Stray Kids could be next big thing in K-pop, debut album rocks

We have seen several successful bands, including EXO, Big Bang and the current sensation BTS or Bangtan Boys in K-pop, and it seems the next big thing to join the league is Stray Kids. The band may go places if the response to its debut album is any indication.

Stray Kids is a boy band formed by JYP Entertainment through the reality show with the same name. It has nine members onboard -- Bang Chan, Woojin, I.N, Lee Know, Changbin, Han, Felix, Seungmin and Hyunjin.

The band's debut album titled I am NOT, which has seven tracks namely, Not!, District 9, Mirror, Awaken, Rock, Grow Up and 3rd Eye, has been rocking ever since its release on March 26. In fact, the music video of the song District 9 has received more than 15 million views in less than eight days. It had earlier broken the record of Wanna One's Energetic by garnering more than four million views in one day.

How did Stray Kids manage to taste success with its debut album? Well, a source from JYP Entertainment said that people know the band through the Mnet's Stray Kids show.

How did Stray Kids manage to taste success with its debut album? Well, a source from JYP Entertainment said people know the band through the Mnet's Stray Kids show that was aired last year and its pre-debut album titled Mixtape released earlier this year.

"Domestic audiences and fans have already become familiar with the band since they performed on Mnet's reality show," a JYP official told The Korea Times. "International fans, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy the powerful music and performances." 

The same source hinted at the possibility of the band touring other countries like BTS did in 2017.

"We are getting positive feedback from both inside and outside the country but it's too early to tell whether Stray Kids will perform abroad because they just made their debut," the source told the publication.