The group Stray Kids returned with evolved music after completing a record-breaking stadium tour.
On the morning of the 22nd, they held an opening ceremony for their 4th regular album 'KARMA' at the Conrad Seoul Grand Ballroom in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, and discussed their new album.
Returning with a new regular album after about two years since releasing '★★★★★ (5-STAR)' in 2023, Stray Kids said, "This is our first comeback this year and our first album in 11 months since the tour, and we have worked hard to prepare. I think this meticulously produced album is a big gift for our fans, and I am curious about their reactions. I am happy just to have prepared it without regrets. I am glad to greet everyone with a regular album."
Stray Kids' new album 'KARMA' carries the meaning of today's karma, which those who consider their efforts to be their fate and destiny have achieved. It embodies their solid philosophy and growth narrative as they navigated countless external gazes and internal conflicts without wavering and forged their own paths through various genres of songs.
Featuring many tracks of high quality that were candidates for the title track, this album boasts involvement from the producing team 3RACHA, consisting of Bang Chan, Changbin, and Han, who directly participated in the creation of all 11 tracks, showcasing Stray Kids' unique musical world.
Changbin explained, "The reason we chose the album name 'KARMA' is that we wanted to create an album that contains the positive karma of the achievements and results we have made with STAY so far. Coming up with the sports concept was inspired by our first stadium tour experience, and as we looked at the concert hall, I envisioned our performance and interacting with our fans as one ceremony, which led to the concept we settled on."
The title track 'CEREMONY' is a song that blends intense trap EDM with Baile Funk rhythms, carrying a message celebrating the success achieved through perseverance and effort, as well as the journey of overcoming numerous adversities faced along the way. Particularly, the end of the 'CEREMONY' music video features a surprise appearance by professional gamer Faker.
Hyunjin expressed, "It felt like we worked hard on every album, and in terms of timing, this album is like a celebration for us after safely finishing our world tour, so I think we can enjoy it together with STAY, and I feel really confident. The moment I heard it for the first time, I thought, 'Wow, this is a hit.' The performance is also packed with a variety that matches the mood of the song, and I think many people will enjoy it."
Stray Kids set various first and highest records through their largest-ever world tour 'dominATE,' which included 54 performances in 34 regions around the world since last year. They set the record for the largest and most attended K-pop performance at the Stade de France in Paris and made history as the first K-pop group to perform at 5 out of 6 stadiums in Europe and 5 out of 10 venues in North America.
Hyunjin shared, "This is our first time performing in a stadium, so we practiced with a lot of nerves. Once we got into the big stadium, I felt truly grateful for the fans watching us from afar and thought we should work hard on stage. If I had to think of one memory from this tour, it would be the look in the eyes of the fans watching us."
Felix said, "We wanted to create many happy memories for our global fans during this tour, so we aimed to present a festival-like energy, new compositions, and many new things to those who traveled far and waited a long time. We had a wonderful time together."
As eight years have passed since Stray Kids debuted, Changbin commented, "I think we are receiving an unbelievable amount of love. In the early days, we had many doubts about whether our music was right or what we should do. I also remember seeing a lot of negative comments. There were many uncertainties, but we believed in each other and continued with confidence while looking at our fans. I think that persistence has become good karma for us, making these moments feel like a dream. We overcame those challenges."
Han added, "Despite the many ups and downs over the past eight years, no one crumbled, and we have become beings that can lean on each other in any situation, helping each other grow. If we started from a branch, I think we have now become a sturdy tree with deep roots. I want to continue being wonderful beings for each other as we stay healthy and together for a long time. I confess, I truly love you all."
When asked what they would compare the past eight years to in sports, Seungmin replied, "Recently, baseball games have been a hot topic, and each of us has our own positions, and we put a lot of time and effort into achieving our goals in each album preparation process. In that aspect, I want to compare our efforts to running towards victory, as each member tries to flawlessly carry out their assigned positions. It feels like a relay race or high jump, and I believe it can be explained with various sports."
Changbin said, "We are crazy about the team Stray Kids. When we watch the members perform, they seem like crazy kids in a colloquial sense. I truly resonate with the statement that Stray Kids are crazy about Stray Kids. We think about what we should do to perform well and what songs we can go wild with as we work on our music."
Regarding future goals, Bang Chan stated, "Our goal is to widely spread the songs and performances of Stray Kids, which we want to continue doing together for a long time. If this album achieves good results, it would be grateful and an honor, but I believe our goal is to introduce yet another color of Stray Kids to the world."
Hyunjin continued, "We are of course aware of the record-breaking achievements with Billboard and are grateful to our fans, but we tend to think about what we should do to give our best performances on stage rather than focusing solely on those things. Our fans can see that positively. Records are important, but regardless of what kind of records they are, we want to continue making music and albums that we are passionate about as Stray Kids."
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