M.O.N.T (
Korean: 몬트) is a South Korean
boy band 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 show Mix Nine. They released the mini-albums Going Up and Awesome Up in 2019.
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 (나라찬;
lit. a person possessing a sincere heart), Roda (로다;
lit. a long-awaited child), and Bitsaeon (빛새온;
lit. a new and big light).[1] M.O.N.T released the
future R&B-
dancehall single "Sorry" on May 21, 2017, a pre-debut release.[2] The members competed separately on
JTBC's survival reality show Mix Nine.[3] Following their stint on the program, the group held music concerts abroad for the following year.[4] 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.[5] They held an album showcase on the same day.[6] From March to May, M.O.N.T embarked on a world tour, where they performed in 16 cities across 11 countries.[7]
In midst of the
Japan–South Korea trade dispute, M.O.N.T's music video for the patriotic single "대한민국만세" ("Daehan Minguk Mansae") was uploaded in 2019, two days ahead of
National Liberation Day of Korea.[8][9] The lyrics, which utilize pure Korean words, were written by the members and reference
territorial dispute over the Liancourt Rocks between South Korea and Japan. They were the first
idols to film a music video on the
Liancourt Rocks, a group of
islets known as Dokdo in the
Korean Peninsula.[10] The profits earned from the song via online music stores were donated to "descendants of those who have made contributions to the nation".[11] On October 24, one day ahead of "Dokdo Day", the trio released "The Korean Island Dokdo", followed by its music video.[12]
In 2020, M.O.N.T announced a project called "M.O.N.T. Arena", where they plan to 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.[13] On January 31, 2021, rapper Beomhan was unveiled as the first new member of M.O.N.T. Arena.[14]
M.O.N.T issued their second mini-album Awesome Up! and accompanying single "Rock Paper Scissors" on August 25.[15] Roda designed the artwork on the album's jacket photos.[16] In November, Bitsaeon announced his mandatory military enlistment.[17] During Bitsaeon's absence in 2021, members Roda and Narachan both released solo songs "Anxious" and "Beautiful Sunday", respectively. On April 30, the pair also released the single and music video for "Bottle".[18] At the same time, Narachan also announced his mandatory enlistment to begin in May 2021.
^Ha, Seong-in (May 20, 2017).
신예 아이돌 'MONT' 첫 티저 발표. Gukje News (in Korean).
Archived from the original on October 26, 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
^
abKim, Ha-jin (January 4, 2019).
몬트, 오늘(4일) 데뷔곡 '사귈래말래' 공개…3인 3색 청량美. 10asia (in Korean). Korea Entertainment Media.
Archived from the original on April 13, 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
^Lee, Ji-seok (May 14, 2019).
몬트, 독도서 항일 MV 촬영…독도 수비대 협조 속 진행. Sportsseoul (in Korean).
Archived from the original on November 2, 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2019.