At eight members, K-pop phenoms Stray Kids are the size of a small militia, but the numbers are working for them. With their clean-cut image and surprisingly edgy sound, the group have carved out a niche for themselves, following in the footsteps of fellow K-pop boy bands like BTS.

Stray Kids swerve joyfully between EDM and rap — yes, you'll hear lots of skittering hi-hats — but what really distinguishes them (aside from the deft and convincing rapping) is the hard electric guitar that runs through their songs. It gives the band a surprising and distinctive rock edge. Add in good looks and dance skills, and you have a hot live show. In 2018, the group played showcases in Korea and abroad, and in 2019 they booked their first international tour, which took them through Asia and the U.S.

Stray Kids Background

Stray Kids may sound like something out of Dickens, but these kids actually met on the set of a South Korean reality TV show by the same name in 2017. Though nominally a survival show in which participants would be voted off, all nine young men ended up making it into the band: Bang Chan, Woojin, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, and I.N.

Within that group, three members quickly took responsibility for much of the songwriting and production, led by Bang Chan (who grew up in Australia); they call themselves 3racha. In January 2018, Stray Kids dropped their first EP, the winkingly named Mixtape.

That release was followed by three more throughout 2018: I Am Not, I Am Who, and I Am You. Each one built on the hype, and the band quickly gained an international following. When awards season came around, they cleaned up, winning New Artist of the Year at the Gaon Chart Music Awards in 2018, Rookie of the Year at the 2018 Asia Artist Awards, and the Mnet Award for Best New Male Artist. In 2019, they won the Seoul Music Award for Rookie of the Year.