BABYMONSTER released the digital single “DESERVE” and its official music video on October 23, 2026 at 1 p.m. KST, four months after the group’s previous release, according to The Korea Times and KpopOfficial. The slow-tempo track arrives in the middle of the group’s second world tour, “CHOOM.”

Key facts

• Release: Digital single “DESERVE,” out October 23, 2026 at 1 p.m. KST (KpopOfficial).
• Sound: A slow-tempo song that YG says carries “more intense energy than any song released so far” (Kyunghyang Sports).
• Video: The official MV went live on BABYMONSTER’s YouTube channel at 04:00 UTC, the same moment as the audio release.
• Next: A full-length album is planned for early next year, and the tour resumes in Bangkok in November (The Korea Herald; The Korea Herald).
• Not yet confirmed: Official chart results for “DESERVE” had not been published at the time of writing.

What BABYMONSTER Released: DESERVE Release Time and Format

“DESERVE” is a digital single, not an EP. KpopOfficial lists the title track alone, with the rest of the tracklist still marked as to be announced, and the single is available on Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube Music.

In other time zones, the 1 p.m. KST release landed at 12 a.m. ET and 9 p.m. PT on October 22 for US fans, and at 5 a.m. in the UK on October 23. The video premiered on YouTube at the same time as the streaming release.

YG Entertainment first announced the single on October 14. Executive producer Yang Hyun-suk confirmed the date on YG’s official website and described the song this way, as quoted by Kyunghyang Sports: “The new track ‘Deserve’ is a slow song, but it has more intense energy than any song released so far.”

The Korea Times reports that the track pairs soft, delicate vocals with powerful, explosive ones. That is a notable choice for a group whose recent releases leaned on hip-hop attitude and dance-heavy performances.

The DESERVE Music Video: Teasers and First Look

The campaign was built around a stripped-back look. The Korea Times describes the teaser poster as black and white, with blurred title text on a torn-paper background, a more vintage and raw feel than the group’s earlier dreamy teasers.

In the days before release, YG also rolled out MV still cuts of individual members. allkpop covered the final batch, featuring Pharita, Chiquita and Ahyeon.

YG’s own thumbnail for the video shows a member mid-motion against a night sky streaked with sparks, with a bus in the background. The imagery is darker and more cinematic than the pastel visuals of earlier eras, which matches the monochrome direction of the teasers.

A second upload, titled “‘DESERVE’ M/V OUT NOW,” appeared on the channel seven minutes after the main video. It works as a short announcement clip for the release.

DESERVE Chart Record and MV Views

The one hard number available on release day comes from YouTube. According to the channel’s public feed, the main MV had 5,636,430 views at about 12:00 UTC on October 23, roughly eight hours after it premiered. The short “OUT NOW” clip stood at 266,736 views at the same check.

Those counts change by the minute, so they should be read as a snapshot, not a final tally. They also arrive without chart context yet: official first-day streaming and chart placements for “DESERVE” had not been published when this article was written, and we are not reporting any ranking we could not verify.

For scale, BABYMONSTER’s catalog already carries heavy YouTube numbers. The Korea Herald reported on October 20 that the performance video for “We Go Up” passed 200 million views, the group’s 11th video to reach that mark and its fourth dance video to do so, after “Like That,” “Sheesh” and “Drip.”

The same report notes that the “We Go Up” EP, released in October 2025, sold more than 550,000 copies in its first week. That is the commercial baseline a slower, single-format release will be measured against, although a digital single is not directly comparable to an album’s first-week sales.

Background: Why DESERVE Matters for BABYMONSTER

The single arrives while the group is on the road. The Korea Herald reports that the “CHOOM” world tour spans 31 concerts in 18 cities across five continents, and that BABYMONSTER is preparing a new album for early next year. Our earlier coverage of the tour’s opening is here: BABYMONSTER launches CHOOM world tour with three sold-out Seoul concerts.

The release also sits inside a larger YG calendar. We previously tracked the label’s plan in YG Entertainment’s 2026 masterplan, which pointed to BABYMONSTER and TREASURE comebacks and new group debuts. On October 14, Yang said a five-member boy group and a four-member girl group are being prepared, with no confirmed launch date, per The Korea Herald.

There is a same-day storyline as well. Kyunghyang Sports framed October 23 as a face-off between YG’s senior and junior acts, because BLACKPINK’s Lisa released her solo mini album “Press Play” on the same day. We cover that release in LISA PRESS PLAY EP: Tracklist, Tarantino Music Video and Everything to Know.

For a look at how this era began, see BABYMONSTER drops CHOOM with ten choreography teams and a four-MV summer rollout.

How Fans Are Reacting

We could not verify a representative sample of fan posts or YouTube comments on release day, so we are not quoting any. What the numbers show is early, heavy traffic: more than 5.6 million views on the MV in about eight hours.

Critical reaction is already mixed. A review on The Bias List says the group “pulled things back for a ballad” and praises the drama of the song, but argues that the tempo shifts never go beyond “a canned stomp” and calls the melody “as dull as can be.” It is one reviewer’s opinion, and the review scored the track 7 out of 10 across its categories.

Expect the picture to sharpen over the next few days as streaming, chart and comment data accumulate. We will update coverage when verified results are published.

What’s Next for BABYMONSTER

• Tour: BABYMONSTER returned to Korea after a show in Jakarta and will resume the “CHOOM” tour in Bangkok in November, per The Korea Herald.
• New album: YG’s Yang Hyun-suk says a full-length album is targeted for early next year (The Korea Herald).
• YG label mates: TREASURE will release the digital single “Shock” on November 2, according to The Korea Herald.

No other BABYMONSTER release dates have been confirmed. The group’s channel is the best place to watch for follow-up content such as a performance video.

FAQ

What time was BABYMONSTER’s DESERVE released?

“DESERVE” was released on October 23, 2026 at 1 p.m. KST, which is 04:00 UTC and 12 a.m. ET, according to KpopOfficial. The music video premiered on YouTube at the same time.

Is DESERVE a full album?

No. It is a digital single, according to The Korea Times. YG says a full-length album is planned for early next year.

What does DESERVE sound like?

YG’s Yang Hyun-suk calls it a slow song with more intense energy than anything the group has released, per Kyunghyang Sports. The Korea Times says it pairs delicate vocals with explosive ones.

Where can I watch the DESERVE music video?

The video is on BABYMONSTER’s official YouTube channel, and it is embedded above. You can also open the official music video directly.