Stray Kids is a K-pop group formed by JYP Entertainment through the 2017 reality show of the same name. The band has eight members: Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, I.N. They can further be separated into three units: 3RACHA (the producing/rap unit), VOCALRACHA (the vocal unit) and DANCERACHA (the dance unit).
Stray Kids' first self-produced tracks were shown during the survival show, with first single “Hellevator” getting a music video prior to the show’s premiere. The rest of the tracks were included in their January 2018 pre-debut EP titled Mixtape which debuted at #2 on Gaon Album Chart and Billboard World Albums Chart.
Stray Kids officially debuted on March 25, 2018, with their lead single “District 9” and EP I am NOT. This was followed by two more EPs in 2018, I am WHO? and I am YOU. These three EPs make up Stray Kids' first trilogy, dubbed the I am… series. They were met with widespread success in 2018, with each EP outselling the last. Stray Kids picked up eight rookie awards in the 2018 award season.
The first installment of their second trilogy Clé was released on March 25, 2019, one year after their debut. Its' title track “MIROH” amassed a lot of public attention, earning the group their first music show win on MCountdown’s April 4 broadcast. The second installment’s title track, the psytrance “Side Effects” also gathered a lot of public attention due to its' originality. In October of that year, former member Woojin left the group, for what JYPE only revealed to be “personal reasons.” The final installment of the series, Clé : LEVANTER found Stray Kids starting to redefine their image as they dealt with the struggles of adapting to their new group line up.
The beginning of 2020 saw many projects for Stray Kids. Their first English versions were released on Step Out of Clé and Japanese versions on SKZ2020. The latter also included past songs with re-distributed parts to fit their new line up. Additionally, their Mixtape Project consisted of two unexpected releases: “Gone Days” and “On Track” and the band recorded the opening and ending songs for the anime Kami no Tō -Tower of God-.
Stray Kids' first full album, GO生 garnered a whole new image for the group. Released in June 2020, the title track “神메뉴 (God’s Menu)” showed off the group’s individuality and desire to do something different in the music industry, and it saw them a lot of success as the album topped the Gaon Chart. The effects of this inflation of success were evident in their next release, the repackage album IN生, with the album amassing 200,000 sales in the first week and title track “Back Door” garnering two music show wins. An official Japanese debut with “All In” followed shortly after.
2021’s activities started with Stray Kids joining MNET’s Kingdom: Legendary War, competing alongside other K-Pop boy groups and moreover, taking first place on the show overall. After the show, they continued their traditional ‘Mixtape Project’ with the digital single “애 (OH),” which topped the Billboard’s World Digital Song Sales, becoming the group’s first number one song on the chart and additionally, the release marked the return of member Hyunjin, who went on hiatus in February of the same year. To celebrate their unpredictable success, on July 21 the group announced the release of their second full-length album, NOEASY through its official, action-packed trailer. It has seen its daylight on August 23, along with the 3RACHA-composed title track, “Thunderous”, which gave them over six Korean music show wins, while the album itself helped Stray Kids become the first JYP Entertainment group to reach the million sales milestone. Following miscellaneous releases in the fall and early winter season, they closed the year with the second compilation album, SKZ2021.
From the beginning of 2022, Stray Kids started to receive massive recognition from the general public, both in South Korea and worldwide. They began the anticipation after the announcement of their sixth mini album, ODDINARY, supported by the title track “MANIAC” during their first offline fanmeeting, SKZ’s Chocolate Factory. After its initial release on March 18, the extended play became an instant success on the domestic and international charts and furthermore, it reached the top spot on the Billboard 200 chart.
Later on, the group embarked on their first ever arena tour, with the first three shows being held between April 29 and May 1 in Seoul’s Jamsil Arena, followed by another batch of concerts in Japan and North America in June and July. Soon afterwards, the group’s fourth Mixtape Project single, “Time Out” dropped on August 1 as a heartfelt gift to their fans, STAYs.
On the night of September 6, 2022, the release of Stray Kids' seventh mini album, MAXIDENT was confirmed. The project, featuring the wholesome title track “CASE 143” and three sub-unit songs, all premiered during their Unveil 11 concert, conveys the themes of love, relationships with others and oneself and true feelings. It also sold over 2 million copies on Hanteo in less than a week and topped the Billboard chart, making Stray Kids the only artist to debut two albums at number one on the list this year.
With their 2023 full-length album ★★★★★ (5-STAR), the group broke the record for the most pre-ordered album in K-pop history, recording a total of 4.93 million sales.
Stray Kids's first album SKZ-PLAYER / SKZ-RECORD released on Thu Jan 01 1970.
The most popular album by Stray Kids's is ★★★★★ (5-STAR)
The most popular song by Stray Kids's is Levanter (English Ver.)
Stray Kids's first song GLOW released on Mon Jan 08 2018.