With just minutes left to go before STAYC made their Singapore debut, there was an air of excitement within The Star Theatre.
As familiar songs from the K-pop act, such as 'Bubble' and 'Teddy Bear', were blasted through the venue's speakers, STAYC's fans, known as SWITHs, could be heard doing their own vocal warm-up in preparation for the two-and-a-half hour show that lay ahead.
Singing along to the tracks and shouting out STAYC's name with much gusto, they charged up the atmosphere of the venue as they declared their love for the girl group.
So loud was this community of SWITHs that if one had not paused to quickly scan The Star Theatre, one would not even have noticed that only the first floor and small balcony sections of the second floor of the 5,000-capacity space were utilised for the evening.
📸 ❥･•💖
— STAYC(스테이씨) (@STAYC_official) February 16, 2024
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STAYC 1ST WORLD TOUR
[TEENFRESH] in Singapore#STAYC #스테이씨 #TEENFRESH pic.twitter.com/CHOe9v6ZNG
From their pre-show behaviour, it was clear that the crowd that had gathered to watch the STAYC bring their 1ST WORLD TOUR [TEENFRESH] to SINGAPORE to Singapore on 16 February had waited a long time to celebrate the group's music with Sumin, Sieun, Isa, Seeun, Yoon, and J. And all that was left to do was get the party started.
After the six members emerged on stage for their opening number, 'SO BAD', lead vocalist Yoon's rallying cry of "Say what?" was met with a resounding recitation of STAYC's famous catchphrase, "STAYC girls, it's going down!" And so began a special evening that neither STAYC nor their SWITHs would forget.
Pop perfection
One thing that even neutrals have to admit is that STAYC have put out some of the most irresistibly catchy numbers since they entered the K-pop world in 2020. After making a strong impression with their debut title track, 'SO BAD', they proved that they were not a one-hit wonder by following up on it with songs such as 'ASAP', 'STEREOTYPE', and 'RUN2U'.
While a huge amount of credit has to be given to STAYC's production team, which includes production and songwriting duo Black Eyed Pilseung, Jeon Goon, and more, for its knack for creating earworms, it's hard to imagine the songs having the same impact that they have had without their six performers.
Throughout the show's 21-song setlist, the group always looked comfortable as they switched from one concept to another. For their more mature numbers, such as 'SO BAD', 'Beautiful Monster', and 'YOUNG LUV', STAYC brought just the right amount of vulnerability to their singing and dancing to match their slightly heavier themes without bringing down the mood of the crowd.
'YOUNG LUV', in particular, stood out because of how well it showcased the singing abilities of STAYC's members. In the absence of choreography and with the spotlight (literally) on them, they told a heart-rending story of the troubles that come with young love by bringing together their different vocal colours — from the bright, powerful vocals of Sieeun and Yoon to the distinctively deep voice of J.
When it was time for STAYC to bring out the more light-hearted songs in their catalogue, such as 'Poppy', 'ASAP', and 'SO WHAT', the High Up Entertainment act charmed the crowd with radiant smiles on their faces as they moved on stage with a noticeable spring in their step. If you were having a bad day or week, this was the perfect pick-me-up.
Given that STAYC are only in the fourth year of their career, it is exciting to see what else this potent partnership between them and their production team has to offer going forward.
Forever young
As their name, an acronym for Star to a Young Culture, suggests, STAYC consider themselves to be the leaders of the youth. And as they had done before in the earlier legs of their tour, they showed SWITHs in Singapore what being youthful truly means.
Although concert-goers of different ages — from teenagers to working adults — were present, the show that STAYC always felt inclusive. The group's message to the crowd, even though it was not explicitly mentioned, was that being young has more to do with how one chooses to live life rather than one's physical age, life stage, or outward appearance.
During their performances of '247' and 'SAME SAME', members Sieun and J showed SWITHs the importance of finding joy in the little things as they enthusiastically played rounds of rock paper scissors with fans on the second floor's balcony. The former, the group's main vocalist, could even be seen doing a gleeful little hop after emerging victorious.
With effervescent 'Bubble', the girls taught everyone that perhaps the best thing to do when others try to tell you who to be is to playfully telling them that you will "punch [them] like an 808" and that their "naggings are bubble, bubble, bubble", all while doing cutesy dance moves. Talk about killing them with kindness.
Similarly, with 'Teddy Bear', they showed that the trick to dealing with negative comments and the expectations of others is as simple as ignoring them and continuing to live the way you have been living. And with a fun dance performance filled with teddy bear-like belly rubbing, marching, and bouncing, STAYC showed SWITHs that when the going gets tough, the best person to call upon might just be the child within them.
My love, my life, my beginning
Instead of having a one-size-fits-all gift for every leg of their TEENFRESH tour, STAYC have opted to make sure that each group of fans would receive something tailor-made.
During their concerts in the United States last year, they put their own spin on American singer-songwriter Miley Cyrus' 'Party in the USA'. And at their more recent Taiwan engagement, they surprised fans with a cover of Taiwanese band 831's '想見你 (Miss You 3000)'.
For their Singapore stop, STAYC chose to treat SWITHs to a rendition of singer-songwriter Sezairi's love ballad, 'It's You'. Released in 2018, the track went on to make history by becoming the first single from a Singaporean to reach 100 million streams on Spotify. Since its launch, it has also gone on to be certified 6x Platinum in Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia and Gold in Taiwan.
The group acknowledged how big of a song 'It's You' is while telling those in attendance about it, and even shared that they were hesitant to recommend it to their fans via social media before the concert as they were afraid of ruining the surprise.
With soaring high notes and euphonic harmonies, Sumin, Sieun, Isa, Seeun, Yoon, and J put a uniquely STAYC touch on the song while also showing plenty of love to its original version.
Should the girls have any doubts about whether or not they did a good job, they can rest knowing that Sezairi himself has given their rendition his stamp of approval.
Its popularity aside, 'It's You' was the perfect surprise inclusion on the evening's setlist in that it encapsulated STAYC's loving relationship with their fans, who have been journeying with them since the very start.
"I sang the song thinking about you," Sieeun told SWITHs after the cover.
Referencing a memorable line from 'It's You', she added: "Singapore, you're my love, my life, my beginning."
2024 STAYC 1ST WORLD TOUR [TEENFRESH] in SINGAPORE setlist
1. INTRO + SO BAD
2. RUN2U
3. Poppy
4. YOUNG LUV
5. COMPLEX
6. Not Like You
7. STEREOTYPE
8. Teddy Bear
9. LOVE
10. 247
11. LIKE THIS
12. [COVER] It’s You
13. BEAUTIFUL MONSTER
14. Bubble
15. I LIKE IT
16. SO WHAT
17. Flexing On My Ex
18. ASAP
19. SAME SAME
20. SLOW DOWN
21. Bubble (Band Ver.)
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