[CELEB] Stray Kids bares all during extra Seoul concerts

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[CELEB] Stray Kids bares all during extra Seoul concerts

Published: 21 Sep. 2022, 15:54 Updated: 21 Sep. 2022, 18:39

Stray Kids performed in Seoul as part of its world tour from Sept. 17 to 18. [JYP ENTERTAINMENT]

Stray Kids bared all during its two Seoul concerts at KSPO Dome in Olympic Park, southern Seoul, over the weekend, as part of its world tour “Stray Kids 2nd World Tour ‘Maniac.’”

The boy band announced in early August that it would add two additional dates to the Seoul portion of the tour, titled “'Maniac’ Seoul Special (Unveil 11).” Stray Kids already performed three times in Seoul from April 29 to May 1, which kicked off the start of the world tour.

The band flew to Kobe to perform on July 11 and 12, then to Newark for performances on June 28 and 29, Chicago on July 1, Los Angeles on July 9 and 10, Oakland on July 12, Seattle on July 14 and 15 and Anaheim on July 19 and 20. It performed in Tokyo on June 18 and 19 and July 26 and 27.

After opening the concert with “Maniac,” the lead track of its Billboard-topping EP “Oddinary” (2022), the band proceeded to perform songs like “Venom” (2022), “Red Lights” (2021), “Back Door” (2020), “Thunderous” (2021) and “God’s Menu” (2020).

Stray Kids performed in Seoul as part of its world tour from Sept. 17 to 18. [JYP ENTERTAINMENT]

The highlight of the concert was the eight members — Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin and I.N — revealing the tracks for the band’s upcoming EP “Maxident,” slated for release on Oct. 7.

The EP’s songs were mainly produced by 3Racha, the band’s producing subunit, comprised of Bang Chan, Changbin and Han. The trio rapped to track “3Racha,” and Stray Kids’ dance subunit DanceRacha — Lee Know, Hyunjin and Felix — performed “Taste.” VocalRacha, with Seungmin and I.N, sang “Can’t Stop,” the lyrics of which are about about falling in love.

The band continued to unveil more songs live for the first time: “Time Out” (2022) and the Korean version of “Circus” (2022), which was initially released as a Japanese track.

Stray Kids performed in Seoul as part of its world tour from Sept. 17 to 18. [JYP ENTERTAINMENT]

“Just like how you [the fans] love our new music and performances, we didn’t want to just show something ordinary, so we thought long and hard about what we would do — we’re so happy that you’re enjoying it,” said Bang Chan, leader of the band.

“The things we had dreamt of became reality,” Felix said. “I know I’m not dreaming because I see all of your eyes. Stay [the name of Stray Kids’ fans] is always our No. 1.”

“I seriously don’t want to go home after this because it feels exactly like when I was a kid playing on the jungle gym,” Changbin said. “Thank you, Stay, for making this enormous playground for us. We’ll make sure to do our best [...] Thank you for your love.”

Stray Kids performed in Seoul as part of its world tour from Sept. 17 to 18. [JYP ENTERTAINMENT]

Stray Kids has continued to steadily rise in popularity. In March 2018, the band debuted with the EP “I am NOT” and its lead track “District 9.”

The band was formed through the 2017 survival show “Stray Kids,” which was created in collaboration by Mnet and JYP Entertainment. After the band was finalized, Stray Kids dropped the EP “Mixtape” (2018) prior to its official debut.

Over the years, the band has released hit songs like “My Pace” (2018), “Miroh” (2019), “God’s Menu” (2020), “Back Door” (2020) and “Thunderous” (2021). It is also well-known to be a self-producing group, as 3Racha takes the helm of writing and composing most of the band’s songs.

Stray Kids [JYP ENTERTAINMENT]

In 2021, Stray Kids came in first place on Mnet’s K-pop competition show “Kingdom: Legendary War.” The band competed against Ateez, BTOB, iKON, SF9 and The Boyz.

EP “Oddinary,” with the lead track “Maniac,” was particularly successful, earning the band its first appearance on the Billboard 200 chart.

As of May 13, it also became Stray Kids’ second million-selling album, according to Gaon Chart (now Circle Chart), following album “Noeasy” (2021).

With every comeback serving as a career high for Stray Kids, it’s fair to anticipate that EP “Maxident,” with the lead track “Case 143,” will have something even better in store for both the band and fans.

Felix of Stray Kids [JYP ENTERTAINMENT]

Felix (Felix Lee)

Date of Birth: Sept. 15, 2000
Zodiac sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Undisclosed
Debut: March 2018 as a member of Stray Kids
Agency: JYP Entertainment

Felix debuted with Stray Kids’ first EP “I am NOT” (2018) and its lead track, “District 9.” Felix is especially known for his recognizably deep, low vocal range that stands out from the other members. He is also part of Stray Kids’ subunit group, DanceRacha, alongside members Hyunjin and Lee Know. DanceRacha posts choreography videos on Stray Kids’ YouTube channel and sang “Wow,” a track from the album “In Life” (2020), the reissued version of Stray Kids’ first full-length album “Go Live” (2020). Felix also featured on “No Problem” (2022), a solo song by Nayeon from girl group Twice.

This information was confirmed by JYP Entertainment on Sept. 21, 2022.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]