The group STAYC has returned with a new concept, not a teen fresh one.
STAYC (Sumin, Sieun, Aisa, Seeun, Yoon, Jae-i) will release their fifth single 'S' and the music video for the title track 'BEBE' on various music platforms at 6 p.m. on the 18th.
STAYC's comeback comes about 5 months after the release of the digital single '...!' on Oct. 30 of last year. Debuting in November 2020, STAYC has grown into a representative girl group of the fourth generation, receiving much love with their unique bouncy charm of 'teen fresh' and has released hit songs such as 'SO BAD', 'ASAP', 'Colored Glasses', 'RUN 2 U', 'Beautiful Monster', 'Teddy Bear', 'Bubble', 'Cheeky Icy Thang', and 'GPT.'
The fifth single 'S', which will be released on that day, is an album that encapsulates STAYC's new direction, and as the album title suggests, it promises a top-notch S-class comeback. Through the title track 'BEBE', STAYC will present a powerful impact to global fans, showcasing challenges, changes, and a broad music spectrum.
Q. The title track 'BEBE' sounds similar to the previously well-received 'Poppy,' doesn't it?
Sumin: The PD said, 'We need to be bold this time' and 'We should try something different,' which made me nervous. I was worried about whether we could change, but after listening to the song, I felt it was possible. It was fun preparing for it, and since it was a style we hadn't tried before, I found it enjoyable. While it has a similar feel to 'POPPY,' if 'POPPY' was lively, I think 'BEBE' is a cool song, so it might feel different.
Q. What was your first impression of 'BEBE' when you heard it?
Sumin: The introduction starting with fast rap was so fresh and impressive. I loved it so much that I wanted to sing all the parts alone, and I felt the PD was amazing.
Sieun: Similarly, the introduction was impressive, and listening to the guide, the sound stimulated my dopamine. I was curious about how it would turn out when recorded, and I was wondering what we would look like on stage.
Yoon: At that time, we were recording the included songs when the PD played it for us. I was very curious about how the title track would turn out and what style it would be. There were a lot of rap parts, which I had never done before, but I wanted to show it quickly because the introduction was good.
Q. Why did you choose to change from the teen fresh concept?
Sieun: We started preparing the album last December, and the proposal for change primarily came from the company and the PD. They suggested that we should try to change, but it felt vague, so there was some hesitation about 'Can we do this?' However, after listening to the song, I gained confidence that we could digest it well in a STAYC way. And now that all the members have become adults, we agreed to the desire to challenge a new concept, not the teenager and teen fresh image we had until now.
Q. What aspects did you focus on in the concept change?
Aisa: Since many things have changed, we thought we should change too. We considered vocal tone, style, etc., and the PD mentioned pop singer Rihanna. So, I listened to a lot of Rihanna's songs to determine my vocal tone, and I tried to find a middle ground between Rihanna and myself.
Q. The performance in the concept that isn't teen fresh has not been as expected, what do you think?
Sumin: I believe everything is a process. I don't know how the results will turn out, but I want to accept it and show new music based on that.
Yoon: Before hearing 'BEBE,' I had many worries about 'How far can we show our changed selves without it feeling awkward and be accepted?' But after listening to the song, I thought, 'This will work.' The song was so good that my fear disappeared. During the preparation process, the quality of the song, performance, and visuals improved, making me think, 'We can do this.' Also, they say there are many moving fortunes this year. That seems to be true since we are going on tour this time. So, when I asked if this album would do well, they said it would (laughs).
Jae-i: I don't know about the outcome of the album, but no matter what happens, it is just a process for us, and we still have plenty of time. I don't worry about fear of failure.
<To be continued in Interview ③.>
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