Members Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, HAN, Felix, Seungmin, and I.N were contestants who made it through the cutthroat Stray Kids Survival Show, and four years after their debut, they are breaking records and forging their own path in the K-pop industry. They are the full package — self-producing their own songs, mastering difficult and explosive choreography, and making people laugh as kings of variety shows with their humor and lighthearted joking.
Two weeks ago, the boys of Stray Kids released their new mini-album, ODDINARY. Despite struggles with members testing positive for COVID-19 the days following their comeback, the eight-member boy group has reached new heights by topping the Billboard 200 and Billboard Top Album Sales charts.
Over Zoom, BuzzFeed chatted with the group about all the buzz surrounding their newest mini-album. Speaking to the group on the morning of their Billboard chart placement reveal, the members were excited, energetic, and happy to chat. I couldn’t help but be struck by their authenticity and humility as they spoke about their great appreciation for their fans, called STAY. Stray Kids is a group filled with talent, and the sky’s the limit for them. I am really looking forward to what the future holds for this group.
What do you think about when you first wake up?
HAN: I have one! Up until yesterday night, I dreamt happy dreams of being with our beautiful STAY, but starting tonight, I'll be dreaming about celebrating our Billboard award together.
Bang Chan: I’m being very realistic, but I think about the schedule and what I’m going to be doing today.
Changbin: What do I think about? How I’m hungry and want food.
Felix: Me? I think about getting a massage, like getting up in the morning and having a massage done so I’m ready for the day.
I.N: I wake up and think “let’s live to our fullest today.”
Lee Know: I wake up and think about if I can sleep for 10 more minutes.
Hyunjin: When I first wake up, I think about how I want to drink some water.
Seungmin: Coffee. Let’s burn this fantastic day!
If you had to choose another member to be for a day, who would you choose and why?
Everyone looks at each other before saying “no one!”
Bang Chan: I would choose Lee Know because I want to wake up early like him. He wakes up so early, I could never do that.
Changbin: Are you lazy?
Bang Chan: Yeah, I’m pretty lazy. You’re lazy too. But I want to experience waking up early because it’s really strange for me.
HAN: I would choose Changbin! He has awesome visuals and a great body line. He has a lot of skills and talents.
Changbin: Thank you, but for some reason I’m not happy.
Everyone laughs.
What does your new album, ODDINARY, mean to you?
Felix: There’s not one specific thing but a variety of reasons for what it means to me. For ODDINARY, the thing that means the most to me is that it is a big present not only for us, but for STAY all around the world. I feel that it’s a big gift to them because right now we're all working hard and living our lives to the fullest. It’s still the start of the year and it’s a huge gift to everyone.
Bang Chan: It has a lot of meanings to me as well. But for myself and the other members, I feel like this album is iconic because it is the first album to reach the Billboard 200 chart. It’s a very, very memorable album.
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Speaking about your Billboard 200 placement, ODDINARY has been ranked number one on the Billboard 200, which is not only your first chart-topping act, but also your first chart entry. Can you tell us how that accomplishment makes you feel?
Felix: We didn’t expect to reach number one on the Billboard 200. To hear about it this morning, we were shocked because we didn’t expect that placement. We couldn’t believe it, but as time passed by we thought about how much STAY enjoyed the ODDINARY album. That shows just how much of a STAY they are. We’re in this together!
You’ve also set a new record by hitting over 1.3 million pre-sold albums, beating your original record set by NOEASY and ranking at number one on the Billboard Top Album Sales chart with the largest sales week of any album in 2022. How does it feel to hit this milestone?
Bang Chan: Like Felix said, we were all in shock! Ever since pre-debut, we started at a beginners point. The journey that we’ve started has become cooler and more awesome. Even in this journey that we’ve started, we’re making this family bigger. And that’s why these results can truly happen. We could not have done this without STAY. With these results, it makes us want to try harder in the future and gives us more motivation. It feels great!
What would you say is “odd” about yourselves?
Bang Chan: Oh god.
Felix: Good question!
Seungmin: For me, the oddest thing is that nothing about me is odd.
Everyone oohs excitedly.
Bang Chan: That is pretty odd. I think he’s the oddest one out of all of us.
Everyone laughs.
HAN: Yeah! The way he talks, the way he moves, the way he sleeps.
I.N: Hm, everyone’s odd.
Hyunjin: For me, what’s odd is that I’m taller than you guys.
Everyone laughs.
Lee Know: I don’t think there’s anything odd about me.
HAN: Yeah, his personality is odd.
Everyone agrees.
Out of the entire album, which song is your favorite and why?
Bang Chan: I think we all have the same answer, let’s say it all at once.
Everyone says different songs.
Bang Chan: I knew it. They are all different!
HAN: Let’s go one by one. Yo, Felix, let’s go!
Felix: Well, "MANIAC," our title song is really good, but I also think "VENOM" is very nice. It gives a nice new vibe and is a great introduction to our whole ODDINARY album. It really expresses our new style.
Seungmin: I like "Waiting for Us."
HAN: I’m going to choose "Lonely St." The lyrics and melody are crazy, it’s definitely my favorite.
Changbin: I like "Lonely St." too!
Bang Chan: For me, I like "Charmer" the most.
I.N: Me too! I like "Charmer."
Hyunjin: I like "MANIAC."
Lee Know: For me, I like "VENOM."
Bang Chan: What about "FREEZE"?
Felix: We all like "FREEZE"!
Everyone agrees.
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Stray Kids’ fourth anniversary has just passed! When looking back on the successes you’ve accomplished since debuting as a group, can you tell us some of your favorite memories?
Bang Chan: Kingdom for sure. Kingdom was super fun.
HAN: The fan meeting we had this time! Since it’s been such a long time since we’ve met STAY, it felt surreal to be a part of it again because we love to be on stage and perform in front of STAY. So to do it again was really great, and I really cherish those meetings.
Seungmin: For me, I think it was today, when we realized we got first place on the Billboard charts.
Everyone oohs.
HAN: Definitely a big celebration.
Bang Chan: Yes, we definitely should celebrate it. Want to do Zoom Live again?
HAN: Um, nope. Not happening. That was crazy.
Everyone laughs.
As you’ve broken records and have become one of the most successful fourth-generation boy groups in K-pop, have your goals changed since your debut?
Bang Chan: Well, we would not self-proclaim that we are successful, but we are trying to represent who we are and what we’re doing. If there has been any difference since we debuted, it’s because one of our main goals was for our music to be touched by as many people as we can. We really want to reach out to people who need strength through music. We do have goals, but we try to not think about it too much because as long as we're doing good now and trying our best, there’s bound to be good results in the future.
You’ve just announced your second world tour. What are you most looking forward to?
Everyone yells excitedly.
Bang Chan: Everything!
Felix: Honestly, it’s been two years since we've been on tour, and one thing we can say for sure is that compared to the tour from two years ago, it’s much different now. We’ve improved so much and upgraded our levels and skills. It’s honestly become a new side of Stray Kids that no one has seen before in person, so through this tour I believe it’ll give a new taste of what Stray Kids is like.
Everyone agrees.
Do you have a message to STAY and our readers?
Felix: Honestly, there's so much going on in our minds right now. At the start of this year, we were preparing and working to our best abilities. From releasing the ODDINARY mini-album, doing fan meetings, and being able to reach number one on the Billboard charts, we are so excited and still in shock that our fans helped us and pushed us to our limits. We want to say that wherever we go, STAY are always beside us. And through that, we are so motivated and always striving to reach higher with STAY. In the end, it’s always thanks to STAY that we are still here. That's the message we really want to give to them.
Bang Chan: Another quick message — well, it would be better to do this in person since we miss STAY. But we’ll fly there and see each other in person. We’ll see you soon!
Felix: See you soon!
Everyone woos excitedly.
What does K-pop mean to you?
Everyone exclaims in shock.
Bang Chan: Wow, really?!
Felix: That’s a great question!
Bang Chan: To me, K-pop means Stray Kids.
Everyone cheers.
HAN: K-pop to me means a dream. You can give inspiration and hope to someone, and you can do a lot with that dream.
Hyunjin: K-pop is youth!
Felix: It's funny because Seungmin said life before and I do agree because we are living in the moment and this is our life. So I think K-pop means life.
Changbin: To me, I think K-pop is a playground.
I.N: K-pop is love!
Seungmin: If someone said “hey Seungmin, what is K-pop,” I would say it’s Stray Kids’ ODDINARY album.
Everyone yells excitedly.
Bang Chan: Seungmin in the building!
Lee Know: K-pop is Stray Kids and we will try hard to make Stray Kids K-pop.
Everyone oohs in awe.
Bang Chan: We'll try our best to make that goal happen!
Thanks for chatting with us, Stray Kids! Their latest mini-album, ODDINARY, is out now — be sure to check it out.