Stray Kids keep creating as fame grows: 'Success is a strong word'

Stray Kids have kept their momentum well after wrapping the DominATE world tour, releasing Karma, their second album in under a year, and continuing to churn out material and high-profile appearances. The eight-member South Korean group also followed Karma with a new EP and a 12-track mixtape, Hop, which features solo tracks from each member. They even landed a cameo in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Deadpool & Wolverine and contributed the soundtrack song Slash. Those pursuits helped Stray Kids become the fifth-biggest selling act in the world last year, just behind Taylor Swift and Drake.

Yet even amid such a gaudy schedule, Stray Kids maintain a reputation for staying hands-on. Unlike many K-pop groups, the band write and produce their own material. 'We split up the parts as much as we could and shared the work among the members,' rapper-vocalist Han said. '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.'

On Karma, the group keeps pushing in new directions: Ceremony, with Brazilian funk rhythms; the pop-punk inflections on In My Head; and a stand-out track called Bleep, a defiant response to critics. The lyrics of Bleep adopt Korean slang for beep and carry a message of resilience. 'That's my favourite,' Hyunjin said. 'The lyrics feel bold and refreshing, and there's something very satisfying about the message it holds.' The band’s style also intersects with personal headlines: Felix, known for a thunderous baritone, recently won permission from a U.S. court to unmask an anonymous social media user in connection with a defamation case, a development that has sparked discussion among fans and critics about online trolling and accountability.

During the DominATE World Tour, Stray Kids played to more than a million fans across 54 dates, tallying 1.2 million tickets sold and receipts of about $182 million. In London, their stadium-scale set fused precision choreography with playful fan moments: they invited fans on stage with a rolling set of dance challenges and even ran fans' names across screens during the ballad Cinema. For the encore, they drove around the arena on giant telescoping platforms, surrounded by inflatable characters. I.N. recalled how the shows made their bond with STAY feel stronger: 'I feel like we'll be looking forward to moments like that every day, and the tour really reminded us just how precious STAY is to us.'

Asked about their place in global pop, Bang Chan, the group's leader, said 'Successful is a really strong word and I honestly do not have the confidence to judge if we are indeed successful or not.' He added that Stray Kids 'have reached very far but we're still very hungry to achieve more milestones.' The band have expressed a desire to conquer the UK, noting they've already incorporated grime on 2022's 3Racha and hint at collaborations with Coldplay and The 1975. Seungmin said listening to those acts inspires emotional performances. The group frames long-term goals around longevity: 'our biggest goal is to be a group that stands the test of time and remains in history as one of the longest-lasting groups,' Seungmin said. The track Half Time, which opens Karma, explicitly refers to the renewal of their seven-year contract with JYP Entertainment last year. Felix added, 'This game isn't over, it's way too vast. They don't know what's coming next.'

For the moment, the group is itself a motion on the move: a blend of disciplined craft, high-energy shows and a fan culture that feels unusually intimate for a global megastar. Across all that momentum, Stray Kids keep a tangible connection with STAY through late-night streams, Q&A sessions from hotel rooms, and playful online moments. The band are keen to avoid dwelling on negativity and focus on collaboration and growth. They are, in short, just getting started.