M.O.N.T is a South Korean idol group signed to FM Entertainment. They originally debuted as a trio with leader Narachan, rapper Roda, and main vocalist Bitsaeon. In 2017, M.O.N.T released the digital single "Sorry" and were contestants on JTBC's survival reality showMix Nine. They released the mini-albums Going Up and Awesome Up in 2019. M.O.N.T began its transition into a nine-member group the following year.
History
M.O.N.T is an acronym for Member of National Team, indicating their ambition to become a representative of K-pop. The group consists of three members native to Ganghwa Island. They employed pure Korean words as stage names: Narachan, Roda, and Bitsaeon. M.O.N.T released the future R&B-dancehall single "Sorry" on May 21, 2017, a pre-debut release. The members competed separately on JTBC's survival reality show Mix Nine. Following their stint on the program, the group held music concerts abroad for the following year. M.O.N.T released their first mini-album Going Up and lead single "Will You Be My Girlfriend?" on January 4, 2019, marking their official debut. They held an album showcase on the same day. From March to May, M.O.N.T embarked on a world tour, where they performed in 16 cities across 11 countries. In midst of the 2019–2020 Japan–South Korea trade dispute, M.O.N.T's music video for the patriotic single "Daehan Minguk Mansae" was uploaded two days ahead of National Liberation Day of Korea. The lyrics, which utilize pure Korean words, were written by the members and express anti-Japanese sentiment. They were the firstidols to film a music video on the Liancourt Rocks, a group of islets under a territorial dispute between South Korea and Japan. The profits earned from the song via online music stores were donated to "descendants of those who have made contributions to the nation". M.O.N.T issued their second mini-album Awesome Up! and accompanying single "Rock Paper Scissors" on August 25. Roda designed the artwork on the album's jacket photos. The trio released "The Korean Island Dokdo" one day prior to Dokdo Day, followed by its music video on the holiday. Beginning in 2020, M.O.N.T will add six new members and form three teams with distinct genres and concepts. Between the teams, the members can form a separate unit consisting of two to nine people. On January 31, rapper Beomhan was unveiled as the first new member.
