BABYMONSTER's I LIKE IT Is More Than a Summer B-Side

BABYMONSTER is turning a B-side into a global campaign signal.

The YG Entertainment girl group will release the music video for "I LIKE IT", a track from its third mini album CHOOM, at midnight KST on July 6, placing a bright summer song directly between the Seoul launch of its 2026-27 world tour and the next Japan concerts in Kobe. The timing matters as much as the song. This is not just another visual add-on for an album cycle; it is a test of how a fifth-generation K-pop act can stretch one project across streaming, short-form visuals, concerts, and international fan communities without waiting for a new title track.

The angle is clear: this article analyzes how BABYMONSTER is using the "I LIKE IT" music video to turn CHOOM from a release into a tour-era fan funnel, and why that strategy says something larger about the current K-pop market.

From Album Track To Tour Asset

The basic facts are straightforward. CHOOM was released on May 4, 2026, according to YG's Weverse notice, and "I LIKE IT" sits as the album's third track. Korean reports describe the song as a dance number built on a country-style guitar riff, with clear vocals and lyrics about the early rush of liking someone. That description is deliberately lighter than the more forceful performance language attached to the title track "CHOOM" and the digital single "SUGAR HONEY ICE TEA."

But the lighter tone is exactly the point. A summer B-side gives BABYMONSTER a second mood to sell after the album's main impact window has passed. The music video teasers lean into fruit props, bubbles, pale blue styling, and yacht imagery. Those are not random seasonal decorations. They make the song easier to clip, share, and remember, which is essential when a group is trying to keep attention warm across multiple tour stops.

The timing also creates a clean bridge between the album and the road. BABYMONSTER opened its 2026-27 CHOOM world tour with three Seoul concerts from June 26 to June 28 at Jamsil Indoor Stadium. The group then heads to Kobe for shows on July 8 and July 9. Releasing the "I LIKE IT" video on July 6 places new content in the short gap between markets, giving fans a fresh visual language before the Japanese leg begins.

Why The Release Cadence Matters

That schedule shows a more mature use of content pacing. In older K-pop cycles, a B-side music video often functioned as a bonus: a reward for fandom loyalty after the main promotion had already peaked. Here, it operates more like connective tissue. It keeps the album active, supports the concert setlist, and gives international fans who cannot attend the shows a parallel point of participation.

YG's own tour notice also shows the commercial scale behind the strategy. The Seoul concerts offered soundcheck seats at 198,000 won, general seats at 154,000 won, and lucky seats at 99,000 won. Those tiers tell us that the campaign is not only about digital visibility. It is also about converting attention into premium live demand, especially among fans willing to pay for proximity and event-specific access.

So what does that pricing have to do with a B-side video? It explains why the visual rollout cannot be treated as filler. Every new clip, poster, and performance cue expands the emotional value of the tour. When fans see "I LIKE IT" as a distinct summer chapter, the concert becomes more than a place to hear the title track; it becomes the complete version of the era.

The Global Market Context

BABYMONSTER is making this move in a market that rewards constant but carefully differentiated contact. IFPI's Global Music Report 2026 said global recorded music revenue grew 6.4% in 2025 to $31.7 billion, while streaming accounted for 69.6% of total recorded music income. Asia also posted double-digit growth of 10.9%. Those figures matter because they show that the audience for K-pop is no longer only waiting for album purchases or domestic broadcast promotions. It is spread across streaming platforms, social video, and live events.

YG has already seen how fast BABYMONSTER can travel through those channels. In a 2025 company report, YG said "DRIP" surpassed 300 million YouTube views roughly 331 days after release, reached 100 million views in 21 days, debuted at No. 16 on Billboard Global Excl. U.S., and No. 30 on the Billboard Global 200. The company also said the group had passed 10 million YouTube subscribers and 5.6 billion cumulative channel views at that point. Those numbers should not be used to guarantee what "I LIKE IT" will do, but they set the baseline for why a visual-first B-side strategy is credible.

The important comparison is not whether "I LIKE IT" can outperform "DRIP." It probably has a different job. "DRIP" was built as a high-impact identity marker, while "I LIKE IT" appears designed to broaden the emotional range of the group during a tour. That matters for a young act. A fifth-generation group cannot live on intensity alone; it needs repeatable moods that fans can attach to different seasons, formats, and live memories.

Fan Reaction And Brand Positioning

Early Korean coverage has emphasized the song's refreshing mood, the members' clear vocals, and the contrast with BABYMONSTER's stronger recent releases. That framing is useful because it gives the fandom a simple story to circulate: the group is not softening its identity, but widening it. The distinction is small. It is also commercially important.

The choreography is another signal. Reports note that the "I LIKE IT" dance was first shown during the recent Seoul concerts and quickly drew interest from fans. That sequence matters because it reverses the usual order of discovery. Instead of fans seeing a music video first and waiting for the stage, concertgoers experienced the performance before the official video release. The MV then becomes a replayable confirmation of a live moment, not merely a promotional asset.

There is a risk in this approach. If every B-side receives a large visual push, audiences can become numb to the event. BABYMONSTER avoids that problem here by choosing a song with a genuinely different texture and by placing it near concrete tour dates. The release has a reason to exist beyond abundance.

What Comes Next

The next test is whether "I LIKE IT" can translate its summer imagery into measurable retention: repeat video views, short-form dance circulation, and stronger anticipation for the Kobe shows. Those signals will reveal whether the song is simply a pleasant side chapter or a meaningful extension of the CHOOM campaign.

For BABYMONSTER, the bigger lesson is strategic. The group is no longer only proving that it can debut loudly. It is learning how to keep an era alive across markets. If "I LIKE IT" succeeds, it will show that a B-side can do more than decorate an album. It can move fans from curiosity to habit, and from habit to the live economy that now anchors K-pop's global growth.