Stray Kids to drop 'Rock-Star' next month

Stray Kids will drop its eighth EP “樂-STAR” (also stylized as ‘Rock-Star’) on Nov. 11. [JYP ENTERTAINMENT]

Stray Kids will drop a new EP "樂-STAR" (also stylized as 'Rock-Star') on Nov. 10, the boy band's agency JYP Entertainment said Friday.

"Rock-Star" will be the boy band's first Korean album in five months, following the release of its third full-length album "★★★★★(5-STAR)" in June. Sharing the same "STAR" title, it will also have a close relationship with the previously released "5-STAR" album, according to JYP Entertainment.

The prologue video uploaded Friday showed the story of a "kid" right before he went on stage to perform. As the "kid" appears on stage, rock-inspired heavy guitar tunes and drum beats start playing, signifying the new color Stray Kids plans to show in its upcoming EP.

Stray Kids has had a 'five-star' year in 2023, with many records in the process. The band's "5-STAR" album, released on June 2, sold 4.61 million copies in the first week of its release, making it the most-sold album ever in Korea in the first week of its release during the time of its release.

Stray Kids also headlined Lollapalooza Paris in June, a first for any K-pop act, and took home the Best K-Pop trophy at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards in September.

Stray Kids is currently holding its "5-STAR Dome Tour 2023," performing in dome stadiums around Japan and Korea. Kicking off with performances on Aug. 16 and 17 at the Fukuoka PayPay Dome, the boy band has already performed at dome stadiums in Nagoya and Osaka and is set to perform at the Tokyo Dome and Seoul's KSPO Dome later this month.

The boy band was also chosen as one of the Next Generation Leaders by the American news magazine TIME on Thursday.

Preorders for the album will begin Friday.

To find out more about Stray Kids, visit Celeb Confirmed!

BY CHO YONG-JUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]