At STAYC’s Texas Return, Their Bubblegum K-Pop Gets a Bit Too Sweet

We’re watching one of the members of STAYC admit that she loves ChatGPT.

First, she asked the crowd if they liked using ChatGPT, which was met with a mixed reaction and mostly boos. After she was caught off guard, another member told her, “Only STAYC GPT,” a reference to the song they just performed, “GPT,” which centers on an unresponsive crush.  

To save herself, she told the crowd she asked ChatGPT: “Will Irving SWITH enjoy this night? Will Irving SWITH like STAYC’s concert?” After asking the AI chatbot this question, she says it replied, “Oh, the people are so hot and energetic!”

The crowd was instantly back on her side. “And wow, now I’m thinking, ChatGPT is quite smart,” she said.

By this break in the show, we’re almost 20 songs into STAYC’s Stay Tuned tour stop at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory on Friday. Where we were seated in our section, a teenage SWITH (the name of their fandom) has been screaming at the top of her lungs all night. At first, it was funny, as we shared laughs with two people behind us every time she screamed for every song and every dance move. Fans should be enjoying themselves and expressing their delight, but we did notice her shrieks went from endearing to so frequent that people behind us moved from their seats closer to the front. They got a better view of STAYC anyway.

The hysteria of STAYC – an acronym for Star to a Young Culture –  is unlike any of the other K-pop acts we’ve seen so far. The group, consisting of six members (Sumin, Sieun, ISA, Seeun, Yoon and J), has been around for five years since their formal debut in 2020. They’re signed to High Up Entertainment, formed by Black Eyed Pilseung, a production duo known for hit songs such as Miss A’s “Only You” and TWICE’s “Like Ooh-Ahh.” Their first tour came to Dallas in 2023. At the time, their Teenfresh EP was out, pushing the concept of bringing forth the confidence of teenagers with a contemporary flair. 

Two years later, they’ve returned to Texas on a second world tour with an even bigger fanbase willing to pay VIP tickets for soundcheck and stand in long merch lines. Each of their faces was on pickets of red and white hearts. They were selling an official tour baseball jersey for $105, a wise move to have fans wearing their own uniforms instead of figuring out a Texas Rangers collab. This was a leap for STAYC, as nearly every seat in the standing room-only area was full.

The STAYC universe is futuristic and aesthetically pleasing to the eye. We’ve covered a few K-pop shows to know how the night will go. They’ll play a few songs, address their fans, do some outfit changes for more stages, talk some more, tease an encore and close it out with a reflection on how the night went. It’s a two-to-three-hour marathon of visual and live engagement, meant to create a connection with their fans and introduce themselves to new ones, which was many in attendance when they polled the crowd.

But if you aren’t a SWITH who is consuming everything and feeding off the sheer excitement of seeing your idols in person, a STAYC show can drag along in certain areas. Five songs in (Opener “Bebe,” “1 Thing,” “Poppy,” “Beautiful Monster” and “Cheeky Icy Thang”), there were already two breaks to talk to the crowd, asking if they enjoyed the songs and if we were having fun. They spoke to us in very generic pleasantries, even though they tried to make it unique to Irving. We wouldn’t have known if they said these exact same sentences in another city.

The sound of their crowd wasn’t as loud as first, as many watched them do their choreography on their initial songs. Maybe we just had a quieter group of fans, but our area had people mostly wanting to take videos of their performances. It didn’t last long, as barking increased with volume as the night went on.

In the section where they had unit and solo stages, this was where they loosened up a bit and their individuality shone. This was the best part of the show, seeing the chemistry between Sieun, Seeun and J in “Find,” the strong case of ISA doing contemporary R&B in “Roses” and the tenderness of Sumin and Yoon holding each other in “Fakin’.” They got a loud pop when they reunited for “Young Luv.” The crowd was enjoying these performances just as much as we did.

Later in the show, after shooting bubbles from a bubble gun to “Bubble,” a video played of them showing what they were like as “poppy seeds.” We saw photos of them when they were younger, learned a bit about their personalities and the dream jobs they wanted growing up. They spoke about the potential of STAYC, that it was limitless and had no boundaries. They were curious about how far they could go, excited to share new sides they’re exploring with their fans. The “metamorphosis” came when they broke out of their shells and turned into their current selves, with fairy wings to match.

STAYC is a group of artists building an audience through their sweetness and being near and dear to their fans. It’s common in K-pop for the artists to create close relationships with their fans, but we have to talk about how tuned in they are to their niceness. We probably didn’t need a long lead-up for an encore or asking the crowd for food recommendations, which will almost always be Buc-ee’s if they’re in Texas. Some parts of the show could be edited for better pacing.

Performing catchy songs like “Run2U,” “ASAP,” “Teddy Bear” and their big hit “So Bad,” we know they’re a cute group to follow and their potential for mainstream popularity is high. For “Gummy Bear,” the lights went up and they shocked the crowd as they walked through the sections in the pit area, completing hand hearts with fans and singing the song as they returned to the stage.

Surprisingly, nobody rushed towards them or tried to get in their way, showing a level of respect that was admirable. They got back on stage to do one final recap of the night, promising fans they’ll come back with “better music and better performances.” They sat down in chairs with what looked like towels in their laps, a cozy spa time to take turns speaking, getting instant feedback and sharing how grateful they were that Irving had made another unforgettable memory for them.

It didn’t matter how late it was on Friday, SWITH knew the next song. It was “Stay WITH me,” a song dedicated to their fans as a gift for their continuous support over the years. The song signifies togetherness, seen in the photo we took with them Friday night (one was the “Gummy Bear” pose) and in the amount of people who stayed with them until the end.

Sweets can be bad for you when consumed in excess. With STAYC, staying in the same sugary soundscape could restrict their evolution. We’re eager for their next phase, hoping they deliver music with a healthier amount of substance that we can chew on for years to come.