Winter is a quiet time for the Korean Pop industry. With the holiday season in December and Lunar New Year preparations being top priority in January or February (depending on what day the holiday falls upon), artists spend most of their time relaxing at home with their family.Â
When festivities are done with, the industry comes back in full swing, and companies rush to get their artists booked for the hottest shows and promotional programs.Â
Right now, the roster for February is packed (and don’t even get me started on March). One artist who recently came back this month is STAYC, an up and coming girl group from High Up Entertainment.Â
High Up Entertainment is a fairly new music label. According to “Yonhap News Agency,” the label was launched by Black Eyed Pilseung, a duo responsible for producing and writing some of the most popular songs in K-Pop. The company was created in partnership with CJ E&M, one of the biggest entertainment and mass media companies in South Korea.Â
STAYC – whose name stands for “Star to a Young Culture” – are Black Eyed Pilseung’s biggest artist. They’re regarded as a driving force among the fourth generation of girl groups, and have won a number of major awards.Â
Since their November 2020 debut with the single album “So Bad,” the group has released a second single album – “STAYDOM” (2021) – and one extended play (or “mini album” in South Korea) – “STEREOTYPE” (2021). Now, with the release of their second extended play “Young-Luv.com,” STAYC have more music under their belt.Â
Released on February 21st, the album consists of six tracks including the title track “RUN2U,” which was written and produced by Black Eyed Pilseung. The music video features the members of STAYC – Sumin, Sieun, Isa, Seeun, Yoon, and J – in a chic, colorful world, showcasing their talents with confidence.Â
Despite “RUN2U” being sonically different to their previous tracks “ASAP” and “STEREOTYPE,” it still has STAYC’s signature “Teen Fresh” (as Black Eyed Pilseung describes it) sound. “RUN2U” is fun, upbeat, and refreshing, and showcases STAYC’s vocal and dance talent with ease.
The rest of the album is also stellar, and is likely STAYC’s best work to date. Highlight b-sides include “Young Luv,” which has a bit of a pop-punk, teen angst vibe; “Same Same” a sweet song reminiscent of Ariana Grande’s earlier works; and “I Want U Baby,” a chill, slow song which highlights the member’s vocal power. All of the songs on “Young-Luv.com” are stellar, though, and at least one will appeal to someone.
Overall, I’d have to give “Young-Luv.com” a positive review. Despite only being a two year-old group, STAYC have proved they’re a force to be reckoned with. I can’t wait to see where they go from here.