STAYC gearing up for another success after ‘Teddy Bear’

K-pop girl group STAYC, known for its usual bubbly and bright style and image, has named its third EP “Teenfresh” to highlight its trademark concept.

The album is set to come out at 6 p.m. Wednesday and has six tracks — including lead single “Bubble,” “Not Like You,” “I Wanna Do” and “Be Mine.”

It marks the first release from the group in six months since its successful fourth single album, “Teddy Bear,” which was released in February.

“The album features songs of STAYC’s trademark genre, ‘teenfresh,’” vocalist Sieun mentioned during a media showcase for the EP held in Seoul a few hours before its release. “You can feel our positive energy and unique color.”

“Bubble” is a cheerful song with a synth bass sound and an addictive hook. It encourages listeners to disregard the opinions and words of others by comparing them to bubbles that will disappear soon.

The track performed during the media showcase had a somewhat similar melody and positive message to the band’s previous hit, “Teddy Bear.”

“Many people told us that they found comfort in ‘Teddy Bear,’ but, in fact, we were also comforted greatly by that song,” she said. “After discussing with our producer, we decided to do a bright song with a positive message, which we excel at.”

However, “Bubble” is more refreshing and dynamic than the previous hit and carries a summery and festival-like vibe, as explained by rapper J.

The new EP also includes an English version and a sped-up version of the Korean-language song “Bubble.” Yoon, one of the vocalists, mentioned that the English version was tailored for the group’s international fans and their upcoming world tour.

She added: “The most challenging aspect of singing the English song was the pronunciation. Since we’re not entirely familiar with the pronunciation, careful listeners might notice some awkwardness. Nevertheless, we would greatly appreciate your understanding.”

This marks the group’s first inclusion of a sped-up version on an album.

“Nowadays, (TikTok dance) challenges are often used for marketing and promotion, so this version could be utilized for such purposes. When I listened to albums by various artists and found ‘sped-up’ or ‘slow’ versions included, I thought it would be a nice addition for us,” Sieun said.

When the promotional activities for the new album are over, the sextet will embark on the first world tour since its debut in 2020.

“Since this is our inaugural world tour, we are very excited and eagerly anticipating it. We hope that STAYC can experience growth once again through this tour,” she said.