As it happened — Stray Kids' 'ATE' press conference

K-pop

Published: 19 Jul. 2024, 10:32 Updated: 19 Jul. 2024, 16:20

As it happened — Stray Kids' 'ATE' press conference

The conference hall in Conrad Seoul shows preview images related to Stray Kids' latest EP, "ATE," at 10 a.m. on Friday. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]

Stray Kids members pose for photos at the press conference for the release of their latest EP, ″ATE,″ in western Seoul on July 19. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]

K-pop's meteoric boy band Stray Kids will meet with press on Friday at 11 a.m., two hours ahead of the release of its ninth EP, “ATE,” at 1 p.m.

“ATE” comes eight months after the release of Stray Kids’ eighth EP, “Rock-Star.” The EP topped the Billboard 200 albums chart upon its release, becoming the band’s fourth consecutive album to achieve that placement.

“‘ATE’ is filled with the cheerful energy that only Stray Kids have, and it has the band’s ambition to chew through the music industry in Korea and around the world,” according to the band's agency, JYP Entertainment.

The agency had announced a day earlier that all members of Stray Kids had renewed their contracts with the K-pop powerhouse, a year before they were set to end.

The Korea JoongAng Daily will cover the conference live.

The conference will start with a short introduction to the new album by the members, followed by a photo session with each member and the group. The members will then answer questions from reporters.

Stray Kids enters the conference hall at 11 a.m. They take a group photo as they enter.

Stray Kids members at the press conference for the release of their latest EP, ″ATE,″ in western Seoul on July 19. [YOON SO-YEON]

Stray Kids members pose for photos at the press conference for the release of their latest EP, "ATE," in western Seoul on July 19. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]

11:07 a.m. “We are back with 'ATE' in 2024,” Stray Kids leader Bang Chan says. “We prepared a lot for this EP, so I hope you enjoy it. We ask for your warm response and cheers for the new EP.”

11:23 a.m. The screening of the music video begins. Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds appear at the beginning.

11:28 a.m. Q. and A. begins. “This is a highly anticipated moment for us,” says member Lee Know. “We had fun preparing for the album, and we are very confident, so we wanted to showcase it fast. We hope to hear that we rocked the stage with the performance.”

Lee Know of Stray Kids at the press conference for the release of their latest EP, ″ATE,″ in western Seoul on July 19. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]

11:30 a.m. “We heard about [your] signing with JYP entertainment again,” a reporter says. “How did you make up your minds? What are your goals for the future, as you enter your seventh year after debut? And what has made SKZ [Stray Kids] able to be SKZ for this long?”

Stray Kids members at the press conference for the release of their latest EP, ″ATE,″ in western Seoul on July 19. [YOON SO-YEON]

11:31 a.m. “We wanted to share with Stay [Stray Kids' fans] the happy news soon,” Bang Chan says. “We were able to make this decision thanks to Stay and our staff at the agency who've been like family for us. And we imagined us being together and thought we could grow together. And I was thankful as the leader of the team because we agreed to it all together with one heart. From debut, I think Stray Kids were able to draw out our story very well. And we want to show you much more. We think this is a new beginning, and we will show more of us.”

11:32 a.m. “We have a tour this year, so we can meet Stay all over the world,” Lee Know adds. “And, like in the music video, you have seen we came back with a different concept from [those of] the past. We want to try out new genres that show the SKZ style.”

“The core that kept us together, of course, was Stay,” I.N adds. “And we were able to come this far because we shared one heart together. We are always thankful for Stay.”

Stray Kids members at the press conference for the release of their latest EP, ″ATE,″ in western Seoul on July 19. [YOON SO-YEON]

11:33 a.m. “You have good achievements overseas,” the band is told. “What do you think is the reason? Is there anything you want to share with groups younger than yours? And, also, do you have any plans to appear in music variety shows?”

11:34 a.m. "I still feel very surreal with what we have experienced at recent festivals,” said Changbin. Stray Kids headlined I-Days Milano and British Summer Time (BST) Hyde Park this summer and are set to perform at Lollapalooza Chicago in August. “I feel so thankful that our global fans are singing along to our songs in Korean. I don't know if this could be our secret or not, but I just feel we are confident as SKZ, that we do our own music. I want to continue to develop our music, and I think fans just love what we do and agree with where we're headed.”

Stray Kids members at the press conference for the release of their latest EP, ″ATE,″ in western Seoul on July 19. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]

11:35 a.m. “Rather than [give] advice, I would rather say that we just enjoy our stages,” Hyunjin said. “We have fun on stage and enjoy the excitement before going up. Even after very hard training and practices, I just hope all groups are able to enjoy the fun on stage and the love of fans. If they can just be always reminded of why they wanted to become a singer in the first place, I think they can continue to have fun.”

Hyunjin of Stray Kids at the press conference for the release of their latest EP, ″ATE,″ in western Seoul on July 19. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]

11:37 a.m. “Regarding music variety shows, I.N appeared on 'King of Mask Singer' [2015-] and I think he did a good job with it,” says Seungmin. “And, so, half of our group's members appeared on that show, and I think there are many more opportunities open to us. If shows want us, we are open. Lee Know also appeared on a show called “Leemujin Service” [2022-].”

I.N of Stray Kids at the press conference for the release of their latest EP, ″ATE,″ in western Seoul on July 19. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]

11:39 a.m. The band is asked, “What do you want to show your fans through this new EP? How were you able to make your decision to renew the contract so early? How did you feel at Hyde Park, as you have seen your fandom growing globally?”

“What we want to emphasize, through our new album, is to show the parts of SKZ that fans weren't able to see in the past,” Han says. “In the past, we were able to show the strong energy of SKZ to Stay and the public, but with “ATE” and our lead track, “Chk Chk Boom,” it's a bit more controlled, but still fun and charming. And we also tried to expand the genres we cover by diversifying the tracks included in the EP. So you can see a lot of our new concepts through the new EP. We really hope you look forward to it.”

Han of Stray Kids at the press conference for the release of their latest EP, ″ATE,″ in western Seoul on July 19. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]

11:40 a.m. “Like Han said, we really tried to show the new side of SKZ,” Bang Chan says. “And the EP's name, “ATE,” was selected by us. It just literally means we “ATE” the stage, meaning we totally rocked the stage.”

Bang Chan of Stray Kids at the press conference for the release of their latest EP, ″ATE,″ in western Seoul on July 19. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]

11:43 a.m. “Recently we attended a festival overseas and it was hard to believe we could perform on such a big stage in front of global Stay,” Felix adds. “It was surreal. We were nervous, but also very happy. We were grateful that so many Stay came to see us. We are trying our best to show our music and performances in various ways.”

Felix of Stray Kids at the press conference for the release of their latest EP, ″ATE,″ in western Seoul on July 19. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]

11:44 a.m. Reporters ask, “There is a lyric that says 'You've eaten too much victory, but aren't you hungry for more?' Related to that, how do you keep your first mindset, the mindset you had when you began? Regarding Jackman and Reynolds, how did the collab work out?” Photos of Reynolds and Jackman meeting Bangchan and Felix appeared on Instagram and X earlier this month, and Reynolds has been publicly noted as a fan of the group in the past.

Felix of Stray Kids at the press conference for the release of their latest EP, ″ATE,″ in western Seoul on July 19. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]

11:45 a.m. “Everybody seemed to look at me after the word hungry was mentioned,” Changbin says. “It's not that hunger we are talking about. In the lyrics, we said we were full, but we are really hungry. And that makes us go on. The part we feel most hungry about is that we attended a festival recently, and we were so happy, but with that happiness, we feel like we can get more of it. We will never be too full for the love and support of our fans. We are also very much looking forward for the tour.

Changbin of Stray Kids at the press conference for the release of their latest EP, ″ATE,″ in western Seoul on July 19. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]

“How we keep our first mindset — it's really about being a team, I think. We have our ambitions individually, but we want to be a team, and the fact that we try to play our given roles within the team help us keep our first mindset. And with the way fans love the way we try to do things as a group, we feel more confident about our decisions."

11:47 a.m. “As for Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds, it's also very surreal,” Bang Chan says. “But we had a much longer history than we thought with Ryan-hyung [older brother]. Ryan-hyung had mentioned us as we did our stage and had communicated through SNS [social networking services]. And then they made time for us for this opportunity. And so even though they were busy, we were able to collaborate. I feel very thankful. Ryan-hyung, thank you.”

The band is asked if they contacted Reynolds and Jackman first.

“Yes. When we went to New York, we were able to meet,” Bang Chan says.

“When was the last part of the MV [music video] shot?” reporters ask. "That was actually shot on the first day,” Bang Chan says.

“Just by looking at the frames, we are together, but it's still hard to believe we were together,” Seungmin adds. “It looks like Photoshop even though we were together in the same space.”

11:48 a.m. A reporter says, “SKZ lyrics are very unique. And you have Latin lyrics. What did you most focus on? After seven years together, your life must be filled with SKZ, what does SKZ mean to each of you? And what does this album taste like?”

Seungmin of Stray Kids at the press conference for the release of their latest EP, ″ATE,″ in western Seoul on July 19. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]

11:49 a.m. “We thought a lot about having fun lyrics,” Changbin says. “We tried to come up with phrases that are interesting and have multiple meanings. But for this song, we focused a lot on the pronunciation. Even if you rap in Korean, some words, we tried to [make them] sound like Latin. And we tried using Spanish. It was a challenge SKZ hadn't tried before with this new genre. So we focused a lot on the lyrics.”

11:50 a.m. “With SKZ being together for seven years, I really think we are family,” Felix says. “Seven years growing together and living together, working together. We know each other so well and trust and cheer for each other. We are truly family.”

Stray Kids members at the press conference for the release of their latest EP, ″ATE,″ in western Seoul on July 19. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]

11:51 a.m. “You talked about our 20s, and if you think about the past, we only live once, and our 20s have just really been SKZ,” Seungmin says. “And it will be SKZ again in the coming 20s. SKZ is my youth.”

11:52 a.m. “New inspiration came,” Changbin says. “If I think about myself, I'm a member of SKZ, and SKZ is forever to me. I want SKZ to be forever.”

“Lasagna?” Han suggests in response to the question about the album's taste.

11:53 a.m. “We were known famously for having a mala-tasting [spicy] EP,” I.N says, also responding to the taste question. “That title was really good. So this time, I thought about rose mala. This EP is a bit softer, so rose plus mala.”

“Ah,” Han says. “So there is rose-tasting mala as well? I will try it soon. You will soon see me trying it out.”

11:54 a.m. A reporter says, “You have accomplished a lot over the years with Billboard and other charts. What does these titles mean to you? Any pressure? And do you have any advice or ideas you received from senior artists?”

11:55 a.m. “We've had unbelievable achievements, and that's all thanks to Stay, and so we are grateful,” Changbin says. “These titles and records seem like compliments to us. There is a Korean saying that goes, 'compliments make whales dance.' They really just help us be more fun and excited on stage. We are humbly taking those records and are trying more to get a better title next time.”

Stray Kids members pose for photos at the press conference for the release of their latest EP, ″ATE,″ in western Seoul on July 19. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]

11:56 a.m. “We were able to attend the Met Gala recently,” Bang Chan says. “And on the way, we had a chance to talk with Childish Gambino. He said he knows us. And it was just a big honor that those artists recognize us and know us. And he said to do your music, the music you want to do. That was a like, very 'back to the basics' advice. The backbone of how to become an artist. It was big support that we felt, that people know us.”

11:57 a.m. “And lastly, meeting Ryan Reynolds,” Bang Chan continues. “He, himself, is an artist, and he said there's a lot to learn from us and that he cheers for us. I was thinking, do we really deserve this? We earned a lot of energy from the shooting, and so I want to thank Ryan. Thank you, Ryan.”

11:58 a.m. “And last year, Pharrell Williams said that he really enjoys our music,” Felix adds.

11:59 a.m. “For 2024, we prepared a lot for this EP, and we will do our best when performing 'Chk Chk Boom,' Bang Chan says in conclusion. “Also, our latest world tour, 'dominATE,' is coming up. We will 'eat up' the stage, so we expect a lot of cheers and love from you.”

12:01 p.m. The M.C. emphasizes that Ryan Reynolds did not contact Stray Kids first; the band reached out to Reynolds to set up their initial meeting.

BY YOON SO-YEON, KIM JEE-HEE [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]