I took a little break from my JPOP reviews last week because I was honestly running out of reviews to write. During that week off, I did find a few others so the JPOP reviews live on! Today’s focus will be on Taeyeon’s solo debut in Japan, Stay, which was released on the 30th of June. Taeyeon also recently made her solo return in South Korea and I reviewed both her title track (Something New) and album (Something New).

Right off the bat, the first impression I had of Stay was that it could be the Japanese counterpart for Taeyeon’s iconic I. While Stay does not have the explosive vocals, the energy and colour between the two are commonly uniform. It does do a good job at showing off the soloist’s vocals, which does serve as a good reminder of how she started off in KPOP as a solo artist (especially given how all her Korean releases have been more of the unique nature). What I also liked about the song was its peaceful nature. It didn’t employ EDM or synths, instead opting for a more traditional sound and instrumental, which allows her vocals to shine more. I did think the bridge was a little too different from the overall feel of the song and I haven’t been able to get used to it so far. Other than that, it was a good song.

I really liked the golden lighting that they had throughout the video, which does compliment the song. It gives a warm atmosphere, which does go quite well with the song. Going back to the idea that this is the Japanese counterpart of the I debut, the music videos are quite similar. In both videos, it seems like she is rediscovering herself by putting herself into a foreign environment. Likewise, the golden fields in this video remind me of the green fields in the I video.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.6/10