RAERAE REACTS · BABYMONSTER · PERFORMANCE VIDEO
BILLIONAIRE: BABYMONSTER Invested Everything in the Groove and the Fringe
This is confidence music without a bank statement. BABYMONSTER is not singing about cash so much as the physical feeling of having enough nerve, enough style and enough control to walk into the room like the room owes interest.
Overall vibe
Dark R&B-pop, restrained percussion and a groove that refuses to hurry. “BILLIONAIRE” feels like walking through a party after deciding everybody already knows your name. It is less aggressive than BABYMONSTER’s usual entrance music, which lets the members perform confidence instead of shouting it.
The hook vibe
The hook works because it is almost conversational. The repeated billionaire idea is simple enough to become a slogan, while the low-slung rhythm stops it from turning into a children’s chant. This is one of those hooks that gets better when your shoulders learn it.
What I love
- The groove: nobody races the beat. The members sit behind it, which makes the track feel heavier.
- Rora’s tone: her warmer vocal color belongs in this song like it paid rent.
- The formation changes: the choreography keeps rearranging wealth and attention instead of parking one center in front.
- The fabric: black-and-white styling with red accents could have been another YG uniform. The moving skirts turn costume into choreography.
- The restraint: the video trusts a hand clap, shoulder roll or direct stare to carry a moment.
What annoys me
The lyrics live in BABYMONSTER’s familiar confidence neighborhood. Feeling rich, being untouchable, walking like the prize—none of that is wrong, but the group visits this address a lot. I want one more oddly specific image, private joke or character detail that only this song owns.
I also wish the edit held certain full-body shots longer. YG promoted the choreography as the reason for the video, then sometimes cut away when the formation had finally finished explaining itself. The later choreography version helps, but I should not need a second upload to see the best eight-count.
Lyrics: the money is a metaphor
The song’s wealth language is emotional. The members are not presenting investment portfolios; they are treating self-worth as an account nobody else can empty. The hook—“feeling like a billionaire”—works because the fantasy is bodily. You do not need the money. You need the walk.
That is also why the track connects beyond literal luxury. Fans use confidence songs as portable armor. BABYMONSTER gives them a phrase simple enough to carry into school, work or the terrifying five seconds before pressing Send.
Video presentation: flamenco vocabulary without a costume-pageant mess
YG’s official report identifies flamenco-inspired movement in the palmas-style hand clapping, shoulder work and skirt manipulation. The performance does not pretend to be a traditional flamenco piece. It borrows recognizable movement vocabulary and folds it into a modern group routine.
The strongest choice is the fabric. Wide skirts create ripples around grounded footwork, making small turns look larger without drowning the members in scenery. Red accents puncture the monochrome frame exactly when the song needs heat. No gold throne appears to yell “money” at us. Thank you.
Choreography and the people behind it
YG said the performance was directed under executive producer Yang Hyun-suk, with Sienna Lalau and three additional choreography teams contributing. That many hands can create a committee-shaped routine. Here, the central idea stays readable: wealth as posture, control and space.
Sienna Lalau’s influence makes sense in the heavy upper-body accents and formations designed to read on camera. The choreography is not about cramming difficulty into every beat. It is about making synchronization look expensive.
Member moments I kept rewinding
| Member | Why the camera works |
|---|---|
| Ruka | Her control makes the slow groove look deliberate, never sleepy. |
| Pharita | Elegant lines and a cool expression sell the luxury fantasy without mugging. |
| Asa | She finds tiny rhythmic edges inside a smooth track. |
| Ahyeon | Her power is restrained enough that the release feels earned. |
| Rami | Full vocal body and a gaze that holds the frame steady. |
| Rora | The tone and styling make this one of her natural lanes. |
| Chiquita | Youngest-member brightness sharpened into something more dangerous. |
RaeRae take
“BILLIONAIRE” is proof BABYMONSTER does not need to throw every available skill at the wall. The song asks them to sit in a groove, and the video lets attitude become the special effect. I love it more every time I watch because the performance gets quieter instead of smaller.
My complaint remains the writing. These girls have personalities, trainee histories, sibling chaos, languages and opinions. Give the confidence songs one or two lines nobody could hand to another YG group. The bodies are already making it personal; let the words catch up.