Baby DON’T Cry On Life After Debut And New Single, “I DON’T CARE”

Baby DON’T Cry “I DON’T CARE”

P NATION

P NATION’s K-pop darlings, Baby DON’T Cry, released their highly anticipated new single today, “I DON’T CARE.”

Baby DON’T Cry – comprised of members Yihyun, Kumi, Mia, and Beni – is the first girl group that P NATION, founded by K-pop icon PSY, launched, and has already made a name for themselves in the K-pop scene for their “baby rock” sound and style.

Their new single is a dynamic, upbeat, catchy pop song that highlights their message of determination to do things their way. It’s a fun and explosive song that makes you want to jump and dance to the beat. The idea behind the song “No Matter What Anyone Says, We’ll Keep Moving Forward” reflects the group’s confident attitude in the face of authority. It makes sense, given their second release since their official debut this past June, with their single “F Girl.” (The F is for Fearless.)

“When it comes to ‘F Girl,’ it might feel like it was a forced confidence that we wanted to show,” Leader Yihyun says through an interpreter over Zoom from the P NATION offices. “But now with ‘I DON’T CARE,’ it’s definitely something that we can show naturally and really thrive with the image in general of not caring what other people think and really going through the path we want to take.”

The entire song and mood align with their Gen Z age range, reflecting their “No Can Do” attitude. Yihyun adds, “In general, Gen Z is a generation that really doesn’t care what others think about, and really thrives on doing what they believe in. The message in general might be seen as negative, but we want to be a group that shows the positive sides. It’s okay for you to really do your best in what you believe in. The concept of “I DON’T CARE’ really fits the message that I want to deliver. It’s the perfect era for us.”

Their music video for “I DON’T CARE” showcases the girls performing together as a team, despite the storm that looms over them. Like the song lyrics, a storm isn’t going to stop them from their dreams and goals.

“The music video and the concept are really about freedom and being full of energy and having that kitschy side to it as well,” says Mia.

Below, Baby DON’T Cry talks about life after debut, their mini-documentary, “I DON’T CARE,” and what they wish for the future.

This interview has been edited for length and brevity.

Laura Sirikul: It has been almost five months since your debut. How has your life changed since then?

Beni: When we were trainees, we would only think about the stage and the performance in general. However, after debuting, we realized that many fans and people support us and give us a lot of love. Just being able to perform in front of them gives us so much happiness. That’s what changed the most.

Sirikul: What have you learned within these five months?

Yihyun: When I was a trainee, I thought about ‘How can I be better? How can I practice to become better?’ But after debuting, I realized how important it is to improve my skills to showcase a better performance truly. I’m thankful to the people around me because I received so much support all around.

Kumi: The biggest difference I felt would be my facial expressions. Initially, as a trainee and rookie, I experienced some awkwardness in expressing my thoughts through facial expressions, but I’ve become more comfortable with it now.

Sirikul: What has been the most surprising thing since your debut?

Yichan: When you’re a trainee, you’re practicing to debut and end up focusing a lot on your skills. But after debuting, you realize that’s not the only thing you have to pay attention to. There are so many different factors that you have to consider. There’s such a wide range of things I’ve had to take into consideration, like ‘how am I going to approach the fans? How am I going to be more relatable and showcase all my talents and charm the best way possible?’

Sirikul: Being a musical artist is already a lot of pressure. But because you’re from PSY’s company, P NATION, do you feel that pressure even more?

Mia: Instead of feeling some kind of pressure, it’s just about really thinking, how can I be better? How can I improve and become a better artist? When we watch our senior artists, both within the company and overall, they can captivate the audience in such an amazing way that we want to emulate that as well. We are currently in the stage of practicing and trying to learn how to captivate the audience on stage as well.

Sirikul: You guys are young. Many of you were trainees since grade school. You debuted as young teens. How do you feel about debuting at such an early age? Do you make time for yourself to just be a kid?

Beni: Because we were trainees and debuted at such a young age, we are different from anyone our age. We didn’t have that free time to play around. We spent that time practicing a lot, but because this is a dream that we’ve been striving for since we were young. Being able to practice and train brings us so much joy that this time is actually our playtime as well. So it’s just a different perspective.

Sirikul: What has been the most exciting thing since debuting?

Kumi: Because it’s my first time experiencing everything, everything just seems very surreal. If I had to choose one experience out of everything so far, it’s the fact that we went overseas with the members, met fans, realized that we have fans, and gained a fandom. It’s all just surreal. It feels like a dream.

Sirikul: When you debuted, P NATION released a mini-docuseries of your journey. What was the purpose of the documentary? What did you want to show and express from this documentary?

Mia: The documentary is like a travel log where we show our dorm and things that you can’t see on the stage. We wanted the focus [of the documentary] to be showing our natural selves and who we truly are to the fandom and the people who don’t know the group yet.

Sirikul: Beni, in the documentary, you proved Baby DON’T Cry by being the only member not to cry when you were told you were debuting. What was that like?

Beni: [laughs] I did say I didn’t cry because I am part of Baby DON’T Cry, so it was just meant to be!

Sirikul: You also mentioned that you felt like a Frog in a Well that comes out into the real world, when all they ever saw was a narrow view. Can you explain this?

Beni: I remember mentioning the frog in the well, it’s because when you’re a trainee, you’re in a space with a limited number of people who you see every day. You practice with the same people [repeatedly]. I personally thought that I didn’t lack anything when it came to practicing and talents, but after I debuted, I realized how many talented artists there are out there and how much I have to learn and improve from now on. It’s still now. It’s something I really want to strive to improve on.

Sirikul: Tell me what “I DON’T CARE” means to you.

Beni: “I DON’T CARE” is just like the title. It’s not about caring what others have to say and just striving to move forward, but rather going with what we want to do.

Sirikul: We’ve only had badass energy pop music from you guys. Are there any other genres that interest you? Are there any concepts or pieces of music you would like to explore – perhaps, different languages?

Kumi: We are definitely open to any genres. As we are still rookies, we will be open to exploring new concepts and trying out new things. But if I had to choose one specific one, a cute concept would be interesting. The fans would like to see a new side of the group.

Yihyun: I’d love to try English versions [of songs]. When I was a trainee, I studied English a lot, so it would be a perfect opportunity if we could release something in that language as well.

Sirikul: Are there any possible collaborations you’d be interested in? Dream collaborations?

Kumi: I’ve been a fan of TWICE since I was little, especially Chaeyoung. If I had the opportunity to collaborate with them, it would be the biggest honor.

Mia: When I saw f(x)’s Crystal for the first time on video, I was so astounded by her beauty that I was way too shocked. Being able to collaborate or meet her would be great.

Beni: It would be BLACKPINK’s Jennie. When I saw her stage performance, I absolutely fell in love with her. It would be a great honor to do something with her.

Yihyun: I’ve been a fan of IU since I was little, so it would be the biggest honor and opportunity to work with her.

Sirikul: Wait, weren’t you “Little IU” in Doppelgängers: You Who Resembles a Star?

Yihyun: [laughs] Yes. It would be great to see her again.

Baby DON’T Cry’s “I DON’T CARE” is available on streaming everywhere.