Celebrating their 9th year since debut, the group Stray Kids has returned with their new mini-album "THIS & THAT". What they chose was a challenge toward newness.
Stray Kids (BANG CHAN, LEE KNOW, CHANGBIN, HYUNJIN, HAN, FELIX, SEUNGMIN, I.N) held a press conference on the afternoon of the 6th at the Conrad Seoul Grand Ballroom in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, to commemorate the release of their 10th mini-album "THIS & THAT". This marks their comeback in about nine months since the release of their SKZ-IT tape "DO IT" last November.
Regarding his thoughts on making a comeback after nine months, CHANGBIN stated, "Since it has been a very long time since our last comeback, even the comeback stage happening tomorrow makes my heart flutter one by one. We had a Seoul concert, and I hope we can return the good energy we received then to STAY."
BANG CHAN explained, "Since we are also in our 9th year and have tried various music genres since our early debut days, I think the more diverse we are, the more diverse sides of Stray Kids we can show. True to the album name 'THIS & THAT', we have worked hard to prepare new colors of Stray Kids."
"THIS & THAT" consists of a total of eight tracks, starting with the pre-release song "RUN IT", followed by the title track "This & That", "After You", "Farming", "I Do", "Way Out", "Back Then", and "This & That (Festival ver.)". The title track is a hip-hop-based groovy track, and all songs were produced by the group's in-house producing team 3RACHA (BANG CHAN, CHANGBIN, HAN).
CHANGBIN introduced it by saying, "Unlike our previous title tracks, it contains a somewhat chill and relaxed side of SKZ. I tried to infuse the confidence that 'we do this and that' into the album." Regarding the sound of the title track, he shared the behind-the-scenes story: "I thought a sound that hasn't been heard before was experimental, and I tried to make it approachable by laying monotonous lyrics over a sound that could potentially feel messy. The hook came out quickly, and when I played it for the members, their reactions were good, so it was a song that gave me confidence."
Explaining the reason for choosing challenge over settling, HAN said, "There is always a safe choice, but the reason we do experimental things is because it's more fun. There are times when it gets difficult during the process, but there is a lot to learn within that. If we do the exact same thing every time, we lose interest ourselves."
The Korean elements contained in the music video also stand out. SEUNGMIN explained, "Many familiar places appear in the video. We integrated a Korean vibe so that our music wouldn't feel far away to listeners, giving them the feeling that 'Stray Kids is singing right beside us.'" FELIX added, "It's not our first time incorporating Korean elements, but this is a truly freshly brewed song and album containing SKZ's deep and rich flavor."
Last year, Stray Kids set a record by entering the "Billboard 200" at No. 1 for the eighth consecutive time as global artists with their album "DO IT".
However, Stray Kids emphasized that rather than external evaluations or expectations for chart results, they want to show their sincerity. SEUNGMIN replied, "Above all, I just hope our music reaches many people."
When asked about being mentioned as a leading candidate for the newly established Grammy Awards category "Best Asian Pop Music Performance", he answered with sincerity about music instead of giving a direct reply. SEUNGMIN stated, "Rather than paying attention to external glances, we sing while containing the stories we want to tell. We feel grateful that K-pop receives great love all over the world and are realizing the power of music." HYUNJIN also emphasized, "We have never set awards or records as a goal. The top priority is for our fans to be satisfied and happy."
On this day, following the successful completion of their largest-ever world tour "dominATE", they also expressed expectations for the new festival "STRAYCITY" spearheaded by Stray Kids, which will be held in Central and South America this coming September. HYUNJIN stated, "We approach festivals with the determination to go crazy and party together with the public as well as our fans, while concerts are our resolution to prove what kind of music we have done and want to do." SEUNGMIN conveyed, "We are still hungry. There is a strong desire to personally visit STAYs we haven't met yet."
Stray Kids is facing their team's first military enlistments. LEE KNOW, who is facing the group's first enlistment hiatus, promised, "I think fulfilling the defense duty is natural, so when I receive the call, I will faithfully and well perform it. We haven't talked deeply about activities after that, but it seems we will gather again. Because I want to repay the love I received, I will definitely return. If you wait just a little bit, I will be back in no time."
Stray Kids' new mini-album "THIS & THAT" will be released online and offline at 1 PM on the 7th.
Photo = Reporter Baek Seung-chul
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)