When local singer-songwriter Gaston Pong was chosen amongst a selection of Southeast Asian artists to write and produce a song for BOY STORY, a C-pop boyband under JYP CHINA and Tencent Music Entertainment Group in late 2023, he never imagined that he could get full creative control. “They told me that it was an open brief, and to do whatever I thought was best for BOY STORY,” said Pong. A few months later, Gummy Candy Love debuted—a song vastly different in style than what BOY STORY was known for.
Longtime fans of BOY STORY will already be familiar with the group’s hip-hop aesthetics, especially in their early days. “When they were younger, they loved the hip-hop culture,” Pong translated for the group members. “But recently, they had also been trying to explore different genres, including EDM pop sounds and funk music. Even the idea of having a featured artist was fun for them, because it is, I believe, one of their first international collaborations.”
What is Gummy Candy Love?
It’s upbeat, it’s pop, dance, with elements of funk—a quintessential summer song, according to Pong. “When I was writing this song, I pictured them at their current age: young and beautiful. In the past, they had a very strong hip-hop identity and their songs were edgy. With Gummy Candy Love, I wanted to show their cute side. They’re actually very youthful boys with cute energies, and so I told them that they should sing something fun.”
Throughout the song recording and promotional period for Gummy Candy Love, Pong also served as a big brother to the boys. “I told them to have fun with the song because I think they’re in the perfect phase of life to do this,” he said.
There was more to just writing and producing this song—Pong said that he had also pictured everyone’s voices and how they would fit in the different parts. “I watched everyone’s live performances just to gauge their tone and different singing styles. So, yes, I did tailor the song to each one of their voices. I’m quite happy with how it turned out,” he elaborated.
Gummy Candy Love, as it turned out, was a hit with BOY STORY. The demo was done in one shot and the management did not want anything to change as well. “I’ll take that as recognition!” laughed Pong. “I’m really thankful to the entire team for trusting me, and the boys to be such good sports too.”
When we asked the BOY STORY members as well, they agreed that it was a very relaxed and laid-back process. “Gaston looked really strict at first, but the whole process turned out pretty chill. He’s also really kind and supportive to us,” they said. “Despite Gaston’s experience, he was so humble. It’s a quality we love.”
BOY STORY is currently working on a new album that they said will “come with new sounds”, and that fans should look out for their new music video.
Listen to the song below.
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