STAYC delivers bubblegum pop perfection in Toronto
The band stopped by Toronto for their first-ever Canadian tour stop on October 23
(Photo credit: High Up Entertainment)
What does it mean to sound like K-pop? That is a question I’ve been asking a lot recently. As the genre and industry (and one can argue it’s more of a business than a sound!), continues to veer more towards the west, you can also hear that impact on the music being released.
From afrobeats, trap to hyperpop, K-pop songs are taking inspiration from these genres all while becoming shorter in length and incorporating way more English phrases. Even much of the songwriters tapped to write K-pop songs come from the west. And like much of the pop music scene, songs today tend to gear towards viral success that would transfer well for social media trends. While I love and appreciate cross-global collaboration, I have wondered if the experimental nature of what made earlier iterations of K-pop interesting to listen to is getting lost in the mix.
One could argue though that the K-pop girl group STAYC has strived to maintain some of the nostalgia of the past. At least, that’s how I felt after I saw the girl group play their first-ever Canadian show at The Theatre at Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto.
STAYC is a girl group that debuted in November 2020 by High Up Entertainment, with their name standing for Star to a Young Culture. The group describes their signature sound as “teen fresh”, which is designed to give off a bright and positive energy to listeners. STAYC’s hits like “ASAP” and “Poppy” are perfect examples of this distinctive bubble gum pop sound.
The “teen fresh” sound of STAYC is due to the magical touch of the duo Black Eyed Pilseung (made up of Radio and Choi Kyu-sung), best known for iconic hits like TWICE’s “LIKEY” and “FANCY”, SISTAR’s “Touch My Body” and Apink’s “I’m So Sick.” The pair have helped popularize the girl crush concept in K-pop through creating songs that celebrate femininity, confidence and fierceness. STAYC are the first group produced by Black Eyed Pilseung. However, it will be interesting to see what STAYC’s musical future will sound like, as Black Eyed Pilseung has since broken up due to differences in artistic directions.
Musical future aside, I can honestly say I haven’t had so much fun at a K-pop concert in a while. Don’t get me wrong, all K-pop shows are fun due to the sheer spectacle of it all—from costumes, choreography to production. But there’s a real playful energy to STAYC’s performances. Every move and every song felt like a jubilant celebration. The screams for hits like “Cheeky Icy Thang”, “Teddy Bear” and “Stereotype” also reverberated across the arena. Not to mention, I particularly found satisfaction chanting the band’s signature line: “STAYC girls, it’s going down!”
(Photo credit: High Up Entertainment)
STAYC also took time to showcase their separate personalities through a series of sub-unit and solo performances. Sieun, Seeun and J showcased their chemistry in a track called “Find.” Isa showcased a more sensual side during a solo performance for “Roses.” While Sumin and Yoon embraced their close friendship in the pop-rock track “Fakin’”.
The band also delivered several sweet moments to their fans when the six members returned to the stage. During “Bubble”, they shot bubbles into the audience. And during the encore, STAYC delighted the crowd by greeting them directly in the pit, all while completing hand hearts with fans.
There was also a lot of sincerity amongst the STAYC members, who mostly opted to speak in their native Korean to express how they truly felt about their fans, known as SWITH. With Toronto being the final stop of STAYC’s [STAY TUNED] North American tour, it was evident how emotional each of the members felt about reaching the end of a gruelling schedule. In the middle of the performance, Yoon even burst into tears.
“I wanted to make sure I enjoyed [this tour] as much as I can,” says Sieun, who took the lead in addressing the crowd in mostly English. “I wanted to make sure I communicated more with you guys.”
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STAYC fans also loved hearing the band give shout outs to Canadian staples like Tim Hortons and Beavertails, with the members even taking a crack at Canadian slang like “Eh?!”
Despite the joyful energy on stage, the experience down on the floor was at times less than stellar. It was difficult to see the stage in the crowd (which surprisingly had a lot of tall men). At times, this caused people to lift their arms high up to film the stage, blocking people’s views. And during the first part of the show, people blocked the aisles just to get a better glimpse of the stage.
(Photo credit: Samantha Lui/Bunni Pop)
This could be due to the fact that that STAYC’s production team did not bring a camera to film what was happening on stage, so people further away could not see the members up close on screen. Sometimes, it was also a challenge to see which member was speaking. Despite this, STAYC manage to work the crowd, and the energy inside the Great Canadian never faltered.
Going back to my earlier points about STAYC’s signature bubbly sound, I have always felt that this group is underrated. In five years, STAYC has delivered a slew of great hits—despite the fact that the K-pop industry continues to get more competitive and oversaturated with groups. But while bubble gum pop and sweetness has become STAYC’s signature style, I will be curious to see how the band evolves moving forward as they continue to mature as performers.
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You deserve so much more omg I don't know how more kpop fans haven't found you yet!! <3