Stray Kids

Stray Kids became the first act to debut atop the Billboard 200 with each of its first nine entries, a run that began after the group signed with Republic Records for U.S. promotions in 2022. Formed by JYP Entertainment through the 2017 reality show of the same name, the South Korean eight-member group consists of Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin and I.N. Former member Woojin left in 2019.

Bang Chan selected the members before filming the television series, and the group has maintained a strongly self-produced approach to its recordings. Its principal production team, 3Racha, is made up of Bang Chan, Changbin and Han, while other members also regularly take part in songwriting. Stray Kids issued the unofficial debut EP Mixtape in January 2018, then made its official debut on March 25, 2018 with I Am Not. The releases I Am Who and I Am You completed the I Am series later that year.

The group followed with its 2019 Clé trilogy: Clé 1: Miroh, Clé 2: Yellow Wood and Clé: Levanter. In 2020, Stray Kids made its Japanese debut through Epic Records Japan with the compilation album SKZ2020. Its first Japanese single, “Top,” opened at number one on the Oricon Singles Chart, making Stray Kids the fourth foreign male artist to do so with a debut single.

The first studio album, Go Live, arrived in 2020 and became the group’s first platinum-certified album from the Korea Music Content Association. Its lead single, “God’s Menu,” is regarded as Stray Kids’ signature track. The 2021 follow-up Noeasy became the group’s first million-selling album. Subsequent releases including Oddinary, Maxident, 5-Star, Rock-Star, Ate, Hop, Karma, Do It and This & That all debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.

5-Star received a KMCA certification for 5 million album sales, making Stray Kids the third group to achieve that mark in South Korea. The Japanese EP Social Path / Super Bowl (Japanese Ver.) became its first release to receive a million certification in Japan, while “Lalalala,” from Rock-Star, marked the group’s first Billboard Hot 100 entry. As of May 2026, Stray Kids had sold more than 40 million Korean and Japanese albums. The group was included in Time’s Next Generation Leaders list in 2023 and Forbes Asia’s 30 Under 30 in 2025, and received South Korea’s Prime Minister’s Commendation for contributions to Korean pop culture.