BABYMONSTER’s Rora Captivates Global Fans with Haunting Bridge Performance of ‘Psycho’ at 2025 SBS Gayo Daejeon

YG Entertainment’s multinational girl group BABYMONSTER delivered a show-stopping set at the 2025 SBS Gayo Daejeon on December 25, with their debut broadcast performance of the B-side track Psycho emerging as a viral highlight. Among the group’s seven members, Rora (born Kim Chae-rin) stunned audiences and critics alike with her intense delivery of the song’s bridge section, which has since become a focal point of fan discourse and short-form video recreations across social media platforms.

Held at the Incheon Inspire Arena, BABYMONSTER opened their performance with the upbeat title track We Go Up from their second mini-album, showcasing synchronized choreography and powerful live vocals. The mood shifted dramatically as the stage transitioned to Psycho – a song centered on embracing individuality and celebrating the “unconventional” parts of oneself, per the track’s official theme.

While all members delivered polished performances (notably Asa’s dynamic rap sequence where she tossed and caught her microphone mid-verse), Rora’s segment in the bridge stood out for its theatrical intensity. Performing alongside Chiquita, who opens the bridge with the line “Can you see it?”, Rora followed with the haunting lyrics: “Two moons reflected on the river are you and me / As if tonight is our last night / Let’s go crazy”.

Her delivery was paired with dramatic facial expressions ranging from subtle smirks to wide, eerie grins that mirrored the song’s mysterious aesthetic. Stage lighting, designed with deep blues and flickering amber hues, cast long shadows across the stage, amplifying the scene’s cinematic quality. According to behind-the-scenes content released by YG Entertainment earlier this month, Rora spent weeks refining her expressions to align with the track’s narrative, working closely with performance directors to balance vocal precision and visual storytelling.

Within half a day of its release, the official video of BABYMONSTER’s Gayo Daejeon stage surpassed 1 million views on SBS’s YouTube channel, eventually topping 1.94 million views as of December 27 – ranking first among all performers at the event. Clips focusing solely on Rora’s bridge performance have garnered an additional 800,000 views across fan accounts and social media platforms, with hashtags like #RoraPsycho and #BABYMONSTERPsycho trending in 12 countries including South Korea, the United States, Thailand, and Japan.

Fans and netizens praised her maturity beyond her years, with one comment on TheQoo reading: “She’s only 17, but she performs like a seasoned actress – every glance and inflection feels intentional.” Music critics have also noted how her performance elevated the song’s emotional core, with industry publication K-Pop Herald describing it as “a masterclass in concept execution that solidifies BABYMONSTER’s reputation for versatile stage presence.”

This milestone builds on the group’s streak of successful year-end performances: their 2024 Gayo Daejeon stage also topped view counts, and their 2025 Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) special stage of Golden ranked first in YouTube views among all performances at the ceremony.

Following their Gayo Daejeon appearance, BABYMONSTER will continue their BABYMONSTER (Love Monsters) Asia Fan Concert 2025-26 tour, with shows in Bangkok on December 27-28 and Taipei on January 2-3, 2026. The group has also hinted at new music in early 2026, with YG Entertainment confirming that they are in the final stages of recording for their next release.

“We put our hearts into every detail of this performance, especially Psycho, because we wanted to show a different side of ourselves,” the group shared in a post-show statement. “Rora worked so hard to bring the bridge to life, and seeing fans respond this way means the world to us.”