K-pop girl group STAYC releases newest EP 'Teddy Bear'

K-pop

Published: 14 Feb. 2023, 19:19 Updated: 14 Feb. 2023, 19:29

K-pop girl group STAYC releases newest EP 'Teddy Bear'

K-pop girl group STAYC performs the title track of its new EP "Teddy Bear" during a showcase held on Tuesday at the Yes24 Live Hall in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul. [NEWS1]

Girl group STAYC released its new EP “Teddy Bear” during a showcase at the Yes24 Live Hall in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul, on Tuesday.

The six members of the girl group — Soomin, Seeun, Isa, Sieun, Yoon and J — performed the new title track "Teddy Bear" during the showcase and talked about how the song is the two-year-old girl group's attempt to return to "teen fresh" music. Teen fresh is a genre coined by the girl group and their fans — an upbeat teenage pop beat.

“While we showed a more mature side of the group with the previous album 'We Need Love' (2022), 'Teddy Bear' returns to the identity of STAYC as a kitschy song full of positive energy,” said Isa.

The title track “Teddy Bear” is produced by B.E.P (Black Eyed Pilseung), a renowned K-pop producing duo and founder of the girl group’s agency, Highup Entertainment. B.E.P is also known for having produced most other songs by the group, including: “So Bad” (2020), “ASAP” (2021), “Stereotype” (2021), “RUN2U” (2022) and “Beautiful Monster” (2022).

Another song included in the EP is “Poppy (Korean Ver.),” also produced by B.E.P, which was released in advance on Feb. 3. The song is the Korean version of STAYC’s 2022 Japanese debut hit song of the same title. The song was used in the popular “Poppy Challenge” on social media, which became a hit among K-pop artists.

“We released the Korean version of ‘Poppy’ early since Korean fans wanted a Korean version of it, and we wanted to send our Korean fans the same energy [that the Japanese fans received] after listening to the songs. I hope you enjoy both of our songs,” said Soomin.

“We also saw all the ‘Poppy Challenges’ done by all the K-pop artists. We thank everyone who participated in the challenge. Watching them, they were all so cute,” Yoon added.

Sieun also said the group will keep an eye on its new “Teddy Bear Challenge.”

When asked about the group’s ambitions and resolution as one of the leaders of fourth-generation K-pop, members remained humble.

Soomin told reporters that she and the group always hope to stay healthy, while Yoon said STAYC wants to always show the kinds of music that only STAYC can pull off.

The girls also talked bluntly about the pressures they felt while creating a new EP.

“I would be lying if I said we had no pressure while preparing for the album. The thing I learned is that, as an artist, there is no avoiding the pressure, as you always want to strive to do your best. But as we focused on the messages we wanted to convey in our songs and performances, our burdens decreased,” said Seeun.

The members described the title track as a song that comforts busy people in the modern era, as the lyrics, “we are all new to this life, there's no correct answer to it” show. That part was also Soomin's and many other members’ favorite line from the song.

“I hope people can take comfort in our songs. We, too, will cheer up and try our best this year” concluded the leader, Soomin.

STAYC stands for “Star to a Young Culture,” striving to be stars of K-pop that lead the culture of the younger generations. The girl group debuted in 2020 with “So Bad,” achieving notable music video views for a group produced by a smaller agency. Since then, STAYC has released multiple hits, including “ASAP” (2021), “Stereotype” (2021) and “RUN2U” (2022), with the latter receiving the group’s first win on a public TV network’s weekly music program.

Girl group STAYC poses during a showcase for its EP ″Teddy Bear″ on Feb. 14 at the Yes24 Live Hall in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul. [HIGHUP ENTERTAINMENT]