Stray Kids' Rise to
Fame

Stray Kids—just hearing the name of this famous K-pop band sparks excitement for millions around the globe. Even if you’re not a fan, you’ve probably heard of them. With their unique and experimental music, elaborate dances, and stunning vocals, Stray Kids has captured the hearts of many. But how did the eight members of this boy band, Felix, Han, Hyunjin, I.N., Lee Know, Changbin, Seungmin, and Bang Chan, make it to where they are today?

Stray Kids is very popular and well-known worldwide, but it wasn’t always like this for them. They started out on a K-pop survival show that shared their name. In K-pop survival shows, aspiring idols, also known as trainees, compete to be chosen to debut. The trainees are eliminated down to a final selection after being judged on singing, dancing, and performance skills. In the Stray Kids survival show, two members were eliminated—Lee Know in episode four and Felix in episode eight. However, this angered many fans, and later a vote was held to see if they should be allowed back in the band.

On March 25, 2018, Stray Kids released their debut EP, or mini-album, I Am Not. Unfortunately, the EP only sold 2,000 copies on its first day, a very small number. But that didn’t stop them. Later in the year, Stray Kids released the other two EPs in the I Am trilogy, I Am Who and I Am You. Each EP had slightly more sales than the last. Also in 2018, the Stray Kids fanbase adopted a new name—STAY. The name was chosen because STAYs make Stray Kids stay in the music industry as a popular band.

After the I Am trilogy, Stray Kids released another set of EPs—Clé 1: MIROH, Clé 2: Yellow Wood, and Clé 3: LEVANTER. The first two EPs in this series had around 5,000 sales each on their release day. But when LEVANTER was released, it sold 18,000 copies in one day. The sudden boost in sales gave Stray Kids more reason to keep going, and keep going they did.

A year later, Stray Kids released Go Live, their first full-length album. The song "God's Menu" was an instant hit, and STAYs were shocked by the first big showcase of Felix’s deep voice when he sang “cooking like a chef/I’m a five-star Michelin.” A few months after Go Live came out, In Life, another full length album, was released. On the first day, Go Live had many sales, but the next album in the series, In Life, sold over 120,000 copies on its first day, a new record for the band. Their unique style of music was drawing in more listeners, and Stray Kids was finally getting the popularity they worked for. But it didn’t stop there.

No Easy, Oddinary, Maxident, and 5-Star were the next few albums that Stray Kids released, with the last two reaching over 1 million in sales. No Easy is about the highs and lows of life. Oddinary is about Stray Kids being who they are and not worrying what other people think of them. Maxident is about love and reflecting each member’s “weird side.” 5-Star is about how the band’s music is always top-notch and how they never fail to deliver.

In late 2023, the mini-album Rock-Star came out, and in July 2024, the mini-album that all STAYs had been waiting for, Ate, was finally released. Stray Kids’ last five albums, as well as Go Live, made it on the Billboard 200, a chart ranking the top 200 albums and EPs in America. Ate, Rock-Star, and Oddinary all reached the top.

A common theme in Stray Kids albums is always trying their best and never giving up. The band has always worked hard and it’s gotten them to where they are today. They are currently quite popular in Korea and beyond, and if there’s one thing we know for sure, they’re never letting up.