This page is an English translation of the linked page below.

このページの英文は下のリンクのページの内容を翻訳したものです。

Start of translation (START OF PAGE 1 / 4)

Long interview with STAYC about their recent activities since their debut in Japan

What STAYC is aiming for after the No.1

“Teddy Bear” nurtures bonds of “Supporting Each Other”

2023.05.09 18:00

| Looking back on Japan debut with "POPPY"

---- Last time, we had you try your hand at making Amezaiku. How was it?

Sieun: It was more difficult than I had imagined! But it was a lot of fun.

Sumin: I brought it back to Korea and it is still displayed in my room.

---- If you were to do something next, what would you like to do?

Sieun: I used to go to a hot spring when I traveled to Osaka. It's a very good memory, so next time I want to go with the members. Wouldn't it be fun if we all went together?

All: Wow, Sounds good! Wanna go.

---- The editorial department will come up with a plan! First of all, let's look back on the debut in Japan last November. What are your thoughts when you look back?

Sumin: We were very happy that more people than we thought were interested. The Japanese debut song "POPPY" was an original Japanese song, however it was loved not only by Japanese SWITH (a general term for STAYC fans), but also by Korean and overseas SWITH. So I was very happy. I hope many fans will be happy with "Teddy Bear -Japanese Ver.-".

---- Did you have any fun during your Japan debut?

Yoon: We went to Harajuku to eat crepes. I found an ice cream shop before I could eat a crepe. So I couldn't help but want to eat ice cream... So while I was standing in line at the ice cream shop, the members finished eating their crepes, and I was the only one who couldn't eat a crape... So this time, I definitely want to eat crape for revenge!

Sieun: Ah~ You couldn't eat it at that time (laughs). I remember taking Purikura[sic]* pictures with all the members. The atmosphere was completely different from Korean Purikura, and it felt very fresh. The photo is of someone else (laughs). I would like to go again this time if I have time.

*["プリント倶楽部", "Print Club" in Japanese, photo sticker booth]

Yoon: Yeah, my eyes got bigger and my face got thinner.

---- Did you eat something delicious?

Sumin: Yes, Sukiyaki! It was delicious.

Isa: Takoyaki, too.

Seeun: Pudding, too.

J: Gyudon[sic]* and Tonkatsu!

*[Beef bowl]

Isa: Everything in convenience store was delicious.

Sumin: Potato snacks and Mochi.

---- You guys ate a lot (laughs). The Japanese debut song "POPPY" has been translated into Korean as a coupling with "Teddy Bear" released in Korea in February. How was the reaction in Korea?

Seeun: I'm sure that SWITH from South Korea made our debut in Japan with "POPPY" even more exciting, so I think we were able to sing "POPPY" in Korea as well. Thank you to all the fans.

Yoon: At the time of our debut showcase in Japan, the fans were still unable to raise their voices by regulation, but raising voice was allowed in Korea, so on music programs, the fans would sing along and call out. They also did the choreography. That made a big impression on me.

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| 'Teddy Bear' is a cheering song for those who listen

---- “POPPY” has become a boom with the “POPPY Challenge”, where many people upload dance videos to SNS. Not only fans but also many K-POP idols were participating.

Sumin: There were a lot of people who said they wanted to do it, so I was really happy.

---- You did the "POPPY Challenge" with SHINee's KEY, how did it come about?

Sumin: First we asked him, "Please do it together" for the "Teddy Bear Challenge”. Then he said, "Do you also want to do "POPPY" with me?” Moreover, he knew the choreography for both “Teddy Bear” and “POPPY”!

Yoon: I danced once to confirm saying, “This is how it feels”, but he said, “I know it~” and started filming right away without even practicing.

Sumin: That's right, as expected of KEY sempai[sic]*!

*[sempai (JP), sunbaenim (KO): a way of addressing someone's senior/superior/upperclass person, hereafter, it will be written as "sunbaenim"]

---- Isa and Yoon participated in KEY’s “Killer Challenge”, right? Did you practice the dance for KEY's "Killer"?

Sumin: Yes, the two of us practiced hard (laughs).

Yoon: But it was a lot of fun.

---- STAYC also participates in many other idol challenges.

Yoon: That's right. SEVENTEEN's BSS (BooSeokSoon) sunbaenim's "Fighting (Feat. Lee Young Ji)" was a choreography that I knew like KEY sunbaenim, so I was able to shoot together right away.

Sumin: When I filmed the challenge with Apink sunbaenim, there was a blackout at the very end (laughs). I remember it very well.

---- I would like to hear about your new song "Teddy Bear -Japanese Ver.-". What kind of song is "Teddy Bear -Japanese Ver.-"?

Sumin: Teddy Bear is always by our side, comforting, encouraging, and reassuring. And it is the one who gives me hope. Like a teddy bear, it's a song to support those who listen.

---- The “Teddy Bear Challenge” is also very popular. The choreography is really cute.

J: Yes! The point of the choreography for the chorus is to first rub your stomach, then bring your hands to your ears, extend your left arm, extend your right arm, and then twist your hair.

Seeun: Make your expression as cute as possible and have confidence and imitate us, you'll be fine.

---- A new MV was also produced for “Teddy Bear -Japanese Ver.-”. Do you have any episodes during the shooting?

Sumin: We was surrounded by many teddy bears in the scene where we danced on stage. It was so cute that I played with the bears during breaks and took pictures with them.

Isa: We shot a lot of different scenes, but it went pretty smoothly.

J: Yes. Ah, but there was a scene in the intro where I hit a bear made of coffee foam with a spoon, and the foam was real, and when I hit it, it disappeared (laughs). So I had to start shooting again.*

Sieun: That was real!

J: That's right.

Sieun: I didn't know, so surprised! I just found out for the first time (laughs).

---- Sieun and J's part from "no no no 悪趣味ね" [sic]* is really cool!

*["Akusyumi ne" in Japanese, "Bad taste, isn’t it?"]

Sieun: I was really worried about what kind of gesture I should use in MV. There is a scene where JJ (J) appears in the lyrics and I make a gesture to shoot J with a gun. I practiced it over and over again before filming it.

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 | I thought it was a prank to be No.1 in Korea

 ---- “Flight mode” appears in the lyrics of “Teddy Bear – Japanese Ver. –”. What smartphone apps do you usually use?

J: I love using "SNOW" for selca [sic]*. There are a lot of really cute emoticons, and there is also a game function, so I play with it in my free time.

*[selca: abbr. of "self camera", “selfie”]

Isa: I like to check fashion using the apps of various clothing stores, and yesterday I bought used jeans using the app of a select shop.

Yoon: I use game apps a lot. I've recently become addicted to truck driving games, and it's great to play them because it feels very realistic (laughs).

---- Certainly, there seems to be a sense of presence (laughs). At the beginning, you said, "Teddy bears are there to support everyone." Do you have someone as reassuring as a teddy bear?

Sumin: They are fans after all. I can't think of anything else (laughs). They support me no matter what and always encourage me. For me, teddy bears are our fans themselves.

---- What about non-fans?

Seeun: Of course, my family gives me strength, but I think the members who spend more time together than my family are the ones who support me the most.

Isa: Yes, and the staff and company members who have been with us for as long as the members are teddy bears for us.

Sieun: Maybe they are my friends. My high school friends and college classmates are very supportive of me, so it's very reassuring. For example, someone sent me a screenshot saying, "Last year, the most played singer was STAYC." They are very supportive in various ways.

Yoon: It's not a person for me, it’s music. I think that a lot of music that sympathizes with my current feelings the most encourages me.

J: My heart is in my diary. Everyday, I write about that day in my diary. I can honestly express myself in my diary... So every time I write in my diary, I feel comforted.

---- It is difficult to keep a diary, isn’t it?

J: That's right. Actually, I was tired and busy, and I stopped writing after returning home because it was troublesome. But when I started writing again last year, I woke up to the fun of writing and was able to continue writing. I write diligently every day. I sometimes look back on it.

---- With your “Teddy Bear” activities in Korea, you won 6 crowns on music programs, including your long-awaited first place on “Inkigayo”. It was more powerful than ever before.

Sumin: I thought the first place on "Inkigayo" was a prank (laughs).

Yoon: I thought, “We finally did it!” I prepared really hard and kept thinking "I want to be number 1!” So I was so happy that I cried when I won first place on “Inkigayo”.

---- Yoon was in charge of the special MC for “Inkigayo” that day, and she almost cried while doing the MC. But who cried the most was...

Sumin: J!

J: I was like, "Is this real?" I remember being very surprised. Because I really wanted to be No. 1 on “Inkigayo”. I think I burst into tears when various emotions were intricately intertwined.

--- What did you write in your diary that day?

J: I can't explain it well, but I honestly wrote down my emotions and happy feelings at that time.

Sieun: "Teddy Bear" was a cheering song to give comfort and hope to the fans, but with "Teddy Bear", on the contrary, the fans comforted us, gave us hope, and cheered us on. I think the reward for my hard work was this first place.

Isa: That's right. It's a feeling of being rewarded. Before the release, I was worried whether this song would be accepted by everyone. But I'm really happy that I was able to get 1st place!

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| May comfort and hope be given through music

---- The coupling for your 2nd Japanese single “Teddy Bear-Japanese Ver.-” is “Stereotype -Japanese Ver.-”. The original song released in September 2021 in Korea. It's a little nostalgic song, but please tell me what kind of song it is.

Sieun: "Stereotype" is a fixed idea or preconception. The theme of this song is that we should see things as they are without prejudice. By daring to look at it through tinted glasses, the song is a good example that we should not do so.

---- I would like to know if you have any episodes where you could see such an unexpected side of the members when you took off the tinted glasses.

Isa: At first glance, Yoon looks very energetic and tough, but she is actually the kindest, most tearful, and thoughtful person among the six. Isn't that a bit of a surprise?

Yoon: hehehe (shy).

Sumin: I've known Isa for a really long time, but she's actually very rough, and she drops and loses a lot of things. But it looks solid, right? I think that's a bit of a surprise (laughs).

All: Indeed (agree).

Sumin: Isa has a nickname, Maruchan.

Isa: That's a coined word (laughs).

Sumin: The word “モルチョン(Molcheon)[sic]*” in Korean means “no problem, it's okay'', but when Isa gets tired, she feels like she's not here, so she's the opposite of Molcheon, “not properly''. I created a coined word that means "マルチャン(Maruchan)[sic]*" (laughs).

*[Romanized words from Google Translation

    멀쩡(モルチョン) meoljjeong

    말짱(マルチャン) maljjang]

For words written in Hangul from the tweet by @tudou_s]

Yoon: Usually she's cool, but when she's “Maruchan”, she becomes very energetic (laughs).

Isa: The fans have been amused by such unexpectedness, so lately I've been trying to show everyone my “Maruchan” side.

---- What is the next dream for STAYC, who are realizing the singer's dream of winning first place on music programs one after another?

Sieun: I think I was able to give a lot of hope and comfort to the fans with "Teddy Bear". Through "Teddy Bear", we have many new fans. That's why I want to continue to be able to give comfort and hope to many people through music. I think this is the homework assigned to us in the future.

Yoon: My next dream is a STAYC solo concert! As a first step, we will hold our first fan meeting in July! Please come and see us!

 | STAYC's autographed checkit (instax) will be presented to one person!

[How to apply]

(1)  Follow Bezzy's Twitter account (@Bezzyjp)

(2)  RT the tweet of this article

A winner will be sent a DM from Bezzy's Twitter account.

* Also, applications will be accepted on Bezzy's Instagram account along with posting "other cut" at a later date. To enter, please follow Bezzy's Instagram account and share the "other cut" post on your story.

* Please apply only if you can contact the delivery address after winning. Personal information will not be used for purposes other than sending gifts.

* The winning announcement will be replaced with the shipping of the prize.

[Application deadline]

Until 23:59 on Monday, May 22, 2023

* You can apply as many times as you like during the period. [sic]*

*[It seems difficult to apply from outside Japan, as the entry of the address is a condition of entry.]

End of translation

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