Stray Kids, who are they? No, I’m not talking about literal stray kids that you’d see on the streets, I’m talking about the revolutionary 4th generation K-Pop band, Stray Kids.
Why are they so revolutionary? Well the answer to that is quite simple, because they’re unique. This band was originally named the company’s flop and they had barely any promotions yet they were able to beat standards and they set high bars for new groups to come.
Stray Kids is an 8 (eight) member band who debuted through a TV series of the same name. All the members were chosen by the oldest and the leader himself, Bang Chan, and they were the first K-pop group to do so.
Members
Bang Chan (방찬) (Christopher/Chris) was born in South Korea, but moved to Sydney, Australia at a very young age. When he was 10, Bang Chan starred in an Australian beef commercial in hopes to start pursuing a career in acting, but he soon realized music was his passion, not acting. At the young age of 13, he passed the JYP Entertainment (the company) audition and moved to South Korea, alone, where he lived in the company’s dorms. He spent 7 years as a trainee until he finally debuted with his newfound group, Stray Kids, on March 25th, 2018.
Each one of the members were picked in the order of: Bang Chan himself , Han Jisung (한), Yang Jeongin (아이엔) (I.N.), Hwang Hyunjin (현진), Seo Changbin (창빈), Lee Felix (Yongbok) (필릭스), Kim Seugmin (승민), and Lee Know (Minho) (리노). Which is in contrast to their ages with Bang Chan age 26 (Born on October 3rd, 1997), Lee Know age 25 (born on October 25th, 1998), Seo Changbin age 24 (born on August 24th, 1999), Hyunjin age 23 (born on March 20th, 2000), Han age 23 (born on September 14th, 2000), Felix 23 (born on September 15th, 2000), Seungmin age 23 (born on September 22nd, 2000), and I.N. age 23 (born on February 8th, 2001).
Quotes
Each one of the members have a special bond that will last forever, proven when Bang Chan told them, “Find me, yeah? I promise I’ll never leave you behind.” This was also proven to be true when they were asked to list out phrases, and words, on what each other meant to them and they said, “The reason I’m here, my world, happiness, passion, safe space, comfort, loyalty, and strength.”
They aren’t only devoted to each other, but also their fans. They have several famous quotes, whether from songs, concerts, or just random vlogs of them saying encouraging words to their fandom, STAY. Some of the most loved ones are, “Go at your own pace and we’ll rise to the top as one.”, “Just because you have a lot of stress doesn’t mean you have to relieve it by hurting yourself, emotionally or physically. We have ears for a reason. Come to us, come to Stray Kids, come to me. I’ll listen and I’ll try to help you out with whatever you’re going through. I promise.”, “Everyone deserves love, Whether it’s family love, friendship love, or lover love. Love in general is a very warm thing. Everyone is life, we are all the same human beings. Love just keeps us going and keeps us alive.” and “You’re doing so well. When things get hard I’ll run with you, don’t worry.”
Their (Not So) Serious Side
Even though Stray Kids do have a, partially, serious side of them they are a mess. Even during award shows they can’t keep a straight face and are always doing something silly. During the 2022 MAMA, Mnet (The channel) Asian Music Awards, four of them acted like bodyguards to the other four when entering the area and when they got their award that day, Han acted like a bodyguard for the trophy and wouldn’t even let the other members touch it. This really shows us how special the group is in many ways, from their loving sides to their silliness and chaotic sides.
