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Eight young men stand together in Chicago’s Grant Park under a sky lit with fireworks towards the end of their headlining set at Lollapalooza, united onstage in the very image of victory. It’s appropriate that Stray Kids, the propulsive K-pop act currently sitting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, included their track titled “Victory Song” on their 21-song set list this weekend — the awestruck, joyfully incredulous expressions from Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, and I.N confirmed that feeling exactly.
But three hours before Stray Kids took the stage for perhaps their most high-profile US performance to date, the energy is different. The first thing Seungmin shares when I enter one of the trailers set up for the group’s large backstage camp is that they’re all feeling quite tired — the jet lag after just arriving the day prior is hitting hard. Before the interview officially starts, the members of the band are floating around with varying levels of nervous or excited energy. Bang Chan is visibly in leader mode, whereas Hyunjin is trying to peek over the fence to catch a bit of whoever is performing (and, later, climbing a tree, despite already being stage-ready in shiny leather pants).
Stray Kids, photo by Josh Druding
Even seated, the members are buzzing; the anticipation is visible. They’re a bit reassured to hear how many fans are onsite, sporting t-shirts with their names and faces, flags, pickets, fans, pins, and photo cards. It’s understandable that the guys are tired, in a greater sense than just the preparation of this week, since the level of output Stray Kids have achieved in the past few years is shocking. That aforementioned No. 1 album, titled Ate, is their fifth consecutively charting project to debut in the top spot.
Bang Chan, perpetually deferential, points this latest milestone back to the fans with a reminder that their listeners, known as Stay, are the reason they’ve made it this far. “We just did what we always do,” he says of Ate. “Have fun making music. That’s all that matters to us.”
The music video for the focus track from the project, “Chk Chk Boom,” features cameos from self-proclaimed Stays Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds. Felix describes their decision to co-sign the track by suiting up in full Deadpool & Wolverine mode as “so sweet.”
Stray Kids, photo by Josh Druding
And while it feels like Stray Kids are breaking into the American mainstream in a huge new way, the members are, conversationally, still focused on the fans in a way that feels entirely authentic. I.N sweetly takes time to emphasize how thankful they are for anyone that is onsite to see them perform, and Changbin says their listeners were at the forefront of their decision-making when it came to structuring the set list.