"So Bad" (stylized in
all caps) is the debut single released by South Korean girl group
STAYC. Co-written and produced by
Black Eyed Pilseung, the song was released on November 12, 2020, as the lead single from the group's debut single album ''
Star to a Young Culture
''Star to a Young Culture'' is the debut single album by South Korean girl group STAYC. It was released on November 12, 2020, by High Up Entertainment and distributed by Kakao M. The EP consists of two tracks both produced by Black Eyed Pilseung. ...
''. A remix of the song titled "So Bad (Tak Remix)" was released on January 10, 2021. The remix was later included on the group's second single album ''
Staydom
''Staydom'' (stylized in all caps) is the second Korean-language single album by South Korean girl group STAYC, released almost five months after the group's debut. It was released on April 8, 2021, by High Up Entertainment and distributed by K ...
''.
Lyrics and composition
The song has a genre that combines
drum and bass
Drum and bass (also written as drum & bass or drum'n'bass and commonly abbreviated as D&B, DnB, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by fast breakbeats (typically 165–185 beats per minute) with heavy bass and sub-ba ...
with
synth-wave. Described as a whirlwind of retro
synth arpeggios
A broken chord is a chord broken into a sequence of notes. A broken chord may repeat some of the notes from the chord and span one or more octaves.
An arpeggio () is a type of broken chord, in which the notes that compose a chord are played ...
, distinct vocal tones, staccato verses, a hyper rhythm that keeps things moving and aglow with glistening synth arpeggio and sprightly drum-and-bass, the song expresses feelings of someone who really likes the person who has stolen their heart, and hopes that person will accept her feelings.
Music video
The music video for the song was released on the same day and the song and amassed over 2.6 million views in its first 24 hours of upload. The video was directed by Minjun Lee and Hayoung Lee.
Plagiarism accusation
On November 16, 2020, Korean netizens noticed that aspects of the "So Bad" music video appeared similar to the "Midnight Sky" video by Miley Cyrus. A few days after the accusations, Legend Film, the music video production company, issued an apology.
Commercial performance
The song debuted at number 90 on ''Billboard's''
K-pop Hot 100 later peaking at number 82, and number 21 on the
World Digital Song Sales chart.
The song also entered the Korean
Gaon Digital Chart
The Circle Digital Chart, previously known as the Gaon Digital Chart, is the music industry standard record chart ranking the 200 most popular singles in South Korea. It provides rankings on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis, which is based o ...
peaking at number 159.
Live performance
To promote the song and the album, STAYC performed "So Bad" and
B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...
"Like This" through a VLIVE debut showcase.
The group made their music show debut on November 13, 2020, at
KBS Music Bank
''Music Bank'' (; RR: ''Myujikbaengkeu'') is a South Korean music program which airs every Friday at 17:00 KST on KBS2. As of 2015, the show is also broadcast in more than a hundred countries through KBS World. Episodes are filmed at the KBS New ...
,
and then at
Show Champion
''Show Champion'' (Korean: 쇼 챔피언) is a South Korean music television program broadcast live by MBC M every Wednesday at Bitmaru Broadcasting Center in Ilsan.
Hosts
* Shindong (February 14, 2012 – December 25, 2012)
* Hahm Eun-jung ...
,
Inkigayo
''Inkigayo'' ( ko, 인기가요; English title: ''The Music Trend'', previously ''Popular Song'') is a South Korean music program broadcast by SBS. It airs live every Sunday. The show features some of the latest and most popular artists who p ...
, and
The Show
Show or The Show may refer to:
Competition, event, or artistic production
* Agricultural show, associated with agriculture and animal husbandry
* Animal show, a judged event in the hobby of animal fancy
** Cat show
** Dog show
** Horse show
** Sp ...
.
Track listing
;Download and streaming
# "So Bad" – 3:32
;Streaming (Tak Remix)
# "So Bad (Tak Remix)" – 3:05
Accolades
Awards and nominations
Year end lists
Charts
Release history
References
{{STAYC
2020 debut singles
2020 songs
Song recordings produced by Black Eyed Pilseung
Kakao M singles
STAYC songs