We are absolute MANIACS after this world tour.
South Korean male-group, Stray Kids, has recently concluded their global “MANIAC Tour.” Per usual, Stray Kids never fails to outdo themselves with their immaculate vocals, soul-sending rap, and insane dance moves.
Stray Kids debuted in 2018 under JYP Entertainment. The group consists of eight members: Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, and I.N. Differentiating from any other K-Pop group, Stay Kids concept entails a range extremely high-energy beats influenced by EDM and hip hop sounds. Before their official debut, Stray Kids gained a following through a reality show ironically called “Stray Kids,” which documented their training and preparations for debut. This show allowed fans to get to know the members and their personalities, as well as see their hard work and dedication to their craft. In addition to their music, Stray Kids is also known for their impressive choreography and performances that are consistently praised for their synchronization and energy on stage. Along with their eight-member group, the members of Stray Kids also entail several internal sub-units, consisting of the hip hop unit 3RACHA and the performance unit DanceRACHA.
In addition to their immaculate performance skills and sub-unit divisions, leader of the group, Bang Chan, consistently works on the meticulous production and song-writing of
each album. Alongside Bang Chan, each member assists in the song-writing of many of their featured songs. As featured on their 2022 album “MAXIDENT,” the DanceRACHA unit, consisting of Lee Know, Hyunjin, and Felix wrote and performed “TASTE,” in addition to hip hop unit 3RACHA, consisting of Bang Chan, Changbin, and Han, writing and performance of “3RACHA,” as well as vocalists Seungmin and I.N’s “Can’t Stop.” Each of these songs showcase each sub-unit’s specialized talents of dance, rap, and vocalization in the most phenomenal way.
Their latest albums, “MANIAC,” released in June 2021, “MAXIDENT” and “REPLAY” released in 2022, and “THE SOUND” released in 2023 has only added to their growing success with no limits to their capabilities as artists and entertainers. Luckily for fans (a.k.a me and STAYS), they showcased their most beloved songs featured on these albums amidst the MANIAC tour. Per their setlist, these included: “God’s Menu,” “MANIAC,” “Thunderous,” “VENOM,” “Charmer,” “Easy,” “CASE 143,” “Back Door,” and “DOMINO.” Stray Kids even performed STAY favorites from their earlier SKZ2020 album including “MIROH,” “District 9,” and my personal favorite from that album, “Hellavator.” Bang Chan, being the icon that he is, even performed a cover of DJ Khaled’s “All I Do Is Win.” All I can say about that is, I am so sorry DJ Khaled, but Bang Chan did it WAY better, and I need a Stray Kids official cover release of it. (You just can’t compete with the Aussie’s…oh yes, Bang Chan and Felix are from Australia in case you didn’t know)
As anticipated from their previous performances on the South Korean performance broadcasting station MNET, their performances from their tour were nothing less than impeccable! Now that the tour has concluded, we would fully expect the group to take a break, right? Nope! Stray Kids is reportedly making another comeback in early June, and STAYs could not be more excited.
Stray Kids has quickly become one of the most popular and beloved boy groups in the K-pop industry, with their unique sound and meaningful lyrics allowing them to stand out alongside their high-energy performances have gaining legions of fans around the world. As they continue to evolve and grow as artists, Stray Kids will no doubt continue to be a force to be reckoned with in the K-pop industry.
