The 2025 MAMA Awards stage was not merely a platform; it was an altar of sound, a shimmering, obsidian mirror reflecting the breathless anxiety of 50,000 souls waiting for auditory redemption or technical collapse. Ahyeon, Rora, and Pharita—the potent, emerging trinity of BABYMONSTER—stepped into this blinding light, momentarily adopting the theatrical mantle of HUNTR/X from the bewildering mythos of the ⁘K-pop Demon Hunters⁘. Their specific, high-stakes task was the vocal Everest named ‘GOLDEN.’ When the performance concluded, the resulting deluge was neither clear spring water nor destructive rain, but a highly pressurized mist: part immediate, exhilarating adoration, and part surgical, microscopic critique.
This conflicting, confusing arithmetic is the very heartbeat of modern global stardom, demanding both polished perfection and raw, exposed vulnerability.
Those who cheered felt the immediate, thrilling voltage coursing through the venue. The sheer audacity of attempting a song like ‘GOLDEN’—a composition built on punishing structural height—demanded respect. The trio’s ability to deliver such challenging high notes live, maintaining a startling vocal stability while navigating the track’s soaring altitude, was a genuine triumph of discipline over gravity.
It was the sound of young talent refusing to be tethered, showcasing the potential for immense power. The palpable density of their vocal tones, especially in the chorus’s peak moments, coupled with an almost audacious confidence displayed before that intimidating mass of 50,000, stood in defiant contrast to the industry’s quiet tendency toward pre-recording. They succeeded in an arena where mere whispers echo as cannon fire, achieving a feat that many seasoned performers would approach with extreme caution.
Yet, simultaneously, the ether crackled with dissent.
It is a peculiar, bewildering paradox: the pursuit of the vocal peak often invites the sharpest condemnation from those watching below. Critics argued that the ascent was too steep, the register unnecessarily punishing, suggesting that ‘GOLDEN’ had been gilded to the point of structural fragility. The unique contention here centered on perceived philosophy—that the group, particularly Ahyeon, might equate technical verticality with artistic worth.
"It seems like BABYMONSTER thinks good singing only means singing high notes," was the essence of the challenge, reflecting the thorny industry demand for measurable, quantifiable skill, which nonetheless must translate into comfortable auditory pleasure. When high notes are described as "screaming" or "uncomfortable," the confusing aspect is revealed: the very impressive achievement of hitting the note is invalidated by the perceived quality of the execution.
But empathy, that rare commodity, must inevitably enter the conversation.
To judge a teenage voice, still forming its definitive tessitura, against the instantaneous, impossible standards of global scrutiny is to expect an unripe mango to possess the sweetness of one ripened under three decades of sun. Their perceived imperfections are not failures; they are indicators of immense, raw potential, the necessary roughness before the final diamond cut is achieved.
The pressure of wrestling the ‘GOLDEN’ demon in front of 50,000 witnesses has placed BABYMONSTER squarely on an accelerated learning curve. They are charting the turbulent, high-altitude geography of their own developing voices, utterly unafraid to be loud, ambitious, and, momentarily, a little too close to the sun.
Ahyeon, Rora, and Pharita performed as HUNTR/X from the ⁘K-pop Demon Hunters⁘ in a highly anticipated special stageMore takeaways: Visit website
