Stray Kids enter the room for an interview the way they approach a lot of things — as a fully unified, slightly chaotic team.
HAN is asking about the type of microphone we’re using and how to pronounce the brand name; Lee Know lifts up Seungmin, hopeful he’ll switch seats with him. Hyunjin and Felix are playfully bickering, bouncing back and forth between Korean and English.
The members of the eight-man team, rounded out by leader Bang Chan, rapper Changbin, and youngest I.N (who seems to be smiling the entire day), have had a particularly busy week. As they get settled for the interview, they happily recount highlights from their first visit at the Met Gala, where they generated conversation as the first K-pop group to appear in full.
It’s also been a long day of interviews when we meet, which happens to be release eve for an all-English single with Charlie Puth titled “Lose My Breath,” but if they’re worn down, it doesn’t show. The near-constant, overlapping chit-chat seems like familiar background noise both for them and their staff.
“We didn’t just work on one song,” Bang Chan mentions cryptically of their time working on “Lose My Breath” at the Republic Records studio in New York. In recent weeks, the members (along with their Met Gala collaborator Tommy Hilfiger) have been dropping light conversational teasers for new music, a new tour, and new content across the board. With all their free time, the members are gearing up to headline Lollapalooza in Chicago, which they’re remaining tight-lipped about for now. “We’re gonna have dinosaurs, and sharks,” jokes Bang Chan. “Sharks with lasers,” confirms Felix.
With both summer and that headline gig waiting for them on the horizon, the members dig into memories from summers throughout their lives, build a playlist of Stray Kids summer songs, and continue to tease all the new music on the horizon for 2024. Watch the full interview above — or, if you’re having trouble accessing the player, enjoy the full interview on YouTube.
