At the end of an exhausting world tour, most bands would take a well-earned break. Not Stray Kids. Within weeks of wrapping up their record-breaking DominATE shows this summer - including two sold out nights at London's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium - the Korean band released a new album, Karma. This was their second album in under a year; during which time they'd also released a new EP and a 12-track mixtape, Hop, featuring solo tracks from each of the eight members: Bang Chan, Changbin, Felix, Han, Hyunjin, I.N, Lee Know, and Seungmin.
They even made their debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, via a cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine, for which they contributed the soundtrack song, Slash.
All this activity made them the fifth biggest selling act in the world last year, just behind Taylor Swift and Drake. Unlike many K-pop groups, however, Stray Kids write and produce their own material. So how did they sustain that level of creativity while touring the world's biggest venues, playing three-hour shows every night, and making time to visit local art galleries and baked potato outlets?
'We split up the parts as much as we could and shared the work among the members,' explains rapper and vocalist Han. 'Whenever we had a bit of time to record demo tracks, we'd gather in the room together and work on finishing the songs as a team.'
If that sounds like a soul-destroying way to make a record, you've underestimated Stray Kids. Since their debut in 2017, the band has approached music with curiosity and hunger, constantly pushing their sound in new directions. On Karma, that includes everything from the Brazilian funk rhythms of Ceremony to pop-punk inflections of In My Head, reminiscent of Good Charlotte and Avril Lavigne.
Bang Chan, the group's leader, expresses a reluctance to label their journey as successful. 'Successful is a really strong word, and I honestly do not have the confidence to judge if we are indeed successful or not,' he states. 'What I can say is that Stray Kids, including myself, have reached very far, but we're still very hungry to achieve more milestones.'
This humility resonates throughout their interactions with fans, known as STAY, as Stray Kids combine heartwarming engagement with their steadfast dedication to producing innovative music. They prioritize remaining grounded even amid undeniable success, showing that their journey is only beginning.
They even made their debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, via a cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine, for which they contributed the soundtrack song, Slash.
All this activity made them the fifth biggest selling act in the world last year, just behind Taylor Swift and Drake. Unlike many K-pop groups, however, Stray Kids write and produce their own material. So how did they sustain that level of creativity while touring the world's biggest venues, playing three-hour shows every night, and making time to visit local art galleries and baked potato outlets?
'We split up the parts as much as we could and shared the work among the members,' explains rapper and vocalist Han. 'Whenever we had a bit of time to record demo tracks, we'd gather in the room together and work on finishing the songs as a team.'
If that sounds like a soul-destroying way to make a record, you've underestimated Stray Kids. Since their debut in 2017, the band has approached music with curiosity and hunger, constantly pushing their sound in new directions. On Karma, that includes everything from the Brazilian funk rhythms of Ceremony to pop-punk inflections of In My Head, reminiscent of Good Charlotte and Avril Lavigne.
Bang Chan, the group's leader, expresses a reluctance to label their journey as successful. 'Successful is a really strong word, and I honestly do not have the confidence to judge if we are indeed successful or not,' he states. 'What I can say is that Stray Kids, including myself, have reached very far, but we're still very hungry to achieve more milestones.'
This humility resonates throughout their interactions with fans, known as STAY, as Stray Kids combine heartwarming engagement with their steadfast dedication to producing innovative music. They prioritize remaining grounded even amid undeniable success, showing that their journey is only beginning.
