‘I‘m not the me you knew before, Brand New Sound♬’. Somehow I feel like I have to sing Girls’ Generation‘s ‘Oh!’. STAYC, who have been showing off their bright and refreshing charms while promoting themselves as ‘Healing Idols’ ‘Teen Fresh’, have returned with a completely new look. Zero humor. They have ‘darkened’ with a cold, sharp, and even more solid appearance. What on earth has happened to them in the past 5 months?

“We wanted to boldly show a new side of ourselves. The vocals, performance, costumes, and even facial expressions have all changed. We took on the challenge with the mindset of ‘It has to be bold enough to surprise people’.”

It started with the company’s suggestion. The right time was 2025, five years after their debut, when all the members would be in their 20s. At the crossroads of choice, STAYC jumped in with their whole body. There were concerns that we would lose our existing ‘healing idol’ image, but we confessed that our curiosity and sense of challenge, thinking “it would be fun”, were greater.

“It wouldn‘t be fun if we only showed our bright and cute sides. We wanted to boldly change while we were at it. While working, I felt like we were showing the real us. Not the STAYC that the public sees, but our honest selves as we are. I’m excited and looking forward to sharing our changed music (Sumin).“

“At first, I was worried if it would be okay, but when the PD played the song for us the next day, I thought, ‘I think we can do this.’ It was so much fun taking on the challenge, and I want to show you guys soon. Expectations are high (Yoon).”


The 5th single ‘S’, which will be released at 6 p.m. on the 18th, is STAYC‘s new album released in about 5 months since the digital single ‘... l (dot dot dot)’ in October of last year. STAYC, who were loved for their signature lovely and kitschy charm in their previous album, have announced a drastic change in visuals this time. They released the black-and-white ‘STAYC 2025’ on the 2nd, garnering attention with their intense and sensual video and stimulating the expectations of K-pop fans.

I was really happy to hear the reaction, ”‘STAYC has turned dark’. I was glad because I thought, ‘The public has felt the change’ ‘They felt it boldly’.“ I had previously shot pictorials with various concepts, and I practiced different genres of songs as a trainee, so I was half-confident if I could approach this new change. The response was bigger than I expected, so I thought it was a success (Sieun).”

The title song ‘BEBE’ is the track that most perfectly captures STAYC’s change. It contains the desire to break away from the ‘me’ that only shows the image that others want, and reveal the ‘real me’ hidden within. They broke away from the prejudices and stereotypes that the public had, and added sensual charm with STAYC’s true image. STAYC also tried vocal transformation by studying Rihanna and Jennie’s singing styles. They all expressed high satisfaction and looked confident.

“Our stage mindset has also changed. When we do a lovely and cute stage, our very existence feels lovable and cute. Now, I think ‘we’re cool.’ I gained more confidence in wanting to show a cool side of myself (Se-eun).”

“In the past, there was a theme of ‘I can express it like this’, but this song feels limitless. It feels like the range of expression has expanded. I think both the broadcast and the stage will be fun, so I’m looking forward to it (Aisa).”


Then, how much of a synchronization rate do you think the confident speaker in ‘Bebe’ and the actual members have?

“I think it’s half and half. They both have a lot of self-confidence and believe in themselves, but they’re not characters who wear tight dresses to parties. Haha. They have a lot of self-esteem, but they’re not bold people (Yoon).”

“I’m 100%. I studied a lot to get rid of my cute image. It feels like I’ve found a new me, so I think it fits the lyrics well (Sumin).”

“I think it fits the lyrics well too. It‘s a desire and an appearance that’s inherent in everyone. There are times when you hold it back because you can‘t express it. ‘Bebe’ is a song that contains the message of loving yourself first rather than focusing on the voices of haters (people who are jealous, envious, and slanderous). I think not only me, but everyone has a desire deep down in their hearts to love and think only of themselves (Si Eun).”

We also asked them if they are affected by haters or malicious comments. Contrary to their fragile appearance on the outside, STAYC seemed quite strong on the inside. They also expressed their gratitude, saying that it’s possible because they have each other and their fandom, SWITH, who protect them.”

“I think if you only hear bad things, you only think about them and put yourself down. I try to keep people around who say positive things to me and listen to their advice a lot (Se Eun).”

“I talk to the members a lot. We encourage each other and get through this together (Soomin).”

“More people than I thought looked favorably on us. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bad comment. (Even if there are,) I don’t really care. It’s a waste of time to only hear good things (Aisa).”

“Even if there are thorns, I tend to acknowledge words that I think will be helpful. However, I don’t let words that I don’t understand affect me. I don’t have to be swayed by them. It’s not hard because we have reliable members. Most of the bad things we say are fought by our fans. I thought I should work harder so that I don’t have to fight like this (Yoon).”


StayC also left open the possibility of a teen fresh concept. This album is a change, but it is also an expansion of the spectrum.

“We might come back with another cute song. You really never know. Don‘t worry. If we felt like it didn’t fit or there were awkward parts, I would have been anxious, but we also felt that we fit well. I gained confidence. It feels like the second act has opened after shedding (Yoon).”

“There was a time when we worried a lot about our identity. The conclusion is, ‘Let‘s believe in the current STAYC.’ I think it’s important to keep moving forward without stopping or setting limits (Sieun).”

“It feels like STAYC has another new story. It‘s a concept we’ve never tried before, and the members are having fun. I think it will be another memory for us and for Sweet. We don‘t know what direction we’ll go in or what kind of music we‘ll do in the future, but we want to be a group that lasts a long time (Sumin).”

Following the release of their album, STAYC will be holding a Seoul concert on April 12th and 13th at the Olympic Hall in Olympic Park, Seoul, to kick off the 2025 STAYC Tour ‘STAY TUNED’. The concert sold out as soon as tickets went on sale, proving the hot interest and ticket power of global fans toward STAYC.

“We put a lot of effort into directing this concert. We had fun doing it, and I think the fans will have fun watching it. As a tip, there were songs we couldn’t show at the last concert, but I‘m happy that we’ll be able to show the songs the fans want this time. I hope you look forward to it a lot (Se-eun).”

Jung Hee-yeon, Donga.com reporter shine2562@donga.com
Photo courtesy of High Up Entertainment

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.