Stray Kids

Formed in 2017 by JYP Entertainment, South Korean boy band Stray Kids united members who survived the television reality show of the same name. Performing a propulsive blend of big bass electronic dance music, aggressive rapping, and R&B-inspired vocals influenced by Drake, Bruno Mars, Big Bang, GOT7, and Block B, Stray Kids released their debut EP, Mixtape, in 2018, planting them at the top of the Korean charts into the following decade with subsequent releases Clé 1: MIROH and Clé: LEVANTER. As their efforts climbed the charts around the world, the group scored a pair of number ones in 2020 with GO LIVE and its repackaged version, IN LIFE, before releasing their second full-length, Noeasy, in 2021. Their 2022 EPs — Oddinary and Maxident — fared even better, while their third Korean-language LP, 2023′s 5-Star, became their highest-selling release to date.
Stray Kids comprises Korean-Australians Bang Chan and Felix and South Koreans Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, HAN, Seungmin, and I.N. After competing on JYP Entertainment’s Stray Kids survival show in 2017, the winning members were joined, and the band was launched early the next year with the pre-debut EP Mixtape. Featuring the single “Hellevator,” the set peaked at number two on both the Korean charts and the Billboard World Albums list. Months later, their sophomore EP, I am NOT, was released in conjunction with their live concert debut. I am WHO and I am YOU followed, pushing them further up the charts with each successive EP. 2019 saw the arrival of another trio of EPs: Clé 1: MIROH, Clé 2: Yellow Wood, and Clé: LEVANTER.
Primed for their first full-length, Stray Kids released GO LIVE in mid-2020, topping the Korean charts and landing at number three on the U.S. Heatseekers chart, while also charting in Europe and Japan. A repackaged version of the LP, IN LIFE, fared even better, outselling its predecessor and scoring the band their second number two single on the U.S. World chart with “Back Door.” That same year, they released their debut Japanese EP, All In.
The group’s second full-length studio album, the 3Racha-produced Noeasy, arrived in August 2021. Buoyed by the singles “Thunderous,” “Wolfgang,” and “Mixtape: Oh,” it topped the South Korean album chart and reached number five on Billboard’s World Albums chart. The band inked a U.S. distribution deal with Republic the following year and released their sixth EP, Oddinary, which featured the hit single “Maniac.” The set debuted at number one in Korea and the U.S. They matched that feat with their seventh EP Maxident, which landed in October and became their highest-selling effort to date. The compilation SKZ-Replay and their Japanese-language debut, The Sound, filled the gap before the release of their third studio album, 2023′s 5-Star. Riding the aggressive, rap-heavy single “S-Class,” it topped charts in Korea, the U.S., and across Europe. ~ Neil Z. Yeung