Stray Kids is achieving notable results on the two main charts of the U.S. Billboard and is within sight of taking over K-pop hegemony in the global pop market.
Stray Kids made a comeback on November 10th with the release of their new mini album '樂-STAR' and the title song 'Rock (樂)'. They planted joy in the album name and title song and expressed their ambition to "enjoy it properly." They not only topped the 'Billboard 200' for four consecutive years but also ranked 90th on the 'Hot 100', becoming the first 4th generation K-pop boy group to enter the chart. A new record was even set.
◆ No. 1 on ‘Billboard 200’ for 4 consecutive years + first entry into ‘Hot 100’… European chart career high
According to Billboard's announcement on its official website on November 19 (hereinafter local time), Stray Kids' new album '樂-STAR' topped the 'Billboard 200' as of November 25 with sales of 224,000 copies in the US in the first week of release. occupied. Stray Kids, who debuted at No. 1 on the chart with 'ODDINARY' in March 2022, followed with 'MAXIDENT' in October of the same year and '★★★★★ (5-STAR)' in June 2023. Following (Five Star), the group achieved a record of placing four works in a row at number one on the 'Billboard 200', including '樂-STAR'. Subsequently, the album's title song 'Rock' ranked 90th on Billboard's 'Hot 100', becoming the first 4th generation K-pop boy group to successfully enter the chart.
Billboard's achievements were also highlighted in several foreign media. Billboard and Forbes said, "The artists who debuted at number one upon entering the 'Billboard 200' with four consecutive works were pop star Alicia Keys from 2001 to 2007, and world-famous boy band One Direction from 2012 to 2014. "Afterwards, Stray Kids was the first. In addition, it achieved the fourth No. 1 spot on the chart in about 20 months, which is also the second record in history, following Taylor Swift's 16 months."
Forbes refers to Stray Kids as 'Korea's superstars' and says, "After BTS, they are the K-pop artist who achieved the most number one hits on the 'Billboard 200' chart, and topped the 'Hot 100' chart with their new song 'Rock (樂)'. “It became one of the most loved songs in the United States over the past week since it debuted,” he said. Stray Kids, who have become a regular at No. 1 on the 'Billboard 200', are also the second K-pop boy group to be listed on the 'Hot 100', which is evaluated as an indicator of popularity in the global pop market, following BTS.
It ranked 44th in the UK's Official Singles Chart Top 100 as of November 17th and 74th in the French Singles Chart Top 100 as of November 18th, breaking its own highest ranking on the European stage, and being the first to be released on Spotify, the largest music streaming platform in the world. It is on a 'strong path' of global popularity, recording a career high with 13,198,613 streams, the most in the state.
◆ Pioneer of global K-pop popularity
As reported by various overseas media, Stray Kids is the only K-pop group to have all of their works ranked straight to number one on the Billboard 200, and has become the K-pop artist with the most number one albums, following BTS. Previously, Stray Kids held an encore performance to mark the finale of their second world tour "MANIAC" at the Bank of California Stadium (BMO Stadium) in Los Angeles, USA, becoming the second K-pop boy group to enter and sell out a US stadium concert. achieved. Likewise, among K-pop boy groups, they were honored as a performer and winner of the '2023 Billboard Music Awards' (hereinafter referred to as '2023 BBMAs') for the second time in history. Previously, in September, the group was selected as the winner of the Best K-Pop category with the title song 'Special' of '★★★★★ (5-STAR)' at the '2023 MTV Video Music Awards'.
Through these achievements, Stray Kids has firmly established itself as the vanguard of global K-pop popularity, both in name and reality. This proves the solidity of the cooperative system formed between JYP Entertainment and America's No. 1 label Republic Records, as well as clear synergy. The collaboration between the two companies, which started with TWICE in February 2020 and continued with Stray Kids in February 2022, is bearing fruit with remarkable results in the global pop market represented by the United States. JYP Entertainment established the North American corporation JYP USA in March 2022 in order to establish a North American base for its artists and overall business as well as strategic evolution, and is serving as the backbone of close cooperation with Republic Records.
◆ A journey of self-composed songs with ‘toughness and courage’
Stray Kids, who performed for the first time at '2023 BBMAs' on the 19th and even enjoyed the joy of winning the Top K-Pop Album category with their 3rd full-length album '★★★★★ (5-STAR)', said, We would like to sincerely thank STAY (fandom name: STAY) around the world and everyone who supports them. It is thanks to the fans who sent a lot of love so that Stray Kids' stubborn music could reach all corners of the world. We look forward to better stages and wonderful performances in the future. “I will do my best to show you what I look like,” he said.
They directly embroidered their names on the song credits of all 35 songs included in the four albums that ranked first on the 'Billboard 200'. From the official debut song 'District 9' in March 2018 to the latest song 'Rock (樂)', this is a passage that confirms that the musical journey of all self-composed songs with tenacity and determination is reaching the whole world. SKZ's music, carefully created with the mindset of insisting on a unique taste, has established itself as a unique K-pop representative menu that exudes a deeper flavor over time, gaining sympathy from music fans at home and abroad.
Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr