STAYC (/ˈsteɪsi/; Korean: 스테이씨; RR: Seuteissi, acronym for Star to a Young Culture) is a South Korean girl group formed by High Up Entertainment. The group is composed of six members: Sumin, Sieun, Isa, Seeun, Yoon, and J. They debuted on November 12, 2020, with the release of their debut single album Star to a Young Culture.[2]
Name
The group's name, STAYC, is an acronym for "Star to a Young Culture", and is meant to "reflect the act's aim of dominating pop culture".[3]
Prior to debut, STAYC was known as "High Up Girls", named after their company, High Up Entertainment.[5] The members, along with unsuccessful trainees Chang Chien-chien ("Lydia") and Kim Min-jung, were featured in the YouTube Originals docuseries K-Pop Evolution during the last few months of their training before debut.[6]
2020: Debut with Star to a Young Culture
STAYC in November 2020
On September 8, it was announced that Black Eyed Pilseung of High Up Entertainment would debut their first girl group, with Sieun named as its first member.[7] On October 8, High Up Entertainment announced that the group would be debuting in November.[8] Three last members - Isa, J, and Yoon were revealed via prologue films on October 12, 13 and 14 respectively. On October 22, the title of their single album was announced to be Star to a Young Culture, with the lead single "So Bad".[9] The teaser schedule was released the same day. The single album was announced to be produced by Black Eyed Pilseung, known for previous hits such as "TT", "Touch My Body", "Roller Coaster", and "Dumhdurum". The producing duo described the group's sound as "Teen Fresh", a combination of "Teen" and "Fresh", highlighting the group's "unique individual vocal colors".[10] Prior to the album's release, promotions were done through 1theK'sYouTube page. These included dance covers of groups such as Blackpink, BTS, and Stray Kids, which received over 1 million views,[11] and a vocal cover of songs by Twice and Red Velvet which received over 2 million views.[12]
On November 12, the music video for the album's lead single "So Bad" was released, receiving over 2.6 million views in the first 24 hours.[4] Their album was released on the same day, selling over 4,300 copies on its first day, the most for a debut girl group in 2020.[4] It went on to sell more than 10,000 copies on its first week, becoming the first debut album by a girl group in 2020 to do so.[3] They promoted the album through a V Live debut showcase, promoting both the lead single, "So Bad" and B-side "Like This".[13] The group made their music show debut on November 13, 2020, at Music Bank,[4] which was followed up with performances at Show Champion, Inkigayo, and The Show. The album debuted at number 17 on the weekly Gaon Album Chart. "So Bad" debuted at number 90 on Billboard's K-pop Hot 100, and number 21 on the World Digital Song Sales chart.[14]
2021–present: Staydom, Stereotype, Young-Luv.com, Teddy Bear, and Teenfresh
STAYC in May 2021
On April 8, 2021, STAYC released their second single album Staydom and its lead single "ASAP".[15] The music video of "ASAP" was released simultaneously with the album and reached 20 million views in nine days.[16] The single also entered the Billboard K-pop 100 weekly chart.[17][18]Staydom sold 56,198 copies in its first month.
On September 6, the group released their first extended play Stereotype and its lead single of the same name.[19] The music video reached 30 million views in 21 days.[20] The album recorded sales of over 114,000 copies in its first week.[21] On September 14, the group received their first music show trophy on SBS MTV's The Show with an overall score of 8,760 points.[22]
On February 21, 2022, STAYC released their second extended play Young-Luv.com and its lead single "Run2U".[23] The album debuted atop the Gaon Album Chart, becoming their first number one album on the chart.[24] The single peaked at number 4 on the Gaon Digital Chart.
On July 19, STAYC released their third single album We Need Love and its lead single "Beautiful Monster".[25] It has been announced that the group will hold their first fan meeting on August 13.[26]
On November 23, STAYC made their Japanese debut with the single "Poppy".[1][27] The single peaked at number 7 on the Oricon Singles Chart.[28]
On July 23, it was announced that STAYC would be releasing their third extended play titled Teenfresh on August 16.[34] On July 27, it was officially announced that STAYC will be embarking on their first world tour, also titled Teenfresh.[35]
^Im Mi-ji (August 16, 2021), 스테이씨, 9월6일 'STEREOTYPE'으로 컴백..스케줄러 공개 [STAYC, comeback with 'STEREOTYPE' on September 6..Scheduler released] (in Korean), Herald Pop, archived from the original on September 16, 2021, retrieved September 15, 2021 – via Naver
^Lee Ho-young (September 14, 2021). "스테이씨, 초동 기록 갈아엎어 "11만 4천 장"" [STAY breaks the Initial Chodong record, "114,000 copies"] (in Korean). MBC. Archived from the original on September 14, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2021 – via Naver.
^Hong Se-young (September 14, 2021). "스테이씨 데뷔 첫 1위→눈물 "더 열심히 할게요" (더쇼)" [STAYC's debut first 1st place → Tears "I will work harder" (The Show)] (in Korean). Sports Donga. Archived from the original on September 14, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2021 – via Naver.
^Kim, Ji-hye (February 8, 2022). "스테이씨, 미니 2집 'YOUNG-LUV.COM' 스케줄러 공개..궁금증 증폭" [STAYC, 2nd mini album 'YOUNG-LUV.COM' scheduler released..raising curiosity] (in Korean). Herald Pop. Archived from the original on February 8, 2022. Retrieved February 8, 2022 – via Naver.
^"Young-Luv.com" (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association. February 20–26, 2022. Archived from the original on March 3, 2022. Retrieved March 3, 2022 – via Gaon Chart.
^Jo, Jae-yong (July 1, 2022). "스테이씨, 7월19일 컴백 확정...로고티저 공개" [STAYC, comeback confirmed on July 19... Logo teaser released] (in Korean). Single List. Archived from the original on July 1, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
^Kim, Na-young (July 14, 2022). "스테이씨, 데뷔 첫 단독 팬미팅 개최 "8월 13일에 만나요" [STAY C holds first solo fan meeting since debut "See you on August 13] (in Korean). MK Sports. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2022 – via Naver.
^Son, Jin-ah (October 14, 2022). "스테이씨, 일본 데뷔 확정...11월 첫 싱글 발매(공식)" [STAYC confirmed to debut in Japan...First single released in November (official)] (in Korean). MK Sports. Archived from the original on October 14, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2022 – via Naver.
^Kim, Min-ji (January 18, 2023). "스테이씨, 7개월 만에 컴백 예고 "2월 컴백 목표로 준비 중" [StayC announces comeback after 7 months "Preparing for a comeback in February] (in Korean). Sports Seoul. Archived from the original on January 20, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2023 – via Naver.
^Seon, Mi-kyung (February 1, 2023). "스테이씨, 2월 14일 컴백 확정..새 싱글 'Teddy Bear' 발매" [STAYC confirms comeback on February 14..Releases new single 'Teddy Bear'] (in Korean). Osen. Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2023 – via Naver.
^Han, Hae-sun (July 24, 2023). "스테이씨, 8월 16일 미니 3집 'Teenfresh' 발매.."오렌지맛 탄산 에너지 전할 것"" [STAYC releases the 3rd mini album 'Teenfresh' on August 16.."We will deliver orange-flavored carbonated energy"] (in Korean). MT Star News. Archived from the original on July 24, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2023 – via Naver.
^Lee, Min-ji (July 28, 2023). "스테이씨, 데뷔 첫 월드투어...서울→뉴욕 11개 도시 간다 [공식]" [STAYC's first world tour since debut...Going to 11 cities, Seoul → New York [Official]] (in Korean). Newsen. Archived from the original on August 26, 2023. Retrieved August 26, 2023 – via Naver.
^Peak chart positions for EPs on the Circle (formerly Gaon) Album Chart:
"Stereotype" (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association. September 5–11, 2021. Archived from the original on September 16, 2021. Retrieved September 16, 2021 – via Gaon Chart.
"Young-Luv.com" (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association. February 20–26, 2022. Archived from the original on March 3, 2022. Retrieved March 3, 2022 – via Gaon Chart.
"Teenfresh" (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association. August 13–19, 2023. Archived from the original on August 24, 2023. Retrieved August 24, 2023 – via Circle Chart.
166,5292021년 Album Chart [2021 Album Chart] (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Archived from the original on January 7, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
7,001 / 13,0632022년 02월 Album Chart [February 2022 Album Chart] (in Korean). Gaon Chart. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
7,557 / 20,6202022년 03월 Album Chart [March 2022 Album Chart]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
6,537 / 41,510"Album Chart 2022.08 Month". Circle Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 8, 2022. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
^"週間 アルバムランキング (2021年09月20日付)" [Weekly album ranking (Dated September 20, 2021)] (in Japanese). Oricon. September 20, 2021. Archived from the original on September 15, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
^"週間 アルバムランキング (2022年03月14日付)" [Weekly album ranking (Dated March 14, 2022)] (in Japanese). Oricon. March 14, 2022. Archived from the original on September 15, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
^週間 アルバムランキング 2023年09月25日付 [Weekly CD Album Ranking for September 25, 2023] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on September 20, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
^Peak chart positions for single albums on Circle (formerly Gaon) Album Chart:
"Star to a Young Culture" (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2020 – via Gaon Chart.
"Staydom" (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association. Archived from the original on May 10, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2021 – via Gaon Chart.
"We Need Love" (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association. July 23, 2022. Archived from the original on July 28, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2022 – via Circle Chart.
"Teddy Bear" (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association. February 18, 2023. Archived from the original on February 23, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2023 – via Circle Chart.
"2020년 12월 Album Chart" [December 2020 Album Chart] (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2021 – via Gaon Chart.
"2021년 12월 Album Chart" [December 2021 Album Chart] (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association. Archived from the original on January 6, 2022. Retrieved January 6, 2022 – via Gaon Chart.
2022년 02월 Album Chart [February 2022 Album Chart] (in Korean). Gaon Chart. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
2021년 12월 Album Chart [December 2021 Album Chart] (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Archived from the original on April 8, 2021. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
2022년 02월 Album Chart [February 2022 Album Chart] (in Korean). Gaon Chart. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
"So Bad" (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association. November 22–28, 2020. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2021 – via Gaon Chart.
"ASAP" (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association. June 6–12, 2021. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2021 – via Gaon Chart.
"Stereotype" (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association. September 5–11, 2021. Archived from the original on September 16, 2021. Retrieved September 16, 2021 – via Gaon Chart.
"Run2U" (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association. March 6–12, 2022. Archived from the original on March 17, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2022 – via Gaon Chart.
"Star" (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association. May 15–21, 2022. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved May 26, 2022 – via Gaon Chart.
"Beautiful Monster" (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association. August 7–13, 2022. Archived from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2022 – via Circle Chart.
"Poppy (Korean Ver.)" (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association. February 26 – March 4, 2023. Archived from the original on March 9, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2023 – via Circle Chart.
"Teddy Bear" (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association. March 5–11, 2023. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023 – via Circle Chart.
"Bubble" (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association. September 3–9, 2023. Archived from the original on September 14, 2023. Retrieved September 14, 2023 – via Circle Chart.
^Peak chart positions for singles on RIAS Top Streaming Chart:
"Stereotype". Recording Industry Association Singapore. September 17–23, 2021. Archived from the original on September 29, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
Songs from Staydom: 2021년 15주차 Download Chart [Week 15 of 2021 Download Chart]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). April 4–10, 2021. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
Songs from Stereotype: "Circle Chart" 2021년 37주차 Download Chart [Week 37 of 2021 Download Chart]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). September 5–11, 2021. Archived from the original on September 16, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
Songs from Young-Luv.com: "Circle Chart" 2022년 09주차 Download Chart [Week 9 of 2022 Download Chart]. Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). February 20–26, 2022. Archived from the original on March 7, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
Songs from We Need Love: "Download Chart 2022 Weeks 30". Circle Chart (in Korean). July 17–23, 2022. Archived from the original on July 28, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
Songs from Teenfresh: "Download Chart 2023 Weeks 33". Circle Chart (in Korean). August 13–19, 2022. Archived from the original on September 4, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
^STAYC - SO BAD. Vimeo. MOSWANTD. November 17, 2020. Archived from the original on December 27, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
^Kim Mi-ji (April 7, 2021). "'컴백 D-1' 스테이씨, 블랙아이드필승作 'ASAP' MV 티저 공개" ['Comeback D-1' Stace, Black Eyed Pilseung's 'ASAP' MV Teaser Released]. Naver (in Korean). X-sports News. Archived from the original on April 6, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
^TEENFRESH (EP) (photobook). STAYC. South Korea: High Up Entertainment, Kakao Entertainment. 2023. Credits.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^"STAY:SEE👀". High Up Entertainment. Retrieved January 7, 2024 – via YouTube.
^Park, So-young (May 5, 2021). "스테이씨, 못하는게 뭐야?..귀염뽀짝 요가 요정 변신" [STAYC, what can't you do?..Cute yoga fairy transformation] (in Korean). Osen. Archived from the original on August 30, 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023 – via Naver.
^Jang, Woo-young (July 1, 2023). "스테이씨와 함께 떠나는 특별한 여름 휴가...'팡팡 스테이씨' 19일 공개" [A special summer vacation with STAYC..."Pang Pang STAYC" will be released on the 19th] (in Korean). Osen. Archived from the original on August 30, 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023 – via Naver.
^Kim, Chae-yeon (September 16, 2023). "'부담거래' 스테이씨, 라도와 거래 성공..셀프 제작 미니 스테이씨 탄생 예고" ['Burden Transaction' StayC succeeds in transaction with Rado... The birth of StayC's self-produced mini-series announced] (in Korean). Osen. Archived from the original on January 7, 2024. Retrieved January 7, 2024 – via Naver.
^Lee Da-gyeom (December 2, 2021). ""9개 대상 잔치"...BTS '올해의 노래'·이정재 '올해의 배우'[2021 AAA 종합]" ["Feast of 9 grand prizes"...BTS 'Song of the Year' · Lee Jung-jae 'Actor of the Year' [2021 AAA Comprehensive]] (in Korean). Maeil Economic Daily. Archived from the original on December 3, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2021 – via Naver.
^이준호·뉴진스·세븐틴·스키즈·임영웅, AAA '대상'..뉴진스 6관왕 '최다'[2023 AAA][종합] [Lee Junho, NewJeans, Seventeen, SKZ, Lim Young-woong, AAA 'Grand Prize'.. NewJeans 6 Champions 'Most' [2023 AAA] [Comprehensive]]. Star News (in Korean). December 14, 2023. Archived from the original on December 14, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
^"【APMA 2021】亚洲流行音乐大奖2021年度入围名单" [(APMA 2021) Asian Pop Music Awards Shortlisted for 2021] (in Chinese). Asian Pop Music Awards. November 30, 2021. Archived from the original on November 30, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021 – via Sina Weibo.
^Choi Ji-eun (April 27, 2021). "[톱포토] 김세정, 올킬 미모" (in Korean). topdaily. Archived from the original on May 15, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
^Noh, Yi-seul (May 2, 2022). "2PM 이준호·유재석·태연·아이유·강다니엘 등, 2022 브랜드 고객충성도 1위" [2PM's Lee Jun-ho·Yoo Jae-suk·Taeyeon·IU·Kang Daniel etc. Ranked No. 1 in Customer Loyalty in 2022]. Sports W (in Korean). Archived from the original on May 3, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
^Min, Kyung-hoon (January 27, 2022). "[사진]스테이씨,'올해의 발견 핫트랜드 부문 수상'" [[Photo] STAYC, 'Discovery Hot Trend of the Year Award'] (in Korean). Osen. Archived from the original on January 27, 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2022 – via Naver.
^Park, Dong-sun (February 18, 2023). "[CCMA 2022] 스테이씨(STAYC), 올해의 월드루키 수상" [[CCMA 2022] STAYC, World Rookie of the Year Award] (in Korean). ET News. Archived from the original on February 18, 2023. Retrieved February 18, 2023 – via Naver.
^Lee, Da-gyeom (January 10, 2024). NCT 드림, '2023 써클차트' 디지털 앨범상...올해의 가수상은 20팀(종합) [NCT Dream won the '2023 Circle Chart' Digital Album Award... Singer of the Year Award goes to 20 teams (Comprehensive)] (in Korean). Maeil Gyeongje. Archived from the original on January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024 – via Naver.
^Lee, Da-won (January 8, 2022). "이무진·스테이씨, 디지털 음원부문 수상 [골든디스크]" [Lee Moo-jin and STAYC win the digital music category [Golden Disc]] (in Korean). Sports Kyunghyang. Archived from the original on January 8, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2022 – via Naver.
^Lee, Jae-hoon (January 8, 2022). "'데뷔 동기' 에스파·스테이씨, '골든디스크어워즈' 신인상" ['Debut Motivation' Aespa STAYC, 'Golden Disc Awards' Rookie of the Year Award]. Newsis. Archived from the original on January 8, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2022 – via Naver.
^Kang, Da-yoon (January 7, 2024). '4관왕' 세븐틴·'2관왕' 뉴진스, 나란히 대상 쾌거 "거창한 상에 당당할 수 있도록" [38회 골든디스크](종합) ['Four-time winners' Seventeen and Two-time winners' NewJeans wins the grand prize "To be able to win a huge prize" [38th Golden Disc] (Comprehensive)] (in Korean). My Daily. Archived from the original on January 7, 2024. Retrieved January 7, 2024 – via Naver.
^Kim, Saet-byeol (February 11, 2023). "'한터뮤직어워즈' 개막, 김호중 2관왕으로 첫날 장식(종합)" ['Hanteo Music Awards' opens, decorates the first day with Kim Ho-joong's 2 crowns (comprehensive)] (in Korean). The Fact. Archived from the original on February 11, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2023 – via Naver.
^Kim Seon-hee (December 16, 2021). "스테이씨, '대한민국 문화연예대상' K-POP 스타상 수상" [STAYC, 'Korea Culture and Entertainment Awards' K-Pop Star Award] (in Korean). Sports Kyunghyang. Archived from the original on December 16, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2021 – via Naver.
^Park, Sang-hoo (November 26, 2022). "'2022 MMA' 임영웅 5관왕 주인공 우뚝... BTS·아이브 4관왕[종합]" ['2022 MMA' Lim Young-woong, the main character with 5 awards ... BTS, Ive wins 4 awards [comprehensive]]. JTBC (in Korean). Naver. Archived from the original on November 26, 2022. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
^Kim, Na-yul (December 2, 2023). [종합]뉴진스·NCT DREAM, 눈물의 4관왕+대상 영예..'MMA2023' 싹쓸이 [[Comprehensive] NewJeans and NCT DREAM, 4 tears + grand prize honors...sweeping 'MMA 2023'] (in Korean). Herald Pop. Archived from the original on December 2, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2023 – via Naver.
^Choi, Eun-mi (January 23, 2022). "[제31회 서울가요대상]NCT 127, 첫 대상 "오래 꿈꿔 왔다"..임영웅 '4관왕'→트롯 대세 증명(종합)" [[31st Seoul Music Awards] NCT 127, first grand prize "I've been dreaming for a long time"..Lim Young-woong '4 crowns' → Trot trend proof (comprehensive)] (in Korean). Herald Pop. Archived from the original on January 23, 2022. Retrieved January 23, 2022 – via Naver.
^"31st High1 Seoul Music Awards – 모바일 투표 현황" [31st High1 Seoul Music Awards – Mobile Voting Status]. Seoul Music Awards (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 3, 2021. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
^"U+아이돌Live 베스트아티스트상 1차 투표" [1st vote for U+Idol Live Best Artist Award]. Idol Live TV (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
^Ha, Jae-geun (April 28, 2021). "[2021 Korea Power Celebrity (40)] 슬의생·싱어게인·미나리가 낳은 라이징 스타" [[2021 Korea Power Celebrity (40)] Seul Ui-saeng · Sing Again · Minari Born Rising Stars] (in Korean). Forbes Korea. Archived from the original on April 28, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2021 – via JoongAng Ilbo.
