GRAND UPDATE: STAYC

It has been a really a long while since we put something up here in this space. Numerous comeback eras have come and gone, and new groups have sprouted up all over the place like mushrooms. Though it was never our aim to write about absolutely everything that happened in the world if K-pop, I still feel inclined to fill you in on the news so far about particular groups that caught our fancy, hence the grand update.

 

Yes, this is what they look like now.. Crazy what almost a year's worth of experience can do.. 😲

It is presently less than a week to go before the first debut anniversary of STAYC (debut date: 11/12/20). Since I first wrote about them earlier this year, they already had a pair of successful comebacks, taken home their first music show wins, and bagged a ROTY award.. There's quite a bit of material to cover, so let's get started:

Coming at the heels of one of the most solid kpop debuts I have ever seen (with SO BAD), STAYC then released the viral hit ASAP in April which quickly became a sensation on tiktok due to the catchy chorus and the now-famous "kneading dance"

Yeah, you could smell the tiktok potential from a mile away 😝

However, despite the response and the subsequent boost in STAYC's popularity, ASAP failed to earn the girls their first win on any music show. I would admit that the song did not really appeal to me at first, and I thought that SO BAD was way better. Perhaps I'm not really a fan of hook songs? I dunno. I liked Cherry Bullet's Love So Sweet though, but I digress. 😅

The STAYDOM single contained 4 songs, namely: ASAP, a soulful melody called LOVE FOOL, the TAK remix of SO BAD, and a nifty little B-side called SO WHAT.

Not to be confused with the LOONA title track of the same name 😅

Could they be anymore different? 😅

So at that point in time, STAYC's discography was still quite thin.. a total of 6 tracks across 2 singles, and one of them was a remix. Be that as it may, I noticed that all of these tracks were actually quite good! This is a fresh change from the typical music release where companies and artists stuff their albums with a bunch of filler b-sides just to make the quota. The STAYC girls meant business, and I was overjoyed when I heard that they would be having their second comeback by September..

Needless to say, the trailer got me hyped up!

 

 Seeing the promotional images and video for the upcoming STEREOTYPE album created a lot of buzz among the SWITH community. I personally felt (and worried) that STAYC would go the schoolgirl route that GFriend took, and since they were just finding their identity at this point, being associated with the concept of a just-disbanded GG with millions of grieving fans across the globe is one can of worms that you would like to avoid. Luckily, my feelings were reassured when I heard the audio teasers.. My goodness, these girls can SING! 😲

And the visuals are stunning too! 😍

I mean, seriously, look at these cuties! 😀

 

At last they came out with an EP, this one again containing 4 songs, STEREOTYPE, COMPLEX, I'LL BE THERE, and SLOW DOWN which I now consider as the best B-side I have ever had the privilege of hearing (at least, until the next album comes out 😅). True to form, ALL tracks on this album are bops! No fillers here!!

 

I thought it was incredible by itself as an audio track, then the dance practice dropped, making things a million times better! 👍

SLOW DOWN is definitely worthy of the title track position alongside STEREOTYPE, with amazing choreography to boot!  However, STEREOTYPE is the obvious sentimental choice, as it was recently revealed that the members that the song was given to them by BEP soon after their final selection as STAYC. They had kept this ace hidden up their sleeves for so long, and the payoff was just tremendous! I have never followed a rookie comeback this closely before..

 

The styling for this era was just impeccable

Choreography on point

They weren't shy about having fun in the process either 😅

So yes, STEREOTYPE was an incredible track, with STAYC's amazing vocals, an impressive music video, and tons of promotional support that even landed them a stint on Weekly Idol, where they were more than willing to try their hand at the famous "Random Play Dance".

The STAYC girls have finally arrived. It is definitely going down.. 😎

As the promotional cycle wore on, SWITH were treated to various content releases like the practices and other behind-the-scenes stuff usually (but not exclusively) associated with the STAY:SEE videos uploaded to their Youtube channel. It was among one of these interviews when Isa revealed that they pretended they had won first place in one scene in the MV to achieve the intended effect.

This one 👆

 

Which then made things all the more meaningful when this happened on September 14, 2021, a day that will forever be etched in STAYC history, and in the hearts and minds of SWITH everywhere:

STAYC FIRST MUSIC SHOW WIN!!!!! 🎉🎉🎉

STAYC was able to earn their first-ever music show win on SBS MTV The Show, beating out the recently viral and highly addictive Talk and Talk by Hybe girl group fromis_9. Needless to say, the girls were pretty emotional during the encore stage..

As a fan, it felt extremely satisfying to see leader Sumin proudly holding her first trophy 😢

Indeed, the STAYC girls have truly arrived, and they did it just 10 months after debut. I am fully aware that other groups have achieved this milestone faster, but that does not diminish the fact that this is a remarkable achievement in itself. In fact, the BUDDY in me can't help but feel that these girls may be the second coming of GFRIEND to this generation.. Unless you count the "mysterious upcoming super-rookie group" VIVIZ, which already has a packed schedule, a loaded discography, and years of experience, all before even having a schedule or teaser for their debut! 😅 But that's a story for another day. 😜

STAYC later on revealed that they had received an award from Hanteo which certified that the STEREOTYPE album had already sold more than 100 thousand physical copies within the first week of release.

The STEREOTYPE juggernaut didn't stop there, as the girls went on to win at two other music shows, but unfortunately the girls were unable to perform during the said programs and were thus unable to receive the trophy and have their encore stages. These wins were:

MBC Show Champion - September 15, 2021. The above picture was from their appearance the following week (210922) when they were finally able to receive the trophy

 

September 16, 2021 - M Countdown. They don't appear on M Countdown though, so there is no trophy shot. Rumor has it that it's because BEP has beef with Mnet, but I dunno..

But wait, there's more! 

STAYC received the Female Rookie of the Year Award (Next Leader Award) at 2021 The Fact Music Awards

All these accolades, and the year isn't even over yet! 😁

I didn't even include the new endorsement deals and magazine interviews anymore, as that would already take too much of my limited time. 😅 Perhaps at another opportunity then.

It really pleases my SWITH heart that HighUp went the way they did with this promotional cycle, putting the spotlight on STEREOTYPE (which the girls have been itching to perform since debut) that gave them the best chances of coming out on top (which they did 🏆🏆🏆), but at the same time putting adequate emphasis on one of the strongest B-sides that I have ever heard in quite a while (SLOW DOWN). I love how the girls are being managed, and I love how every move seems very calculated and well thought out. Though it may have been tempting to put out an entire truckload of low quality content at the start just for the sake of getting any sort of recognition, they chose to slowly bide their time and build up the fanbase and public opinion gradually and organically. I hope the BEP boys continue along this path, as STAYC seems to be a very strong player in the industry in the years to come.

Furthermore, I would like to commend the choreographers for putting a priority on member visibility rather than forced symmetry. It is as if HighUp said "to hell with symmetry, we want our girls to be SEEN"

I really love the fact that they make it an effort to sing live every time. Instead of seeing it as the artist flexing their capabilities, I look at it as giving the audience an authentic performance that will be unique every time. Please allow me to explain:

Let's face it, nobody can expect any group to always perform live with the absolute same vocals for every stage, especially when talking about idol groups that have such complicated and active choreographies. People get tired and may lose wind while moving, or may be in poor condition due to the lack of sleep from the previous day's schedules, and that's perfectly okay. As a result of their singing live, each performance will inevitably have its own little nuances like a bit of heavy breathing here, or a slight voice crack there, and again, that's totally fine and normal.

As an audience member, I would look at it as the artist being honest with me by giving me the complete performance right then and there, thus making it worth the time (and money for concerts) that I spent to watch them, especially if you get to see the actual stage in person.

A point of debate for some of the (presumably younger) SWITHs is the fact that the girls are not allowed to have their personal phones until they win during a major broadcast program (namely MuBank, Inkigayo, and Music Core). A lot of kids are reacting that HighUp was being too cruel. Well, here's my two cents on that:

This may be my age talking, but it is not really that big of a deal. I'm sure this is part of HighUp's way of protecting the girls from online hate (which is just crazy nowadays, especially for celebrities in korea). The last thing you'd want is your budding artist to suddenly get shocked and depressed because of undeserved negativity. Too many a$$holes online lately. They should be focusing on improving their craft and getting better with every stage, not worrying about what some random nutjob in a dark basement might think. Let us also bear in mind that the maknae line are still minors, and that the members are collectively still quite young. It is very easy to get swept away by your emotions at that point in time.

My guess is that this rule was actually for the long game, and the HighUp people were not expecting STEREOTYPE to blow up the way it did, hence the need to rephrase the rule (some people were commenting that they had already won on some shows, so why don't they still have their phones?). My speculation is that they wanted to give the girls their phones back once they were veterans already (2-3 years?), and would be able to handle criticisms better since they would already have a ton of experience by then (and thus would be less prone to self-doubt).

As an additional note, I seriously doubt that Sieun's dad, having so much industry clout, would just sit idly by if he felt that his daughter (and 5 other adopted daughters apparently) was being unfairly deprived of something essential for contact with the family.

The longer I stay a SWITH, the more I am confident that I chose to support the right group of this generation, and I find myself excited while waiting for what they would come up with next. 😏

*For the sake of stanning simplicity, I have chosen to align myself totally with only one fandom per generation. I still support the other artists, but only the selected would be able to command my full attention.

- B. Oppa