Stray Kids
Stray Kids is a South Korean boy band formed by JYP Entertainment in 2017. The band has eight members: Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, and I.N. Former member Woojin left the band in 2019. Stray Kids primarily self-produces its recordings; the main production team is named 3Racha and consists of Bang Chan, Changbin, and Han, and the other members frequently participate in songwriting.
The leader, Bang Chan, personally selected each member to be a part of the band before filming the eponymous 2017 reality television show, which is unusual in K-pop, where that authority is usually held by the agency's executives and creative directors. The band released their unofficial debut extended play Mixtape in January 2018 and officially debuted on March 25 with the EP I Am Not, which was followed by the EPs I Am Who and I Am You, completing the I Am EP series. The Clé trilogy, consisting of Clé 1: Miroh, Clé 2: Yellow Wood, and Clé: Levanter, was released in 2019.
The band's first studio album, Go Live, became its first platinum-certified album by the Korea Music Content Association. That year, Stray Kids made their Japanese debut with the compilation album SKZ2020, which was released through Epic Records Japan. Their debut Japanese single, "Top", debuted atop the Oricon Singles Chart, making them the fourth foreign male artist to do so with their first single.
In 2021, Stray Kids' second studio album, Noeasy, became its first million-selling album. After signing with Republic Records for promotions in the United States in 2022, the band released their EPs Oddinary, Maxident, Rock-Star, and Ate ; their studio albums 5-Star & Karma ; and their mixtapes Hop & Do It. These eight releases peaked at number one on the US Billboard 200, making them the first act to debut at the top of the Billboard 200 with their first eight charted releases. The KMCA certified 5-Star five million in album sales, making Stray Kids the third group to achieve this in Korea. In 2023, the band appeared on Time list of Next Generation Leaders. As of December 2024, Stray Kids has sold over 31 million albums, both Korean and Japanese releases.
Name
The band's members themselves conceptualized the name "Stray Kids" and created their own logo. The name originally referred to a lost child who wants to chase their dreams, then evolved to represent the idea of finding a way out of the ordinary together.History
2017–2018: Formation, debut and ''I Am'' series
In August 2017, JYP Entertainment announced its new reality survival show to launch a male idol debut project. The company released more details in the next two months, including the show's title, Stray Kids. Prior to its premiere on October 17, JYPE released Stray Kids' first music video titled "Hellevator", which was later released as a digital single. Two members, Lee Know and Felix, were eliminated but returned in the final, nine-member line-up. It was later revealed that the Stray Kids' member line-up was formed unusually, with the leader Bang Chan handpicking each member from the list of JYPE trainees rather than the agency's executives and creative directors selecting them.Along with the launch of Stray Kids' official website, JYPE announced the release of the group's seven-track pre-debut extended play titled Mixtape, which was co-written and co-composed by the members and includes "Hellevator" and other songs the band performed on the show. The EP and the performance video of its second track, "Beware", were released on January 8, 2018, while "Spread My Wings" was uploaded online a week later. The EP debuted at number two on the Gaon Album Chart and the Billboard World Albums chart.
On March 25, the group held their debut concert, Stray Kids Unveil, at Jangchung Arena. The following day, the band officially debuted with the release of the EP I Am Not and the music video of its title track, "District 9". The music video of "Grow Up" and the "Mirror" performance video were released on March 31 and April 23, respectively. I Am Not debuted at number four on the Gaon Album Chart and sold over 54,000 physical copies in March.
On April 14, Stray Kids performed at KCON Japan 2018, the group's first overseas performance. On July 12, JYPE announced the group's second concert, Stray Kids Unveil, for August 5 at Kyung Hee University's Grand Peace Palace. The following day, the band's second EP, I Am Who, and its lead single, "My Pace", were released. On October 4, JYPE announced the group's third concert, Stray Kids Unveil, for October 21 at Olympic Hall. The band's new EP, I Am You, was released the following day.
2019: ''Clé'' series and Woojin's departure
In early 2019, Stray Kids toured the Asia-Pacific region on their concert tour Unveil Tour "I Am...", starting on January 19 in Bangkok. The group also toured South Korea with the Hi Stay Tour, performing in cities including Busan, Daejeon, and Incheon in March, and a finale at the Olympic Park in Seoul on April 20. On March 5, JYPE announced the release of the band's fourth EP, Clé 1: Miroh, to mark the first anniversary of the group's debut. On April 14, the group earned their first music-show win on M Countdown for the album's lead single, "Miroh". On June 19, the band released its first special album, Clé 2: Yellow Wood, and its lead single, "Side Effects", between the American and European legs of its first world tour.Stray Kids released a digital single titled "Double Knot" on October 9, 2019, and announced the District 9 Unlock World Tour, beginning at Olympic Hall in Seoul from November 23 to 24. Their fifth EP, Clé: Levanter, was initially scheduled for a November 25 release, but on October 28, JYPE announced Kim Woojin had left the group due to personal circumstances, and the release was postponed. On November 13, the group released the music video for "Astronaut", its first single as an eight-member group; it was followed on December 9 by Cle: Levanter. On December 19, as part of the Hi Stay Tour, Stray Kids performed at Yoyogi National Gymnasium, Tokyo, with an audience of 8,000 people. The group released the digital single "Mixtape: Gone Days", the first single of the Mixtape Project, on December 26.
2020: Japanese debut, ''生'' series, and ''All In''
Stray Kids released its first English versions of "Double Knot" and "Levanter" as digital singles—together titled Step Out of Clé—and a performance video of the English version of "Double Knot" on January 24, 2020. The band's debut release in Japan, through Epic Records Japan, was the compilation album SKZ2020, which contains new recordings of previous songs, as well as Japanese versions of "My Pace", "Double Knot", and "Levanter". The group released the second Mixtape Project digital single, "Mixtape: On Track", on March 26. On June 3, Stray Kids released its first Japanese single, "Top", and its B-side, "Slump"; these were used as the theme song and the ending theme for the anime Tower of God, respectively. A Korean version was released on May 13, and an English version was released on May 20. The single debuted at number one on the Japanese Oricon Singles Chart, making Stray Kids the fourth foreign male artists to debut at number one on the chart with their first single, after Jang Keun-suk, Exo, and iKon.On June 17, Stray Kids released their first studio album, Go Live, and its lead single, "God's Menu"; the album includes the Korean versions of "Top" and "Slump" and previously released singles "Gone Days" and "On Track". Go Live became the group's best-selling album at the time, debuting at number one on the weekly Gaon Album Chart, selling 243,462 copies by the end of the month, and peaking at number five on the monthly Gaon Album Chart. The Korea Music Content Association certified the album platinum in August 2020, the group's first album to achieve this. "God's Menu" became the group's first single to be certified gold and platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. On September 14, Stray Kids reissued its first studio album as In Life. During promotions, the group received music-show wins on MBC M's Show Champion and Mnet's M Countdown. Time ranked the lead single "Back Door" eighth on its list of the 10 Best Songs of 2020—the only song by a Korean act on the list—and described it as "an artful Frankenstein that's as catchy as it is complex".
Stray Kids' first Japanese EP, All In, with the title track "All In" as the lead single, was released on November 4. The EP also includes Japanese versions of "God's Menu" and "Back Door", as well as the band's first Japanese single, "Top." On November 22, the group held their first online concert, titled "Unlock: Go Live In Life", via Beyond Live, which was considered a continuation of their "District 9: Unlock" Tour that faced postponement and cancellation due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. During the concert, the group performed the Korean version of their song "All In" for the first time, which was released as a digital single on November 26.
2021: ''Kingdom: Legendary War'' and ''Noeasy''
At the 2020 Mnet Asian Music Awards, it was announced that Stray Kids would join Ateez and the Boyz on the inaugural season of Kingdom: Legendary War, an Mnet boy-group competition show; BtoB, iKon, and SF9 were later also confirmed as participants. On May 28, 2021, Stray Kids released a song titled "Wolfgang" for the final round of the competition, which charted at number 138 on the main Gaon Digital Chart, the band's first appearance on that chart. The band won the program on June 3, earning them their own reality show and a Kingdom Week special show.File:Alesso playing live at Ushuaia Ibiza.jpeg|left|thumb|alt=Black and white photo of Alesso as a DJ.|Stray Kids collaborated with Alesso and Corsak in "Going Dumb".
Stray Kids held its first official fan meeting, Stray Kids 1st #LoveStay 'SKZ-X', on February 20, 2021, via V Live, and its first Japanese fan meeting—STAYing Home Meeting—for the first anniversary of their Japanese debut on March 18. The group worked with Swedish producer Alesso and Chinese DJ Corsak on the Korean version of the song "Going Dumb" for PUBG Mobile, which was released on March 19. The song debuted at number 13 on Billboard Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, the group's first appearance on that chart.
Stray Kids unexpectedly released the third single for their Mixtape Project, "Mixtape: Oh", on June 26 without any prior announcement. It debuted at number one on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart, their first number one on that chart. The group released their second studio album, Noeasy, on August 23, 2021. It debuted at number one on the Gaon Album Chart, selling over 1.1 million copies as of August 2021 and being certified million by the KMCA, making Stray Kids the first JYP Entertainment act to sell more than one million copies of an album. The album's lead single, "Thunderous", peaked at number 33 on the Gaon Digital Chart and at number 80 on the Billboard Global 200, earning six wins on South Korean music programs. The accompanying music video on YouTube reached 100 million views in 55 days after release, the group's fifth and fastest video to reach this mark.
The group released its second Japanese single, "Scars"/"Thunderous ", on October 13. The single charted at number two on the Oricon Singles Chart and the Billboard Japan Hot 100, selling over 180,000 CD copies. A Christmas-themed "special holiday" album titled Christmas EveL was released on November 29, including the title track and "Winter Falls" as lead singles. It peaked atop the Gaon Album Chart, selling over 743,000 copies in 2021, and the KMCA certified it double platinum. Stray Kids concluded the year with the digital release of SKZ2021, a compilation album that includes re-recorded versions of earlier songs and the Korean version of "Scars", on December 23.