRAINEE and The Star Idol, makes her even more motivated to be serious about art.
Like Ahyeon, Chiquita can also speak 3 languages including English, Thai and Korean. With the globalization of Kpop, being able to speak many languages helps the young female idol to be greatly appreciated.
On January 23, Chiquita was first posted by YG Entertainment to reveal her identity as the 3rd member of the rookie group Baby Monster. She quickly attracted attention with her unique blonde hair and impressive dance performance.
In the cover of Bedroom, Chiquita shows off her sweet, powerful voice. Many viewers thought that the transition between her fake voice and her real voice was smooth. Compared to two members Haram and Ahyeon, Chiquita is said to have superior singing skills.
Osen newspaper also once commented that Chiquita is one of the almighty members and will be one of the “trumps” of Baby Monster.
Despite making her mark with her outstanding vocal skills alongside her beauty and dancing ability, there’s only one reason why people raise eyebrows against Chiquita and YG – this is because of the Thai trainee. Lan will debut as the youngest idol ever to debut at the age of only 13.
In the media, netizens still do not believe that the younger female idol NewJeans is currently encroaching on K-pop.
While it’s not unusual for K-pop to have idols debut as teenagers, as evidenced by the youngest idol of all the groups before that is Lapillus’s Haeun, born in November 2008. But many fans expressed concern about how often this case leads to the young idol’s physical and mental health.
In addition to the packed schedule, idols debuting in their teens often have to give up their studies and face haters and malicious comments. In addition, some see this as another form of child labor exploitation.
In addition, the young female idol was also accidentally entangled in the scandal of “boss” YG – Yang Hyun Suk when compared to BLACKPINK’s senior Lisa.
Accordingly, in one of BABYMONSTER’s programs, director Yang Hyun Suk did not regret praising Chiquita’s skills. If the story stops here, there is nothing worth talking about, but Yang Hyun Suk mentioned Lisa later and put Chiquita on the scale compared to this powerful female idol.
This producer thinks that Chiquita will become famous like the youngest BLACKPINK: “From the producer’s point of view, Chiquita is clearly a special child. I really hope in the future, she will be famous. like Lalisa and have global influence. That’s my personal hope.” After Yang Hyun Suk’s statement, many Lisa fans expressed their displeasure and criticized the former CEO of YG.
Many opinions at that time suggested that YG Entertainment had repeatedly treated Lisa unfairly, causing the female idol to seek success and fame in the international arena. But now Yang Hyun Suk mentioned the popularity of the BLACKPINK member as a proof of his success: “Why can you direct someone like Lisa and pressure someone to follow in the footsteps of the singer? while being ‘abusive’ and at the same time turning a blind eye to Lisa’s potential and impactful impact.”
In addition to the comments voicing displeasure on behalf of Lisa, fans also believe that the comparison is not fair to Chiquita. Despite her talent, she has not officially debuted yet. They don’t want the BABY MONSTER members to be pressured to be the next BLACKPINK. Instead, let the girls freely express their own unique charms and identities.
Baby Monster is YG’s first girl group after about 7 years since the debut of BLACKPINK. As BLACKPINK continues to lead the K-pop world as a top global group, Baby Monster has garnered attention as the most anticipated debut of 2023, aided by promotional strategies. YG’s active promotion such as releasing performance videos and producing reality shows.
With members from Korea (Ahyeon, Haram, Lora), Thailand (Parita, Chikita) and Japan (Ruka, Asa), the multinational composition further heightens expectations. The group consists of highly trained talents who are fluent in languages such as Korean, English, Japanese, Thai and Chinese. This diverse cultural appeal and YG’s focus on the global market are evident.
In fact, Baby Monster had many achievements even before debut. The official YouTube channel of “BLACKPINK’s sister” has surpassed 2 million subscribers at the fastest rate among domestic girl groups, and video views have also surpassed 400 million in just 127 days. In particular, Billboard has chosen Baby Monster as the “desirable K-pop artist”, expressing high expectations that the girls will create a new wave in K-pop.
