‘Stray Kids’ Is Here To ‘Stay’

Most MV reactors on YouTube claim Stray Kids (abbreviated to SKZ) to be the next BTS.

But why have a second BTS when we can have two different and sensational groups to follow? Debuted under JYP Entertainment on March 25, 2018, Stray Kids is, presently, the KPOP group which has the most potential. With 9 immensely talented boys, Stray Kids has been consistent since debut (…pre-debut, to be precise. Remember ‘Hellevator’?). However, their popularity seems to have gained momentum recently with their two newest albums ‘I Am Who’ and ‘I Am You’.

Check out the mv of ‘My Pace’ if you want to ruin your life by obsessing over yet another boy group.

Loved by fans and critics alike, Stray Kids has everything it takes to become the talk of the town (or the entire universe!). If we were to describe Stray Kids in three words, those would be- powerful, multi-talented and dark! Not sure about it? Read the brief member profiles below to know why~

Bang Chan (Christopher Bang) aka CB97 of 3RACHA: On the auspicious date of October 3, 1997, God said, “Let there be so much talent in one person that no one can ever find their wig” and *poof*, we got SKZ’s Aussie leader and producer, Bang Chan! This dimpled wonder boy can rap, sing, dance, play the piano and the guitar, is athletic and super friendly. Want more? Not only is he multi-talented, he is also multi-lingual. How can one not fall for him, fellas?

Woojin (Kim Woo Jin): On April 8, 1997, mother earth was blessed with the powerful main vocalist of SKZ. The oldest member, Woojin is gifted with a unique voice that not only stands out among the rest of the group but also touches your heart. Moreover, he is a trained martial artist and the strongest among other SKZ members. And yes, he can play the guitar and the piano too. Can one member not have just one talent like most people?

Lee Know (Lee Min Ho): On October 25, 1998, a dancing gem was born who was later extracted from a group of BTS’ backup dancers! This 4D dork may have been the last one to join SKZ but his sharp dance moves and melodious voice manages to win our hearts with each comeback. Check out some of their close-up version of dance practices and you will know how much this ambidextrous bibliophile loves fooling around.

Changbin (Seo Chang Bin) aka SPEARB of 3RACHA: “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.” But then God wanted some tsundere action. So, on August 11, 1999, he said, “Let there be a dark rapper” and there was Changbin! His Spotify playlist is titled ‘All-rounder Changbin’s Favorites’ and that’s not even slightly exaggerated. His intimidating aura, raspy rapping voice and mellow singing voice (yes, that’s the power of Changbin) are to die for. This fiery rapper cum producer cum composer was tagged as one of the best trainees in the 2017 JYP Trainee Showcase by JYP himself. But guess what? Changbin surprisingly has an uwu personality off-stage who cannot fall asleep without his Munchlax plush toy, named Gyu.

Hyunjin (Hwang Hyun Jin): OH MY GOD! Hyunjin is so beautiful that we bet even he knows that. No wonder he never lets his stans starve on Instagram! On March 20, 2000, the eighth wonder of the world was born with visuals so angelic, dance skills so powerful and rap skills so strong that he can come and slap me, and I will thank him. Although popular since debut, Hyunjin gained more fans during the ‘My Pace’ era, all thanks to his deadly stare!

Han (Han Ji Sung/ Peter Han) aka J.ONE of 3RACHA: Yet another producer and composer of the group graced our planet with his presence on September 14, 2000. Jisung is also (no surprise) super multi-talented. Be it rapping, singing, dancing…there’s nothing Jisung can’t do! This powerhouse of talent coupled with some mind-blowing stage presence and a squirrel-like face is here to slay. This cheesecake addict loves fooling around with other members and ends up getting bullied most of the times. Yes, that’s the sound of our hearts breaking.

Felix (Lee Yong Bok): On September 15, 2000, God was in the mood for some extreme experimenting. He thought it would be a great idea to assemble enchanting visuals dusted with freckles and a voice deeper than the Pacific Ocean glazed with a thick Australian accent. And Felix’s existence proves that he was right! SKZ’s lead dancer and lead rapper, Felix was eliminated in the 8^th episode of MNet’s Stray Kids. However, adding him back has only been a wise decision, keeping in mind how he stands out in the group with his matchless voice and charm. And of course, like the rest of his over-achieving members (sighs), Felix is also talented in soccer, taekwondo and playing the piano.

Seungmin (Kim Seung Min): Some people sleep on their side while the rest sleep on their back. But most people sleep on Day 6. God was not happy with that and so he blessed this earth, on September 22, 2000, with a hard-core Day 6 stan, our dandy boy- Seungmin! Nicknamed ‘Sunshine’ by the fans, Seungmin’s innocent face and soothing vocals can clear my acne, improve my grades and eradicate corruption. Seungmin is fluent in English (and sarcasm!) even though he learnt the language in LA where he stayed for only three months. Check him out being a cutie in After School Club!

I.N (Yang Jeong In): A lot of judgemental people still think braces are ugly and need an excuse to pick on people who have them on. To get rid of this misconception, our planet was honoured by the birth of SKZ’s maknae on February 8, 2001. One look at him and your uwu machine will crash. Jeongin made his way to everyone’s hearts with his cute and clumsy personality. However, he reinforced his presence in the group as a promising vocalist in the ‘I Am You’ era as he sang the chorus effortlessly on stage. After all, he is the one with a voice so lovely that Hyunjin ended up following him throughout the company to know him better.

Now that everyone is well-versed with who’s who, let’s find out how Stray Kids were formed. In the second half of July 2017, JYP decided to have a group debut. But here’s the catch- it would either be a girl group or a boy group. So, this war was won by the boys who are now, known to us as Stray Kids. But here’s another catch- JYP put them in a survival show, not to compete against each other, but to debut together. Right before the show was aired, SKZ’s pre-debut ‘Hellevator’ (co-composed and co-written by 3RACHA) was released. To say that Hellevator gained massive recognition would be an understatement. Thereafter, on October 17, 2017, the survival show, Stray Kids began wherein all the members were tested on their individual skills and people got an insight of their off-screen personalities as well. JYP decided to make us cry out buckets full of tears by eliminating Minho and Felix. However, they were added back towards the end and SKZ debuted as a whole.

To choose one favourite album from their pre-debut ‘Mixtape’, debut album ‘I Am Not’ and the following albums ‘I Am Who’ and ‘I Am You’ is a difficult task so to avoid it like I avoid all of my life problems, I’ll choose one ‘must listen’ song from each album. Enjoy~

Mixtape: Assuming that most people have already listened to Hellevator, here’s a special mention to Spread my Wings. Seungmin owned this song for sure.
I Am Not: Grow Up since it’s like a breath of fresh air among all of their hard-hitting songs.
I Am Who: This is as difficult as choosing a favourite baby among seven of them for a mother. So, here’s a random pick- Insomnia.
I Am You: Same old story- I CANNOT CHOOSE! Hence, random pick 2.0- N/S.

PS- You should check out 3RACHA too if you are willing to let go off your wig forever.

But honestly, just listen to all of their songs. Each one is better than the other. You won’t regret. You will fall for them so hard that we are already laughing.

Welcome to the ‘Stay’ fandom!