STAYC Gains New Wings With Full-Length Album, Metamorphic
Over the past four years, STAYC has built a solid foundation rooted in upbeat, bubbly hits. But now, they're starting to take flight.
Since their 2020 debut, the K-pop girl group's discography has been composed of songs that appeal to youth by using upbeat dance-pop and cheery lyrics, until now. Metamorphic, STAYC's first full-length album, shows them spreading their wings as they tackle a new sound. In stark contrast to their previous EP TEENFRESH, the lead single, "Cheeky Icy Thang," shows the girls embracing a new self-assured and confident attitude. Despite the shift in their music, it still has all the charm that the girls are known for. On a larger scale, the album itself is about growth.
Staying true to its name, Metamorphic is all about change as STAYC switches up their bubbly style in favor of a more understated tone. Each song has a meaningful story tied to it, whether it's about growing older, moving on from a relationship or just taking the time to enjoy being young and free while you still can. Toeing the line between familiarity and novelty, the girls undergo their sonic metamorphosis flawlessly and show that, no matter what their sound is, making music that lifts your spirits is something that comes easily to them.
Ahead of their KCON performance, we caught up with STAYC in an exclusive interview to hear all about Metamorphic, songwriting and their KCON LA performance.
Sweety High: Congratulations on your first full-length album, Metamorphic! Why do you think now is the perfect time to release a full album?
Sumin: We always wondered when it would be the right time to have our first full-length album and it felt like STAYC, as a group, had a color that the audience knows about. It felt like the right time to change up the color of our music and since we have many different songs on this album we felt like it was the right time to do it.
SH: The word "metamorphic" refers to change. How do you think you've changed and grown from your last EP TEENFRESH to now?
Sieun: We used to show our bright and energetic sides through "Bubble" and "Teddy Bear" and for the lyrics we tried to heal our audience. This time, we tried to show our mature and feminine sides. We also tried to express our icy and cool attitude and confidence. That's the difference.
SH: Can you talk a bit more about the lead single "Cheeky Icy Thang?"
Sieun: We tried to show our confidence. As the title is "Cheeky Icy Thang," we tried to express the cheeky and icy thang of us. Also, if you listen to the song I think it makes you want to catwalk down the runway. So that is why it's fitting to be a summer song.
(Photo credit: High Up Entertainment)
SH: Is there a member that you think embodies the "Cheeky Icy Thang" concept the most?
Sumin: I think Isa.
Sieun: I think J. Actually, all of us.
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SH: Since "Cheeky Icy Thang" is all about showing your attitude and girl power, what makes you feel the most confident?
Seeun: SWITH. Just the cheers and encouragement and the messages we get from the fans. It really empowers us and gives us confidence.
Sumin: To add a little bit, whenever we try new things music-wise or performance-wise, we sometimes doubt ourselves and think, "Is this the right thing to do?" But then our fans affirm us, and that gives us confidence to keep going.
(Photo credit: High Up Entertainment)
SH: The song "Stay WITH me" was written by all six members and is dedicated to your fans. How was the process of writing the lyrics specifically for your fans?
Isa: This was our first time participating in writing the lyrics so it's more meaningful that our first time songwriting was for our fans. As we were writing the song, we were thinking about the fans, so we were very happy about that. It didn't feel like work, and since we were thinking about the fans in the process, we felt very hopeful about it.
SH: Were there any difficulties with writing the lyrics, or was it an easy process?
Sieun: Actually, as this was our first time participating in the writing process. There was a given theme, which was "Wonderland," so we had to use the relationship between Alice and the Hatter in Alice in Wonderland. We tried that, but later we thought it would be better if there was no theme about the relationship between Alice and the Hatter. All of us thought that it would be better if we just focused on our fans, SWITH, and so we changed the direction a little bit and then we kept going on.
(Photo credit: High Up Entertainment)
SH: You guys are performing at KCON LA in just a few days! How are you feeling? What are you most looking forward to?
Yoon: The last time we came to KCON LA, we were able to perform on such a big stage, but since it was during a time when COVID was really severe, we didn't have a lot of opportunities to stand and perform on the big stage. We got a lot of energy the last time we came to KCON LA, and now that we're back after two years, I'm really looking forward to getting the same big energy from the fans.
SH: You just released a full-length album, have the big KCON LA performance coming up and announced a new Japanese single, "Meow." What's next for you guys?
Sumin: From the end of August to the beginning of September we have two days of fan meetings and we think we're going to have a tour soon as well. We're also preparing to release another album in the near future.
SH: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Sumin: We have the great title track in our album, but we also have 14 songs in this full-length album. We have solo and unit tracks as well, so we hope that you listen to all of these songs and not just focus on the title track.
Sieun: We missed you so much L.A! We're so happy to be here, so thank you for having us and thank you for welcoming us!
Looking for more summertime sounds? Click HERE to learn more about VALÉ's EP, under the sun.