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Behind the Music: The Audio Engineer

February 14, 2023

The music industry is a place full of musicians, producers, and creators who have the magical ability to make those perfect sounds we hear everyday through our digital devices. We want to listen close

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Koji Kondo: Nintendo’s Melody Maestro

February 14, 2023

What do popular video games franchises Super Mario, Legend of Zelda, and Star Fox all have in common? They were all produced and published by Nintendo, and the iconic music themes that you hear in...

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Taylor Swift on Industry Sexism and Music Rights

February 8, 2023

Being a successful woman in the music industry is no easy feat. Not only do they deal with the typical trials and tribulations of being a musician, but there are also gender-specific challenges.

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What’s the Ideal Length for a Single— Are Songs Getting Shorter?

February 8, 2023

“Is it just me, or are songs getting shorter these days?” This is a question I have often pondered, especially in the last few years. It appears that in the era of social media, attention spans are

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SG Lewis: Who Is He - and What’s Next For This Rising Star?

February 6, 2023

SG Lewis (Samuel George Lewis) is a rising star in the dance/electronic music realm. He is a DJ/producer turned singer-songwriter, and is known for his disco-inspired, transcendent sound. He routinely

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Lessons to Learn From the Launch Of Sam Smith’s “Unholy”

February 4, 2023

Sam Smith just released their new album “Gloria” on the 27th of January. As described by Pitchfork, “Gloria flips between hyperpop, country, dancehall, disco, 2-step, and intimate, Kehlani-esque R&B”.

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Are Virtual Idols the Future of Music?

February 5, 2023

Virtual reality and the metaverse have become popular topics in the music industry where more and more technology and music have been combined, creating something that could revolutionize the entire

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Grammy Awards Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical: The Category Songwriters Deserve

February 5, 2023

The 65th annual GRAMMY Awards are here, and there's a long-awaited addition to the awards. This year marks the introduction of a new category: the Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical Award. For all

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How Zach Bryan’s Authenticity Makes His Music So Appealing, Even to Non-Country Fans

January 31, 2023

Zach Bryan released his first album in 2019, and in the short time since he has become one of the biggest names in country. His biggest album, “American Heartbreak”, broke single-day album streaming

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Miley Cyrus is Going to Take Over Pop in 2023

January 31, 2023

Miley Cyrus was born into the music industry, and has spent her career channelling her Nashville and Hollywood roots into a diverse discography stacked with hits. Add to that countless covers that are

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Why This Pop-Rock Band Got Hate For Starting On YouTube

January 31, 2023

Before the invention of TikTok, many music artists gained popularity through YouTube. However, similar to the TikTok stars of today, people in the music industry saw ‘YouTube bands’ as lesser because

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Will Google End Work for Music Creators with their New Music AI?

February 1, 2023

Google has done it. They have created an AI that can generate music from text descriptions. The announcement of this is timely because recently Chat GPT, (a language learning model created by OpenAI

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STAYC’S YOUNG-LUV.COM -- defying genres and taking over the world

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Photo: High Up Entertainment, STAYC(스테이씨) 'RUN2U' MV

It’s been two weeks since STAYC’s third mini album release YOUNG-LUV.COM, and we took this time to soak it all in and live our daydreams vicariously through this album. YOUNG-LUV.COM gives us that familiar STAYC flair, while also being ambitious with new sounds that are confident and punchy, and we’re here for it.

After a quick rise to stardom with their debut EP STAYDOM, and second release STEREOTYPE, STAYC (otherwise known as Star To A Young Culture) makes their 2022 return with their third mini-album, YOUNG-LUV.COM – a collection of six songs about love and being in love, ranging from edgy and vibrant in RUN2U and YOUNG-LUV, to upbeat bubble gum R&B in SAME SAME, 247, and BUTTERFLY.

Leaving behind their iconic “STAYC girls, it’s going down!” catchphrase from their previous albums, YOUNG-LUV.COM shows listeners a more mature side to the Gen-Z group, showcasing the strength in each of the girls’ talents and a shift towards power vocals and R&B, while still keeping true to their roots in pop.

Photo: High Up Entertainment, STAYC(스테이씨) 'RUN2U' MV

Opener RUN2U closely follows the familiar formulas of viral hits ASAP and STEREOTYPE we all know and love – a funky build up that leads to a simple but unique catchy chorus, a punchy bassline, and meaningful lyrics that inspire us all to believe in ourselves and our passions.

SAME SAME is a sweet, dream-like pop love ballad that perfectly embodies the feeling of having a crush – oh, the days of passing by them in the halls just to get a glance, being shy to speak up, and hoping they’ll make the first move. Their angelic harmonies throughout the song feel like a daydream, coupled with the lighthearted melody and the trap-esque beat, STAYC’s R&B era is here and we’re all here for it. STAYC says all the words we wished we could, and did I mention, it’s the only song in this entire album we get a “STAYC girls, it’s going down!”

247, BUTTERFLY, and I WANT U BABY share a lot of the same R&B elements, but their vocals are definitely the showstopper of these songs. Something we’re noticing about this new R&B era is that the member’s vocals are more of the focal point in this album, and we’re hoping to see more of this from their future releases. Their harmonies work together perfectly in tandem and show how in sync the group is with each other. I WANT U BABY shines especially with its futuristic 808 drumline underneath its melody reminiscent of Y2K pop and R&B.

Title track YOUNG-LUV separates itself from each of the songs with its strong guitar and bassline, and groove that feels inspired by the 80s yet at the same time, like the early 2010s. It’s a side of STAYC that feels more grown-up and we’re so ready to see these girls continue to flourish!

For all lovers of STAYC’s previous albums and for newcomers to the K-pop world, their third mini-album YOUNG-LUV.COM is a must listen, and a great introduction into K-Pop, with its R&B elements, catchy-hard-to-forget hooks, and compelling vocals and we’re so excited to see more of them this year.