The group STAYC is completing a brilliant growth story as it marks its fifth anniversary since debut.
STAYC (Sumin, Sieun, Aisha, Seeun, Yun, J) released a celebratory image on Nov. 12 to mark their fifth anniversary. From STAYC's signature hand gestures to greetings for fans, the members delivered pleasant energy with a refreshing yet warm team chemistry. The perfect visuals, highlighting each of the six members' distinct personalities and natural charms, prove that the label "all centers" was not applied without reason.
▲ Middle-of-the-road agency overcoming limitations and gaining footing
STAYC debuted on Nov. 12, 2020, with their first single Star To A Young Culture and their debut song SO BAD. Despite coming from a small agency, they made a strong impact at debut with addictive music, stable live vocals and powerful performance capabilities.
Their true value became evident in the subsequent parade of hit songs. By consecutively scoring hits with major title tracks such as ASAP, 색안경 (STEREOTYPE), RUN2U, Teddy Bear and Bubble, they firmly established themselves as representatives of the fourth generation. In particular, Teddy Bear rose to No. 2 on Melon's top 100 chart, an unusual achievement for a girl group from a small agency, demonstrating both popularity and musicality.
▲ Building the "teen-fresh" identity, zeroing in on the global market
STAYC built a solid musical identity in the fierce K-pop market by promoting the group's identity of "teen-fresh." The unique concept that captures the vibrancy and freshness of teenagers became STAYC's trademark, and with a bold transformation in the title track BEBE from their fifth single S, they showed an evolving teen-fresh image. BEBE was also named on Billboard's list "The 25 Best K-pop Songs of the First Half of 2025: Critic Picks," released by the music industry outlet.
Their trajectory as global artists also accelerated. Beginning with an official Japanese debut in 2022 with the single album POPPY, they solidified their position in the Japanese market with releases such as LIT, MEOW and Lover, Killer.
Most notably, last year they held their first world tour, TEENFRESH, visiting Seoul as well as seven U.S. cities, three Asian cities and four European cities, passionately engaging with local fans. After successfully completing their first world tour, STAYC is holding a second world tour, STAY TUNED, this year, touring eight Asian cities including Seoul, four Oceania cities and 10 North American cities, explosively expanding touchpoints with their global fandom. It is also rare to successfully complete two world tours in the fifth year since debut.
▲ Relentless activity, growth in progress
STAYC remained active in many areas this year. In July they showcased their summer queen side with the special single I WANT IT, and even during the world tour they took part in various festivals, photo shoots and variety shows, and published a picture book titled Dreaming Sweetland, continuing vigorous activities. Recently at the Macau global festival Waterbomb Macau 2025, they again received praise by proving their skills with unwavering live performances.
Marking their fifth anniversary, STAYC has overcome the limitations of a small agency and secured a firm position in the K-pop market through their distinct musical color and steady growth. With six distinct visuals and personalities and proven musical and performance capabilities, attention is focused on what music and stages STAYC will evolve into next and the new stories they will write with global fans.
Meanwhile, STAYC is set to release their first Japanese full-length album STAY ALIVE on Feb. 11 next year, and will sequentially release various teasers going forward.
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