They may be known for their cute concepts, but at their Singapore concert on Aug 16 held at The Star Theatre, it was clear K-pop girl group StayC can excel at much more.

The 2.5-hour show started with Bebe, a funky house tune with a catchy beat.

Not just a more mature sound for the sextet, the song also has a choreography that showed StayC don't need a signature move to get the audience's attention.

After introducing themselves, Sumin, Sieun, Isa, Seeun, Yoon, and J explained that they chose Bebe - released in March this year - as their opening song as it fit their concert tour theme Stay Tuned.

"We took too long to come back," remarked 23-year-old Isa.

They were last here in February 2024 for the Teenfresh tour.

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While their 2023 single Teddy Bear and subsequent album Teenfresh was bubblegum pop, their recent album Metamorphic explores new sounds and showcases a different side of StayC, and this was emphasised during the concert.

"We've 'graduated' from being teens, but we still stand for StayC (Star to a Young Culture)," said Sumin, 24, in a pre-recorded video clip.

Yoon, who was only 16 years old when they debuted in 2020, added: "We started out as adolescents and now we're becoming adults."

The 21-year-old noted that the challenge is in making small but notable changes and breaking down the walls they've built, and while watching them perform, I felt they've succeeded in this.

Much like the title of their recent album, it felt like they went through metamorphosis with each performance - their concert was arranged in a way where they'd perform sets of songs belonging to one genre, and the next set would have a completely different vibe. This highlighted their versatility well.

StayC girls it’s goin’ down! The girls are here at The Star Theatre ❤️#STAYC #스테이씨 #STAYCinSINGAPORE #STAYTUNEDinSG pic.twitter.com/fRb6Pzqebb

— AsiaOne (@asiaonecom) August 16, 2025

They also performed songs which displayed, in my opinion, their strong suit - live singing.

While their stable vocals were louder and clearer than the backing track in every performance - even dance-heavy tracks like their newly released single I Want It - I enjoyed moments when they slowed things down and allowed the audience to just enjoy their singing.

Their unit performances showcased each member's vocal colours well, but a crowd -favourite and one I too personally enjoyed was when all six of them sang Young Luv.

Hearing 24-year-old Sieun's clear and lovely voice sing "I'm sorry for my young love," transition to J's deep vocals was pleasing to my ears, to say the least.

"I want to show that StayC has no limits, that we are capable of all of this. Like, 'StayC has this side too?'" said the latter - the youngest member of the group who turns 21 in December - during a pre-recorded clip.

Sieun believes StayC has "infinite potential": "Our spectrum is limitless, and we have so many different paths to explore. I don't want to set any boundaries."

StayC pranking Sumin

The members were just as entertaining during their talking segments, often responding to loud fans who screamed from the audience seats.

Isa said she found out during the soundcheck that many fans didn't eat prior to the concert, and Yoon adorably asked: "Did you makan (eat) already? What food do you want to makan?"

One fan cheekily yelled: "StayC's love!" which they acknowledged and laughed over.

Sumin shared a funny story about the members pranking her during their Sydney stop.

In one part of the choreography for Asap, a member does an impromptu dance move while the rest follows. The member and dance move changes at every tour stop.

In Sydney, Sumin ran to the corner but to her surprise, the members stood still and laughed.

It was also Sumin's turn in Singapore and Yoon said she texted the group chat the night prior: "She said, 'You guys will follow me tomorrow, right? I'm so worried I can't sleep.'"

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It seems they spared Sumin this time, because when she did a ballerina twirl for her part in Asap in Singapore, the members swiftly followed.

The last song before the encore was the one that stuck with me most.

It brought back vivid memories of where I was during StayC's debut - it was released towards the end of the first year of the Covid pandemic, and when I was cooped up at home, So Bad was a song I looped endlessly.

As someone who listens to more girl groups than boy bands in the K-pop scene, at the time, StayC's sound felt fresh and new to me.

So when the beginning of So Bad played, I couldn't help but scream the opening lyrics with the fans: "StayC girls, it's going down!"

There were multiple times throughout the concert where I thought, "Ah, this is what girl groups are about. This is K-pop." This was one of those moments where I felt that the most.

Hearing 22-year-old Seeun's iconic "Geuge joha (I like that)" was truly a full-circle moment for me and made up for me missing their stop here last year.

During one of the video clips, Sumin said she's curious to find out what they'll make out of their potential, and so am I. I'm looking forward to seeing what's next for StayC.

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syarifahsn@asiaone.com

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