Stray Kids released their new album, ATE, on July 19, and the album and its lead single “Chk Chk Boom” have already achieved significant success, further enhancing the group’s global stardom.
The new mini album topped the Billboard 200 chart, leading the group to land on the Billboard Artist 100.
“Chk Chk Boom”, a Latin-style track with a hip-hop rhythm, reached 49th place on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This marks the group’s highest ranking on the platform’s main chart since their debut in 2018.
The album features eight tracks, with contributions from the group’s producing unit 3RACHA, consisting of Bang Chan, Changbin, and Han. Additionally, member Felix co-wrote the lyrics for one of the tracks “Runners”.
Critics say the group’s self-produced, high-quality music greatly contributes to their popularity.
“It’s true that Stray Kids are incredibly talented. And because they have exceptional skills, the performances they create on stage are of a very high standard. And their music content consistently meets or exceeds a certain level of quality,” South Korean pop culture critic Ha Jae-geun says.
“As a result, I think this naturally led global audiences to discover the charm of Stray Kids.
Another pop culture critic, Kim Hern-sik, noted the group’s ability to produce their own music and performances makes their work distinct from other K-pop groups.
“Stray Kids make and execute all their decisions themselves. They create everything on their own, from lyrics, composition and arrangement to choreography,” he says.
“Because they create their own songs and dances, the message they’re trying to convey comes [across] much more naturally and effortlessly.”
The members say they tried different styles of music with the new album, yet made sure they approached it with their own unique colours.
Going forward, Stray Kids need to create more mainstream content
“We aimed to show a different side of Stray Kids this time. While we previously delivered fiery and radiating energy, this title track is to be more restrained and subtle, yet not boring, and it still features our charm and style,” Han said during the album’s showcase in July.
Changbin added: “We have confidence we’re making our own irreplaceable music. With this as a base, we continue to reflect and improve, and I think many people love us for this side of ourselves.”
The group show a wide variety of styles of music, with songs such as the rock-infused song “LaLaLaLa” and electronica-infused “S-Class”.
Kim says the diversity of the group’s music draws audiences with different tastes.
“They have presented various musical styles, from EDM, hip-hop, acoustic to alternative rock … The mood of their music ranges widely, including playful and mischievous tones, lyrical and soft ballads, as well as empowering anthems,” he says.
“While they initially focused on dynamic performances with powerful energy, their performances are now more restrained and aesthetic, which is also interesting.”
All eight members recently renewed their contracts with their label, JYP Entertainment. As Stray Kids follow in the footsteps of K-pop juggernaut BTS on the global music charts, the group hold high hopes for their future career.
Despite the group’s popularity overseas, they have underperformed at home. “Chk Chk Boom” is ranked 29th on Melon, South Korea’s largest streaming site, and 64th on another platform, Genie.
Ha notes that Stray Kids still fall short of securing as broad a fan base as BTS did while making their mark on the global music industry.
“Compared to BTS, Stray Kids’ popularity is somewhat less widespread. While BTS appealed to a much broader audience, Stray Kids’ fans are incredibly passionate and enthusiastic, but many others are less familiar with them,” he says.
“Going forward, Stray Kids need to raise their recognition and appeal to the general public to expand their audience and popularity … To achieve this, they also need to create more mainstream content that the general public can easily listen to and enjoy.”