There's so much to enjoy about Kpop, but Stray Kids add a different flavor to their music. What I love as a person who's been on the planet for more than the majority of the SKZ fandom (I'm 52), is that they embrace sounds from so many genres/time periods that resonate with me. So many of their tracks bring me back and like you, "tickles my ears!" You have a perspective that I completely appreciate! These young men are so fantastic to me for so many reasons: they write and produce their own music, they can sing, rap, and dance, they are witty, charming, and downright adorable, and they are likely good human beings. While the same can be said for many other Kpop groups, to me they are still different and very special amongst so much of the same. There is a s self-awareness to their music that just stands out and I absolutely love the production choices they are making. Of the 160+ songs in their discography, I have very few that I do not care for. You can argue that there really is something for everyone! Topline, and frankly, the whole album, 5 Star, is a FLEX, but not in an assholish way. Stray Kids will be the first ones to say YOU DO YOU and you should embrace everything. Their mantra seems to be, "Don't worry about what WE DO, because we know who we are and how far we want to go." I'm totally here for it! Thanks for your reaction! Enjoy the SKZ journey!
You really need to look at the origins of this group. Sure, it's the formula that just really doesn't do well in Western music industry and the Korean industry has it down pat. Again, as someone who has walked the planet longer than the youths here, there have been many a reality music show that have gone sideways and very few have survived to avoid obscurity. We saw Danity Kane, O-Town, Diddy's Making the Band projects, etc. To me, the fact that Bang Chan pulled these guys together as a teenager and knew that it would be a winning mix just blows my mind.
I agree wholeheartedly. I am even older than you, but love Stray Kids like no other. They are so different, and so varied in their talents. They can perform hard hitting tracks, then turn around and sing a song like Neverending Story. They can hype me up, or bring me to tears. I love all their personalizes and little quirks.
Love hearing Stray Kids through the eyes of people who have seen life! Please do not take offense to anything I say lol I just mean living life teaches us things (if we're doing it correctly) and allows us to understand things a little deeper sometimes! I'm only/already 32, and watching these 20+ year old men living with such wisdom blows my mind! Even interviews and lyrics when they were still teens make me take a second to ponder if I had such depth at that age. And to think that 3Racha have been producing all these songs, attempting and succeeding in understanding all these genres and eras of music.. So proud to call myself a Stay. ❤
Same! 50 yrs old and I'm the one who introduced my daughter to them. HAHA She had tried getting me into K-Pop before, but I wasn't interested. I'd seen the girl groups and they all looked like cookie-cutter versions of Beyonce. No interest. I saw how rabid and toxic the fans of BTS were, and again, no interest. I didn't like their sound, either. I thought that's all K-Pop was -- bubble gum style with sex and egotism delivered by kids exploited by the industry. I was randomly watching something completely different when TH-cam recommended the debut of God's Menu. I saw cars in the clip and clicked (I'm a simple girl LOL). I was HOOKED! I sent it to my daughter, then I watched Miroh. Same. And thus began my journey into photo cards and merch 😂. I've enjoyed every minute of learning how super talented every member of Stray Kids is. I've expanded to people and groups like DPR Ian, Max Changmin, Enhyphen, Ateez, and Wonho, but it was SKZ that showed me the best side of K-Pop to get me here.
Stay kids are known for being extremely experimental. Their music hits many genres and they try so many different things - some say they are literally their own genre! Them producing and writing their own music is a huge part of why. Regarding their "Topline" attitude, I feel it comes more from a "we're on top because we are different and we refuse to conform to the mold." That's what their S-Class song (title track from the same album as Topline) hit on "a special star, the odd one, that's me." And I love that that's a constant theme from their music - don't be like everyone else, BE YOU. Also from S-Class, "The nobodies who look around carelessly Have a habit of jumping on anything that's shiny, no, no Be the one to shine instead of chasing after what’s shiny That's much easier to show off, Shine like a diamond, 'kay?" As a side note they are actually more popular internationally than they are in Korea. That could be why they were burning what appeared to be US Dollars (although if you look closely enough it's not a dead president on the bill - it's the octopus monster from the recent S-Class video). All of this said, I'd suggest a deeper dive into Stray Kids because of the self produced, experimental, and meaningful lyrics aspects of their music!
Stray kids are very different and I believe it is greatly due to Bang Chan (Australian). He comes from a musical family who gave him every opportunity to embrace music from all aspects. He grew up listening to all different types of music, including Frank Sinatra. He auditioned for JYP when he was just 13yo and was the only one accepted out of the 800 that auditioned. He trained for 7 years. He trained in EVERYTHING. Dance, singing, rap, composing, songwriting, arranging, instruments, producing, choreography..... you name it he did it. I feel being exposed to everything has made him a creative genius. He chose the boys himself and encourages their development in any avenue they wish to follow. This is why the boys have all turned into all-rounders themselves. However, having said that, he didn't do this by himself, without his team, every member, they wouldn't be where they are today. Each member brings something positive to the table. They are indeed one big family.
Well, don't take away the heavy credit from Ham and BangChan. He makes many of the beats, but the others make the majority of the lyrics and are responsible for a heavy amount of production too. They say that their music would NOT be anything like it is without each other, and they all credit the others for the sound of the group. In fact, they all equally contribute to the genre selection, and Han is the reason the group decided to never get stuck on certain genres too heavily. So... just try to remember that they are different mainly because 3RACHA works as a team. Not just BangChan. He is their leader, he is the man behind the "timing up loose ends" and driving the technical side of production. Yes. But decisions, lyrics, song structure, melody and toplines, are almost ALL Han and Changbin. It takes all three. Respectively. You have the right option... however, just try to remember their truths they claim too.
@@DaddiesLittlePsycho i don't like how you said the lyrics melodies and toplines are almost all binsung because that is NOT true, bang chan does those as well and he contributes even more to the toplines since he is mostly the one who is responsible for melodic parts like prechoruses and bridges which are the parts that repeat and give the melody of the song. idk where you heard chan contributes less to the toplines when it's the opposite. you can see this from the recording sessions. chan once said in a japanese interview that the one member in 3racha who makes a specific part direct the recording of said part. Who do we see directing more? Exactly, Chan. I'm not denying 3racha as a whole is what makes stray kids what they are today, but the way you worded things also discredited chan and are simply not true so i'd appreciate it if you could maybe edit your comment 🙏🏼
Two of these boys are Australian. :) Also, when you said they make it look easy, I laughed because they have a song called 'Easy' and that's in the lyrics. :D They're geniuses and are definitely on top.
It makes it even more impressive when you realise they are self produced, they released a video recently where they show their recording process for this song and some others and you would really enjoy it I reckon. You can really see how technical and involved they are in their work too. Never thought I would be listening to kpop but SKZ are special
@@PrymalChaoscould you please react to this, that's my favourite type of content but nobody ever posts it on TH-cam. Thanks for the reaction by the way, SKZ are my favourite
As a producer you'll enjoy watching their making videos. There are 3 members (Chan, Han & Changbin) who take the lead incase of production. I think you can give good insights on the video❤
I’ve been watching a lot of stray kids reactions lately and I just saw both this one and your venom one! you are def one of my favorite “reactors” thus far. the way that you appreciate the song even if isn’t 100% your style, the way you catch all the little production details and explain them to us so we can understand and have fun too, and your positivity and honesty overall is great! I know you just posted this one, so I’ll be patient, but I would love to see more stray kids videos whenever you have time! :)
I love listening to the production side of things. And interestingly enough 2 of the members are Australian. Their recent album has a song titled FNF that was dedicated to the recent brush fires in Australia. They also self produce and write their own music which is rare in Kpop. Oh and most of their discography are songs that don’t follow the usual patterns. It’s worth checking out!
Honestly, Stray Kids remind me of Lord of the Lost, even thought they're very different sounds and genres. They both have a really interesting sense of scale in their soundscapes, and they both get creative with the samples they use. While SKZ uses things like birds, drills, and door creaks; LotL uses things like punching and dropping instrument cases, shutting a drum case, stabbing a drum head with a drumstick. For both groups, anything that makes a sound is an instrument, and there's no right or wrong way to use an instrument.
@@PrymalChaosthen you will love Maniac and Back Door, as well as God's Menu and Thunderous (if you haven't already checked out those, I strongly recommend)
Part of the reason these groups can have such depth of talent, is that probably fewer than 10% of the trainees who pass the audition, make it into a group. The kpop companies do have a huge pool of talent to draw from, at this point, and the field is extraordinarily competitive. The 7 members of BTS trained with at least 27 others, none of whom made it, and at that time, their company was brand new, with almost no money or draw, and relatively few trainees. Chan from Stray kids trained for 7 years and during that time several of his freinds debuted, or left the company eventually to debut, but a lot of them just left. They were cut, or quit because they couldn't handle the workload, the stress, or they just weren't good enough or mentally stable enough. Sometimes they just couldn't live the very restricted life required. They start trainees young--Chan the leader of Stray Kids and part of their production team, (and fellow Aussie) started training at age 13 and was only 20 when they debuted, and four members were under 18 (a fifth turned 18 five days before official debut). Also, trainees approach it as a job. At various times in their pre-debut and debut years, the guys in Stray Kids were all training 12 hours or more per day. That includes vocal, rap and dance training, but not academic school (at least two of them were still commuting to school for the first year or two after debut) performances, evaluations, and for several of them, production and songwriting. This is not unusual. There is a certain very intense work ethic that is taken for granted in kpop, because it is a significant chunk of Korea's GDP, so succeeding in kpop is not just a door to money and fame, it is also a source of familial pride and a way to be patriotic. In a recent online interview, when the question "what do you do on your days off" came up, a couple of the Stray Kids members said "take vocal lessons" and most of the others chimed in with "yeah, dance/rap /vocal lessons". If you compare their wonderful mic-attracting voices now with when they debuted, you can really hear the difference. They had the raw charisma and talent to start, but they've really really worked on it, too.
I love how skz just slaps a lot different from a lot of kpop music skz comes out more aggresive than a lot of kpop groups and they are all very talented
I find it interesting that you mention the hip-hop influence on K-Pop in a song featuring Tiger JK. I'm a Stray Kids fan and not an expert on him, but I would recommend reading up on him if you're interested about the history of hip-hop in Korea. He is considered the godfather of k-hip-hop (which is different from k-pop btw). Anyway this song is from Stray Kids new album "5-STAR". I don't know if you've heard the title track "S-Class", but I recommend it. I'm not a producer, but people more knowledgeable about music have commented that the structure is somewhat interesting. Stray Kids have a real mix of songs, some more typical than others, but idk you would have to listen to them. I definitely think "Topline" is one of my favorite songs on the album and it's super solid, especially the rap. However, I don't know if it's the most interesting production/songwriting/lyric wise (relative to the rest of the album, not in general). Which is okay, like I said its still very well put together and each song has it's own charm to it. Credits for "Topline": Lyrics: Bang Chan (3RACHA), Changbin (3RACHA), HAN (3RACHA), Tiger JK Composition: Bang Chan (3RACHA), Changbin (3RACHA), HAN (3RACHA), VERSACHOI Arrangement: VERASACHOI Bang Chan, Changbin, and HAN are all members of Stray Kids and 3RACHA is the name of the production team that the 3 of them make up together. VERSACHOI is probably Stray Kids most frequent producer (other than Bang Chan himself) and one of their company's (JYP Entertainment) in-house producers. Also if you are Australian, check on their song FNF! The two Australian members wrote it and dedicated it to the Australian bushfires. There's an MV too, that was filmed in Australia.
You mentioned them burning US dollars lol and it’s bc Topline is a diss track to all of the haters that accused them of chart manipulation last yr when they earned their first #1 on Billboard 200 chart after signing onto an American Record Label one month prior to the album release. Also I love how this talks about how they’re “top of the line” or they set the bar for those who are on top but also they simultaneously sing the topline of the song together.
Stray Kids have every right to flex their success because their work and music are proof of their incredible talent, hard work, and tremendous dedication to their craft.
Thank you for this reaction. Hands down one of the best I've seen since the album was released. I've always wanted to hear a deep dive into the intricacies of their songs and you delivered. Loved it. I came to Stray Kids through Thunderous, which remains one of my favorite songs of theirs. The MV is stellar and I bet you'd get a kick out of watching and listening to it.
The best part of stray kids music is they are 100% involved from lyrics, composition and arranging. Music really hits different when the artist is involve in producing. Stray kids have members also known as 3racha which is primarily responsible for the production of their songs. I love watching and listening to reaction like yours, which has knowledge about music. Most of the haterd call their music as bad and noisy. But us fans really appreciate their talents in putting such amazing and unique songs. Also, stray kids dont follow trends just to be acknowledged, instead they make their own colors. They do different genre, and every time they tried something new, they never failed to impress us. If you want to listen to stray kids, kindly listen to God's menu - the song which anti refers as noisy song. But actually they just cant process everything that was happening in the song Thunderous - the song with traditional korean instrument and music references S-class - their latest song. A song that has lots of different sections but still cohesive. Throughout the years, you can really see their progress, from the very first sets of songs they produced during their pre-debut to the high quality songs they are producing now. Thank you for this review/reaction.
4:25i love how you mentioned how their lyrics (usually very aggressive and fast paced) contrasts the actual track itself , because skz really do love playing around with tempo ! (and once you get into their lyrics, you'll see a lot of wordplay as well, although not usually translated) a rlly great example is their song the tortoise and the hare - one of their most if not their most experimental tracks to date which i would love to see your thoughts on :)) thank you for the reaction !!!!
Your comment about the juxtaposition of the beat versus the rap immediately made me think of Stray Kids’ song Tortoise and the Hare you definitely need to check that out for sure
Love your reactions! Stray Kids are absolutely the kings of k-pop. I know you love attitude, so you'd LOVE God's Menu, Domino, Easy, Social Path (practically any song by them). One of the many amazing things about SKZ is that they compose music to fit anyone's taste. God's Menu is about that, stating that no matter what type of music you love, you'll find something by SKZ you'll like! Some of my favorites that are exact opposite of this attitude: Scars, Voices, Lonely St., and Back door. You should check them out! They might not be completely your cup of tea, but as a music producer, I know you'd still appreciate the work of art!
Loved your reaction! Hope you can check S-Class... I think it's a song that will be interesting for you in therms of musical production ❤ Also, they are the main producers of their own songs, especifically 3 of them: Bang Chan, Changbin and Han (3racha). I'll be here for more SKZ content ❤
i agree that particularly with skz lyrics, being able to understand it in korean just blows your mind bc of what they do with the usage of the korean language is masterful~ ty for this reaction!
Try Stray Kids’ Tortoise and the Hare and/or Item for more unusual rap beats. Also their video for Thunderous is excellent, whether or not you understand Korean.
Moreeee 💙 Pleasee! I think you can watch "Maniac" or "God's Menu" have a lot of drills, ad libs, unusual sounds and an unexpected charms :) God's Menu is like... A chef kiss hahah
I find it really interesting that your two (that I could find) reactions to stray kids are both to b-sides! The entire 5-star album that this is on is truly worth a listen. It’s an amazing listen.
I would really recommend these songs by them: The tortoise and the hare Zone (3racha) Heyday (3racha) I got it (Han) Muddy water Maze of memories N/S street version Boxer street version Doodle (Changbin) Taste (danceracha)
Ok. I had to go back and check what Stray Kids you have reacted to. Not a whole lot, and only B-Side songs. One thing you need to understand about K-pop. It's not one thing. It's a vast array of genres put together in various ways. Every group will have different ways of blending those. Almost every song will have vocals & rap in different parts. All of them will have dancing. BTS are from the third generation of K-pop. Stray Kids are in the fourth gen. And each generation of groups have different overall sounds, due to what is more popular at the time of them singing/making the music. Styles and techniques will differ, and groups will evolve with the times. Some groups will find a style & sound that works well for them, and then never change it more that small tweaks. Others will be completely different from when they first started, and continue experimenting. Some groups will play the instruments, and some groups will only sing & dance. Some concepts will be cute boy/girl next door styles, others will be hip hop, and yet others will be sexy vibes all the way. There are so many different concepts and styles, and they are all lumped into "K-Pop". Now. One thing I will tell you about Stray Kids, is that they are self-produced. They write their own lyrics, and make the music as well. So the music you hear, will be something they have created themselves. For a long time K-pop was driven by an industry that makes the group, makes the music, decides the concept for the group, and ultimately the actual singers have little to no say in what they do. This is slowly changing. Stray Kids were an oddity in that the company actually had little to do with their making, sound, or concept. The leader of Stray Kids (Bang Chan) chose his members, and they then went through a survival show to prove that they could debut as one team. Two members almost got permanently eliminated, but the head of JYPE decided that they worked better as a full group. They had more enthusiasm & chemistry as the original group, than with the two removed. (One member did leave after over a year & a half, and the group is now a 8 member group instead of the 9 that they debut with.) During the show, he had made it clear that the group was responsible for making the tracks for their songs, and the lyrics. That has never changed. So Stray Kids have the luxury of only making songs that they would love other people to hear. They decided that the music they made would be something that other people can relate to. If you read the lyrics, almost every song has deeper meanings & uplifting messages. Even the tracks they made to slap back at people who hate on them are not really rude or derogatory. (Such songs like Cheese, Domino, and Easy are such a bop) If you would like to listen to more of Stray Kids, I will list a few songs that vary in both sound ans style. From title tracks to b-side songs. Thunderous Blueprint Secret Secret Miroh Mirror Time Out Easy Cheese Domino (Do their dance practice. There isn't a full video for the song. There's just an unveil track & that isn't the full song.) Hall Of Fame (Do a color-coded lyric video, this is a b-side with no video) Super Bowl (Again, no video. But it's in English.) Maniac Chronosaurus Voices Back Door Freeze Super Board Side Effects Double Knot I think that's enough of Stray Kids for now. I didn't even list any songs that the group divided up into units for. They do have solo songs, and small unit songs of 2-4 members. Now. I will also challenge you to listen to a few groups that I love. (Besides Stray Kids. They are my favorite Boy Group.) I'm going to put a group, a tiny bit about them, and a song that I love. Ateez. (My second fave boy group. 8 members. Also mostly self produced.) I'll start you off with my fave song, even if it's not completely typical of them. It is & isn't. The song is "Halazia". KARD. (One of the only mixed groups in K-pop. 4 members, 2 guys & 2 girls. One of the guys is from California. Have a bit of Latin flair to a lot of their songs. Definitely on the more mature end of K-pop.) I'm actually gonna throw you in the deep end with their song about the toxicity in k-pop fandoms towards the Idols who the fandom "loves". The song is "Gunshot". Mamamoo. (4 member girl group. They are BAD ASS Bitches & set their own standards. Vocals for days.) I'm gonna give you their song that is actually kinda classic. The song is "Decalomanie". Have fun with your foray into K-pop.
8:50 if you want you can watch on your own time their performance of Topline in lollapalloza Paris! Exactly what you said here everybody screaming their lungs out the chants.... really really cool
You were right at 8:42, about a crowd getting involved. They performed this song at the Lollapalooza Paris and let me tell you, we were INVOLVED 😂 check it out!
In terms of translation they do take that in consideration as far as I know and they try to keep it as close as possible and sometimes the leader of the groupe who is also their producer and aussie 🇦🇺 explain things further in his live streams. They mostly have a total creative freedom over their stuff.
Your insights are interesting to hear. Long comment, brace yourself, some song recs for your reactions at the end. General thoughts (for context, meaningful or otherwise, I am Aussie, probably older than you): 1. Stray Kids is far from typical of Kpop, because a lot of Koreans seem to like their pop very melodic and sweet (I would argue saccharine but that's my prejudice.) It made me resist Kpop for years until my teenager FORCED me to listen to a couple of Stray Kids tracks while driving Melb to Canberra. I think we had been through five albums by the time we came home. 2. In the same way BTS 'paved the way', Stray Kids' success has given a lot of other acts the opportunity to be noisy and intense and experimental in a way international audiences seem to love, but only a subset of Korean listeners do. SKZ, probably because of BTS' success, had the opportunity to do it without having to change their fundamental sound. 3. SKZ are very, very good at all the things (hence the other comments about production, writing etc) but one thing I don't see often and I think is at the very core of their music is how 3Racha (but probably mostly Bang Chan) uses the individual members so well. They are his instrument and he deploys them with incredible knowledge and appreciation for how each of them can be used to build something that is very different each time. Sometimes I see comments about how Bang Chan doesn't get enough lines, doesn't sing enough etc etc and I want to scream - he creates the whole, the totality of the SKZ sound. it's his baby. And his formative influences more international than most of his peers in the K-pop industry. 4. I think K-pop really needs to rebrand because in the wider SKZ catalogue, there is very little I would describe as pop. Maybe a dozen songs in well over a hundred, most of them shamelessly sweet (somewhat cringy) fandom songs? Usually there might be one or two in an album (Maxident went overboard, but certainly true for Oddinary, NoEasy and Five Star, but if someone asked me what sort of music Stray Kids were, I'd be more inclined to go for edm-ish hiphop rock with the occasional pop-punk twist. 5. (Almost done ...) In terms of things to react to, I love watching reactions that show the breadth of the artist, so for SKZ, keeping in mind what you've done: From Five Star, S-class and DLC for the contrast, FNF for the Aussies; from Maxident, Case 143 as the title, and for rockier feels, Superboard (lookout for Felix's AC/DC shirt). From Oddinary, very hard to pick beyond the title track Maniac but Charmer is possibly the most interesting aurally, and Lonely St and Waiting for Us feel very stadium rock? Muddy Water for throwback hiphop vibes. NoEasy has Thunderous as their title track and really interesting use of Korean tradition visually and musically; and for vocal flexing and songwriting chops, Secret Secret or Sorry I love you. (But also Cheese, which is a classic bite at the haters as well as hilarious.) Then to round out with some of the (amazing) older stuff: official debut District 9 is a rocky earworm, Levanter is a gorgeous swelling rock ballad closer to pop than most, Side Effects and Gods Menu are two songs that created the great Korean pushback against SKZ as 'noise music', Any for wordplay and synth, and then there is Easy, the song I am convinced is somehow black magic because it manages to be soothing and stirring all at once.
Thank you for sharing your insightful thoughts. I hope you have thanked your awesome teenager for "forcing" you to listen to SKZ on your trip.. you sure have open your eyes to another side of K-pop. I agree that SKZ's music tang can not be pigeonholed and I found a new hobby in "reactor-watching".
i'm at 6:30 and i just keep thinking about how i would really love to hear your thoughts on one of their songs called The Tortoise and the Hare. It's one of my favorites and probably their most experimental song. Many people find it confusing because of how different it sounds from the usual kpop music so I am always looking for people who I think could appreciate it as much as I do because I swear it's a masterpiece. Please please consider reacting to it!!
All the work that you was trying to educate us on that goes into 1 song for example is all done by themselves. Lyrics, music, themes etc. I could go on and on. Watch them recording the making of S class from scratch. Think it was already written firstly lol. I know that they are super talented in what they can do. My respect and happiness for them is earned. Tiger in Korea is like what Eminem is to us english speakers. The GOAT. Those who don't like Eminem still grudgingly respect him. Stray kids are ones to watch and I'm loving every minute and hope guys see them as role models. Proof you don't have to act macho all the time
Oh with the way you described your music taste i think you'll really like 'muddy water' (but only 4 members of skz) it's like kinda 90's jazzy hiphop beat, another one u might like 'tortoise and the hare' it's really cool and experimental and such an awesome beat. Also, skz got 2 aussie members, one of them, bang chan, is the leader and one of the main producer of SKZ, he and 2 other members (the producer trio called 3RACHA) produce 99% of their songs the other 1% is some other producers they work with and the collabs they do. I think you'll really enjoy SKZ's music, i really hope you check out more of their songs
Stray Kids are in the 4th category, they are in their mid 20’s and as you said each are very talented and can do it all but they worked hard to be where they are. If you want to go a little further back please look into BIGBANG who are 2nd generation, they are in their mid 30’s. Why? -They led me to Stray Kids. -First group to write and produce their own music, mostly by G-Dragon. -First group to have rappers T.O.P and G-Dragon (GD). -First group to have an underground rapper become an idol (T.O.P). -Experiments with different genres. -It is impossible to have a favourite song, they are all good. -They sound better live than in studio, they are to this day the kings of live performances. -Each member were able to have a successful solo career while staying with their group. -They are the idol’s idols. -Taeyang the main vocalist just came back after a 6 year hiatus with 2 solo hits Vibe featuring Jimin of BTS and Shoong featuring Lisa of Blackpink. -GD is working on releasing new music this year after a 6 year hiatus. -Daesung also the main vocalist is scheduled to perform this month in Japan after a 6 year hiatus. -T.O.P who is also an award winning actor will be starring in Netflix’ Squid Games 2. He was also chosen as one of the 8 artists to fly to the moon on Elon Musk’s SpaceX project #dearMoon. Their music videos do not have English subtitles but you can find them on VIP’s channels like Dorian Gray, he has many of their live performances and you do not need to worry about copyright issues. Songs- BIGBANG- Bang Bang Bang, FXXK It, Sober, Loser. Live performances Haru Haru, If You, Tell Me Goodbye. Solo or sub units- Good Boy (GD/Taeyang, Zutter (GD/T.O.P), Crooked (GD) Bullshit (GD) Doom Da Da (T.O.P), Anymore (Daesung).
There are two members Bang Chan (Leader) and Felix who are actually Australian. If you're interested to check out something other than songs maybe watch some moment videos of these two being Aussies. Its really funny😅
Trust me, the more you listen to Stray Kids the better it gets. They havd a rather extensive catalog. Also you can pretty accurate lyric videos here on YT that make it easier to understand the Korean parts.
That 👆... lyric videos, sketchy depending on who interpreted the lyric... music videos, pretty bang on and most importantly, cultural mediation is applied. Like for the song GET LIT, some lyric vids say "let's go die" instead of "get lit", which yes is not exactly wrong, but the intent matters and that phrase is how they convey that concept. So, when it gets interpreted into another language, context is SOOOO important. 😅
Ya saya setuju sekali dengan apa yang anda katakan,... seseorang mendengarkan musik tidak hanya musik atau melodinya yang bagus tapi cara mereka menyampaikan melalui lirik yang dapat mempengaruhi orang yang mendengarkan saya sangat menyukai Stray Kids karena mereka membuat musik degan paket komplit dan istimewanya dari mereka adalah mereka memproduksi musik mereka sendiri itu keren menurut saya....❤
i used to listen to rock, metal and rap a lot and avoided kpop cause i was avoiding pop in general but it’s such an intricate industry that at the end of the day if you truly enjoy music you’ll find something of your taste with stray kids it’s even easier cause their discography is already super diverse (from drill, to hip hop, to edm, psytrance, rock, ballads etc) since you seem new to the genre i recommend dreamcatcher, they are the first successful girl group to incorporate elements of rock into kpop, scream is my fav song of them
Based on what you said about finding complexities in songs, I think you might enjoy Miroh, since it doesn't really follow the popular song structure, and The Tortoise and The Hare and its tempo play! I would love to see you reacting to more of their songs, they have it all!
thank you for your reaction! It was very interesting to listen to your analysis and perspective! I think so far you have only listened to "venom" and "topline"? I must remark, that both a b-sides (= not title tracks). they both have "typical" Stray Kids sound, but still they sound relatively "simple" in comparison to their title tracks and the MVs are much cheaper. I think you haven't heard "s-class" yet? it is a title track from the same album as "topline". I would be curios to hear your opinion about it and how they combine genres in 1 song. I would also recommend "god's menu" - it is a song from 2020 from which their popularity started to grow. speaking of things one has never heard before, I would really love to hear your opinion on "toroise and the hare". I am not a rap fan outside of kpop, and that song is for sure the most weird (in the best way possible) song I have ever heard. especially in combination with the lyrics :) it doesn't have an MV though. and regarding the language, I would recommend to check out "super bowl". it is a song fully in English from the same album as "topline", without an MV, but I think you might find it interesting to.
Thank you for reacting to Stray Kids once again! I have been checking your channel every week for the past 4 months, I kid you not, hoping for another reaction since Venom and it did not disappoint! Also, many other comments have said that, but I feel like their leader and main producer, Bang Chan, being Australian plays a huge role on the genres they keep exploring
So my favorite video genre right now is Skz reactions and yours is really really great. I love how you go into more technical reasons to enjoy them. Because it is very easy to dismiss kpop as a product, to just see it as a lot of production with a huge budget, robotic "press a button" , premade; instead of all the hard work, skill and artistry that goes into making it as good as it is. Your reaction I can show to friends who say everything sounds the same: it kind of does but there's a reason for the formulas and there's art in how they are executed in each song. Anyway. You might enjoy their production videos, they have them for this track and other on 5-stars. It's less technical and more about bringing that energy and their signature style to achieve the intended sound. In your S-class reaction you mentioned the storyboarding process for the video, well there's videos of the production process for the voice tracks. (There's also making of the MV but those are more like, treats for the fans) on their straykids channel Stray Kids "★★★★★ (5-STAR)" Recording Scene｜2023 STAYweeK no need to react to it but I think you would enjoy it.
Another great analysis! Loved learning about music production from you. Definitely earned my sub! Hope you make more videos like this, and i hope more people discover your work.
Bit late to the party but I think the tortoise and the hair and heyday might scratch your brain in a nice way! neither have music videos but they're truly wonderful songs (heyday is by 3racha which is 3 of the members in the group who do most of the writing and production of the songs so it won't say stray kids in the title)
Don't worry they are burning money from all around the world 🤑😂😂😂 i mean i am from Mexico an here we are i l9ve to listen to they're music, watching all they content and buying his discs and merchandise hihihihi thank you so much for your great reaction i love them, please more skz content ✨✨✨✨
Stray Kids are one of the self produced kpop artists. What I love about them is that they don't particularly have a genre they have so much diversity that til today I'm still surprised with songs I discovered from them and I love that they embrace every genre and do not just enclose themselves in a box. Also yes this song is very singable. 60k+ people at Lollapalooza in Paris were singing this so loud. I feel like these are the songs that you'll like from them -Awaken( a very underrated one but it so good and I feel like you'll like it cause it is a mix of rock and hiphop) -District 9 -Side Effects -Tortoise and a Hare -Item -S-class
first video i saw from you but : finally someone who reacts and gives opinions instead of bobbing his head to a song that's clearly likeable. Hope your other vids are as dope :D
Its great that you're Australian because you will love their group even more, two members, Banchan the leader, and Felix the deep voice are also Australian, they both lived in Sydney Australia and they still go to that place when visiting their family or concerts
One of the things that makes Stray Kids is so special is that three of the members: Bangchan, Changbin, and Han (Jisung) also know as 3racha produce all of their music. It adds a special touch to all their songs even just knowing that its a personal creation made by the members themself.
I have good ones by TWICE, one of the most popular girl groups in History Fake & True, it's a japanese release but to understand it's better to watch the video of bookish theories about it Feel special also has a video to explain it. Their latest Korean single is 'set me free', it's pretty good too. To talk about another Legendary GG : SNSD. You should watch 'I Got a boy'. It's a mix of genres that I don't remember having seen in an other mainstream industry. Red Velvet zimzalabim is similar. The chorus is genius, like a tribal chant in relation with the theme of the song.
"HIT" by Seventeen is a great example of the changes between hype and slow with great use of silence and pauses just in the right places, it's very EDM but sooo satisfying!
I think it would be really interesting to see you react to some of their slower/sadder songs!! If youre interested at all some of my favorites are secret secret, gone away (unit song between han, seungmin, i.n), never ending story (live performance), and lost me
one thing i wanna mention about the lyrics/translations: stray kids are NOTORIOUS for using korean wordplay in a lot of their discography. it may be why you don't 100% understand what they're saying, just as any english wordplay may sound translated into korean. they have such a large palette of genres to explore, beyond the kpop stamp that people dismiss it as. kpop has always been any music in korean, i feel like a lot of that got lost when it became more popular. but yes, the "ear tickling" is so relatable! as someone with ADHD, stray kids' music is my own fidget toy. i can focus on one specific sound & be able to replay the songs dozens of times just to focus on the other sounds. it's a GIANT playground mentally, which helps me stay calm and able to complete my daily tasks. great video!
I hope you check out their song FNF from this same album it’s more of a pop song but it’s about the Australian bush fires that happened a few years ago two of their members Felix and Bang Chan who are from Australia wrote it and the music video was shot in Australia when they were there for their world tour
You mentioned it looks like they’re burning American dollars and from a distance they do look like American dollars but if you look closely you’ll see that they have a one eyed octopus monster on them which is the same octopus you’ll see in the music video for their song S-Class which I highly recommend checking out
There are parts of 90's or old hip hop part in their latest music, s-class (changbin's part) and Stray kids members are part of the greatest and most skilled rappers in 4th gen idols if not kpop industry itself
It's a bit funny that you would say "being cool is about making it look easy" cause they have a song called Easy which is exactly about that lmao You should check it out, I think you'd really like it!
" God's Menu ", is easily, the most outstanding benchmark , of everything they have ever done. It has to be one of the best pieces of hard-hitting artistic content , ever created in this decade.
Happy day ➕️ Enjoy U👏. So COOL U R 👀 Stray Kids! 💯🤍! (more PLZ). Until next time... happiness ☮️ 🌸 be well. Interesting fact 2️⃣ of the members are from Australia👏 ( the leader, Bang Chan ➕️ the member with deep voice, Felix).
Oh u might get a kick out of their song tortoise and a hare
Yesss it does things to my brain that no other song can replicate
THISSSS
The legendary song.
THATS AN EXPERIMENTAL BOP!
Came to the comments to say just this🤭
There's so much to enjoy about Kpop, but Stray Kids add a different flavor to their music. What I love as a person who's been on the planet for more than the majority of the SKZ fandom (I'm 52), is that they embrace sounds from so many genres/time periods that resonate with me. So many of their tracks bring me back and like you, "tickles my ears!"
You have a perspective that I completely appreciate! These young men are so fantastic to me for so many reasons: they write and produce their own music, they can sing, rap, and dance, they are witty, charming, and downright adorable, and they are likely good human beings. While the same can be said for many other Kpop groups, to me they are still different and very special amongst so much of the same. There is a s self-awareness to their music that just stands out and I absolutely love the production choices they are making. Of the 160+ songs in their discography, I have very few that I do not care for. You can argue that there really is something for everyone!
Topline, and frankly, the whole album, 5 Star, is a FLEX, but not in an assholish way. Stray Kids will be the first ones to say YOU DO YOU and you should embrace everything. Their mantra seems to be, "Don't worry about what WE DO, because we know who we are and how far we want to go." I'm totally here for it!
Thanks for your reaction! Enjoy the SKZ journey!
You really need to look at the origins of this group. Sure, it's the formula that just really doesn't do well in Western music industry and the Korean industry has it down pat. Again, as someone who has walked the planet longer than the youths here, there have been many a reality music show that have gone sideways and very few have survived to avoid obscurity. We saw Danity Kane, O-Town, Diddy's Making the Band projects, etc. To me, the fact that Bang Chan pulled these guys together as a teenager and knew that it would be a winning mix just blows my mind.
I agree wholeheartedly. I am even older than you, but love Stray Kids like no other. They are so different, and so varied in their talents. They can perform hard hitting tracks, then turn around and sing a song like Neverending Story. They can hype me up, or bring me to tears. I love all their personalizes and little quirks.
Bangchan is half 52 y/o as according to seungmin 🤣
Love hearing Stray Kids through the eyes of people who have seen life! Please do not take offense to anything I say lol I just mean living life teaches us things (if we're doing it correctly) and allows us to understand things a little deeper sometimes! I'm only/already 32, and watching these 20+ year old men living with such wisdom blows my mind! Even interviews and lyrics when they were still teens make me take a second to ponder if I had such depth at that age. And to think that 3Racha have been producing all these songs, attempting and succeeding in understanding all these genres and eras of music.. So proud to call myself a Stay. ❤
Same! 50 yrs old and I'm the one who introduced my daughter to them. HAHA
She had tried getting me into K-Pop before, but I wasn't interested. I'd seen the girl groups and they all looked like cookie-cutter versions of Beyonce. No interest. I saw how rabid and toxic the fans of BTS were, and again, no interest. I didn't like their sound, either. I thought that's all K-Pop was -- bubble gum style with sex and egotism delivered by kids exploited by the industry.
I was randomly watching something completely different when TH-cam recommended the debut of God's Menu. I saw cars in the clip and clicked (I'm a simple girl LOL). I was HOOKED! I sent it to my daughter, then I watched Miroh. Same. And thus began my journey into photo cards and merch 😂.
I've enjoyed every minute of learning how super talented every member of Stray Kids is. I've expanded to people and groups like DPR Ian, Max Changmin, Enhyphen, Ateez, and Wonho, but it was SKZ that showed me the best side of K-Pop to get me here.
Stay kids are known for being extremely experimental. Their music hits many genres and they try so many different things - some say they are literally their own genre! Them producing and writing their own music is a huge part of why. Regarding their "Topline" attitude, I feel it comes more from a "we're on top because we are different and we refuse to conform to the mold." That's what their S-Class song (title track from the same album as Topline) hit on "a special star, the odd one, that's me." And I love that that's a constant theme from their music - don't be like everyone else, BE YOU. Also from S-Class, "The nobodies who look around carelessly
Have a habit of jumping on anything that's shiny, no, no
Be the one to shine instead of chasing after what’s shiny
That's much easier to show off, Shine like a diamond, 'kay?"
As a side note they are actually more popular internationally than they are in Korea. That could be why they were burning what appeared to be US Dollars (although if you look closely enough it's not a dead president on the bill - it's the octopus monster from the recent S-Class video).
All of this said, I'd suggest a deeper dive into Stray Kids because of the self produced, experimental, and meaningful lyrics aspects of their music!
Stray kids are very different and I believe it is greatly due to Bang Chan (Australian).
He comes from a musical family who gave him every opportunity to embrace music from all aspects. He grew up listening to all different types of music, including Frank Sinatra.
He auditioned for JYP when he was just 13yo and was the only one accepted out of the 800 that auditioned.
He trained for 7 years. He trained in EVERYTHING. Dance, singing, rap, composing, songwriting, arranging, instruments, producing, choreography..... you name it he did it.
I feel being exposed to everything has made him a creative genius. He chose the boys himself and encourages their development in any avenue they wish to follow. This is why the boys have all turned into all-rounders themselves.
However, having said that, he didn't do this by himself, without his team, every member, they wouldn't be where they are today. Each member brings something positive to the table. They are indeed one big family.
Well, don't take away the heavy credit from Ham and BangChan. He makes many of the beats, but the others make the majority of the lyrics and are responsible for a heavy amount of production too. They say that their music would NOT be anything like it is without each other, and they all credit the others for the sound of the group. In fact, they all equally contribute to the genre selection, and Han is the reason the group decided to never get stuck on certain genres too heavily. So... just try to remember that they are different mainly because 3RACHA works as a team. Not just BangChan. He is their leader, he is the man behind the "timing up loose ends" and driving the technical side of production. Yes. But decisions, lyrics, song structure, melody and toplines, are almost ALL Han and Changbin. It takes all three. Respectively. You have the right option... however, just try to remember their truths they claim too.
@reapingwillow7843 absolutely, that is why I said he doesn't do it alone.
@@DaddiesLittlePsycho i don't like how you said the lyrics melodies and toplines are almost all binsung because that is NOT true, bang chan does those as well and he contributes even more to the toplines since he is mostly the one who is responsible for melodic parts like prechoruses and bridges which are the parts that repeat and give the melody of the song. idk where you heard chan contributes less to the toplines when it's the opposite. you can see this from the recording sessions. chan once said in a japanese interview that the one member in 3racha who makes a specific part direct the recording of said part. Who do we see directing more? Exactly, Chan. I'm not denying 3racha as a whole is what makes stray kids what they are today, but the way you worded things also discredited chan and are simply not true so i'd appreciate it if you could maybe edit your comment 🙏🏼
@@DaddiesLittlePsychoYou probably can't read i guess. He/she said that each members bring something positive to the table.
Felix is also Australian 🎉
Talking about the crowd moment: they performed this at Lollapalooza and here you have the perfect example of thousands of people singing along.
I lost my voice screaming the lyrics I knew 😂
It was the same for all the songs really
Being there was amazing but when I saw the videos of all of us screaming TOPLINE along, ufff, goosebumps!
Two of these boys are Australian. :) Also, when you said they make it look easy, I laughed because they have a song called 'Easy' and that's in the lyrics. :D They're geniuses and are definitely on top.
i was just thinking that! EASY is one of my favorites and i would love to see your reaction to it. New subscriber for more Stray Kids ❤
I'm happy I'm not the only one who thought of Easy when he said that
It makes it even more impressive when you realise they are self produced, they released a video recently where they show their recording process for this song and some others and you would really enjoy it I reckon. You can really see how technical and involved they are in their work too. Never thought I would be listening to kpop but SKZ are special
I would love to watch that. See behind the curtain so to speak.
@@PrymalChaoscould you please react to this, that's my favourite type of content but nobody ever posts it on TH-cam. Thanks for the reaction by the way, SKZ are my favourite
As a producer you'll enjoy watching their making videos. There are 3 members (Chan, Han & Changbin) who take the lead incase of production. I think you can give good insights on the video❤
I’ve been watching a lot of stray kids reactions lately and I just saw both this one and your venom one! you are def one of my favorite “reactors” thus far. the way that you appreciate the song even if isn’t 100% your style, the way you catch all the little production details and explain them to us so we can understand and have fun too, and your positivity and honesty overall is great! I know you just posted this one, so I’ll be patient, but I would love to see more stray kids videos whenever you have time! :)
Thank you for watching! I appreciate your kind words!
It's crazy when you realize not only do they produce their own music, but they've done it since before they debuted. They're insanely talented!
I love listening to the production side of things. And interestingly enough 2 of the members are Australian. Their recent album has a song titled FNF that was dedicated to the recent brush fires in Australia. They also self produce and write their own music which is rare in Kpop. Oh and most of their discography are songs that don’t follow the usual patterns. It’s worth checking out!
Honestly, Stray Kids remind me of Lord of the Lost, even thought they're very different sounds and genres. They both have a really interesting sense of scale in their soundscapes, and they both get creative with the samples they use. While SKZ uses things like birds, drills, and door creaks; LotL uses things like punching and dropping instrument cases, shutting a drum case, stabbing a drum head with a drumstick. For both groups, anything that makes a sound is an instrument, and there's no right or wrong way to use an instrument.
I love that kind of experimentation.
@@PrymalChaosthen you will love Maniac and Back Door, as well as God's Menu and Thunderous (if you haven't already checked out those, I strongly recommend)
Part of the reason these groups can have such depth of talent, is that probably fewer than 10% of the trainees who pass the audition, make it into a group. The kpop companies do have a huge pool of talent to draw from, at this point, and the field is extraordinarily competitive. The 7 members of BTS trained with at least 27 others, none of whom made it, and at that time, their company was brand new, with almost no money or draw, and relatively few trainees. Chan from Stray kids trained for 7 years and during that time several of his freinds debuted, or left the company eventually to debut, but a lot of them just left. They were cut, or quit because they couldn't handle the workload, the stress, or they just weren't good enough or mentally stable enough. Sometimes they just couldn't live the very restricted life required. They start trainees young--Chan the leader of Stray Kids and part of their production team, (and fellow Aussie) started training at age 13 and was only 20 when they debuted, and four members were under 18 (a fifth turned 18 five days before official debut). Also, trainees approach it as a job. At various times in their pre-debut and debut years, the guys in Stray Kids were all training 12 hours or more per day. That includes vocal, rap and dance training, but not academic school (at least two of them were still commuting to school for the first year or two after debut) performances, evaluations, and for several of them, production and songwriting. This is not unusual. There is a certain very intense work ethic that is taken for granted in kpop, because it is a significant chunk of Korea's GDP, so succeeding in kpop is not just a door to money and fame, it is also a source of familial pride and a way to be patriotic.
In a recent online interview, when the question "what do you do on your days off" came up, a couple of the Stray Kids members said "take vocal lessons" and most of the others chimed in with "yeah, dance/rap /vocal lessons". If you compare their wonderful mic-attracting voices now with when they debuted, you can really hear the difference. They had the raw charisma and talent to start, but they've really really worked on it, too.
They are such an inspiration 🔥 they go thru everything just for their passion in music ❤️ hope they are living well and enjoying life as well 💕
I love how skz just slaps a lot different from a lot of kpop music skz comes out more aggresive than a lot of kpop groups and they are all very talented
12:08 Highly recommend the Stray Kids song called EASY which is exactly about this! And it’s a banger.
Love your knowledgeable reaction, btw.
I find it interesting that you mention the hip-hop influence on K-Pop in a song featuring Tiger JK. I'm a Stray Kids fan and not an expert on him, but I would recommend reading up on him if you're interested about the history of hip-hop in Korea. He is considered the godfather of k-hip-hop (which is different from k-pop btw).
Anyway this song is from Stray Kids new album "5-STAR". I don't know if you've heard the title track "S-Class", but I recommend it. I'm not a producer, but people more knowledgeable about music have commented that the structure is somewhat interesting.
Stray Kids have a real mix of songs, some more typical than others, but idk you would have to listen to them. I definitely think "Topline" is one of my favorite songs on the album and it's super solid, especially the rap. However, I don't know if it's the most interesting production/songwriting/lyric wise (relative to the rest of the album, not in general). Which is okay, like I said its still very well put together and each song has it's own charm to it.
Credits for "Topline":
Lyrics: Bang Chan (3RACHA), Changbin (3RACHA), HAN (3RACHA), Tiger JK
Composition: Bang Chan (3RACHA), Changbin (3RACHA), HAN (3RACHA), VERSACHOI
Arrangement: VERASACHOI
Bang Chan, Changbin, and HAN are all members of Stray Kids and 3RACHA is the name of the production team that the 3 of them make up together. VERSACHOI is probably Stray Kids most frequent producer (other than Bang Chan himself) and one of their company's (JYP Entertainment) in-house producers.
Also if you are Australian, check on their song FNF! The two Australian members wrote it and dedicated it to the Australian bushfires. There's an MV too, that was filmed in Australia.
You mentioned them burning US dollars lol and it’s bc Topline is a diss track to all of the haters that accused them of chart manipulation last yr when they earned their first #1 on Billboard 200 chart after signing onto an American Record Label one month prior to the album release. Also I love how this talks about how they’re “top of the line” or they set the bar for those who are on top but also they simultaneously sing the topline of the song together.
I'm a Slipknot girl and I'm a HUGE Stray Kids and Ateez fan.
You would like Ateez for some harder music, Guerilla being one.
Stray Kids have every right to flex their success because their work and music are proof of their incredible talent, hard work, and tremendous dedication to their craft.
Thank you for this reaction. Hands down one of the best I've seen since the album was released. I've always wanted to hear a deep dive into the intricacies of their songs and you delivered. Loved it. I came to Stray Kids through Thunderous, which remains one of my favorite songs of theirs. The MV is stellar and I bet you'd get a kick out of watching and listening to it.
Glad you enjoyed it!
The best part of stray kids music is they are 100% involved from lyrics, composition and arranging. Music really hits different when the artist is involve in producing. Stray kids have members also known as 3racha which is primarily responsible for the production of their songs. I love watching and listening to reaction like yours, which has knowledge about music. Most of the haterd call their music as bad and noisy. But us fans really appreciate their talents in putting such amazing and unique songs. Also, stray kids dont follow trends just to be acknowledged, instead they make their own colors. They do different genre, and every time they tried something new, they never failed to impress us. If you want to listen to stray kids, kindly listen to
God's menu - the song which anti refers as noisy song. But actually they just cant process everything that was happening in the song
Thunderous - the song with traditional korean instrument and music references
S-class - their latest song. A song that has lots of different sections but still cohesive.
Throughout the years, you can really see their progress, from the very first sets of songs they produced during their pre-debut to the high quality songs they are producing now.
Thank you for this review/reaction.
4:25i love how you mentioned how their lyrics (usually very aggressive and fast paced) contrasts the actual track itself , because skz really do love playing around with tempo ! (and once you get into their lyrics, you'll see a lot of wordplay as well, although not usually translated) a rlly great example is their song the tortoise and the hare - one of their most if not their most experimental tracks to date which i would love to see your thoughts on :)) thank you for the reaction !!!!
Your comment about the juxtaposition of the beat versus the rap immediately made me think of Stray Kids’ song Tortoise and the Hare you definitely need to check that out for sure
Love your reactions! Stray Kids are absolutely the kings of k-pop. I know you love attitude, so you'd LOVE God's Menu, Domino, Easy, Social Path (practically any song by them). One of the many amazing things about SKZ is that they compose music to fit anyone's taste. God's Menu is about that, stating that no matter what type of music you love, you'll find something by SKZ you'll like! Some of my favorites that are exact opposite of this attitude: Scars, Voices, Lonely St., and Back door. You should check them out! They might not be completely your cup of tea, but as a music producer, I know you'd still appreciate the work of art!
Loved your reaction! Hope you can check S-Class... I think it's a song that will be interesting for you in therms of musical production ❤
Also, they are the main producers of their own songs, especifically 3 of them: Bang Chan, Changbin and Han (3racha).
I'll be here for more SKZ content ❤
i agree that particularly with skz lyrics, being able to understand it in korean just blows your mind bc of what they do with the usage of the korean language is masterful~ ty for this reaction!
i love Stray Kids!! thank u!
Try Stray Kids’ Tortoise and the Hare and/or Item for more unusual rap beats. Also their video for Thunderous is excellent, whether or not you understand Korean.
Moreeee 💙 Pleasee! I think you can watch "Maniac" or "God's Menu" have a lot of drills, ad libs, unusual sounds and an unexpected charms :) God's Menu is like... A chef kiss hahah
wait until you check out these. you. will. be. blown. away.
1. Freeze
2. God’s Menu
3. Easy
4. Item
Freeze for sure. Venom too
I find it really interesting that your two (that I could find) reactions to stray kids are both to b-sides! The entire 5-star album that this is on is truly worth a listen. It’s an amazing listen.
I would really recommend these songs by them:
The tortoise and the hare
Zone (3racha)
Heyday (3racha)
I got it (Han)
Muddy water
Maze of memories
N/S street version
Boxer street version
Doodle (Changbin)
Taste (danceracha)
Ok. I had to go back and check what Stray Kids you have reacted to. Not a whole lot, and only B-Side songs.
One thing you need to understand about K-pop. It's not one thing. It's a vast array of genres put together in various ways. Every group will have different ways of blending those. Almost every song will have vocals & rap in different parts. All of them will have dancing. BTS are from the third generation of K-pop. Stray Kids are in the fourth gen. And each generation of groups have different overall sounds, due to what is more popular at the time of them singing/making the music. Styles and techniques will differ, and groups will evolve with the times. Some groups will find a style & sound that works well for them, and then never change it more that small tweaks. Others will be completely different from when they first started, and continue experimenting. Some groups will play the instruments, and some groups will only sing & dance. Some concepts will be cute boy/girl next door styles, others will be hip hop, and yet others will be sexy vibes all the way. There are so many different concepts and styles, and they are all lumped into "K-Pop".
Now. One thing I will tell you about Stray Kids, is that they are self-produced. They write their own lyrics, and make the music as well. So the music you hear, will be something they have created themselves. For a long time K-pop was driven by an industry that makes the group, makes the music, decides the concept for the group, and ultimately the actual singers have little to no say in what they do. This is slowly changing. Stray Kids were an oddity in that the company actually had little to do with their making, sound, or concept. The leader of Stray Kids (Bang Chan) chose his members, and they then went through a survival show to prove that they could debut as one team. Two members almost got permanently eliminated, but the head of JYPE decided that they worked better as a full group. They had more enthusiasm & chemistry as the original group, than with the two removed. (One member did leave after over a year & a half, and the group is now a 8 member group instead of the 9 that they debut with.) During the show, he had made it clear that the group was responsible for making the tracks for their songs, and the lyrics. That has never changed. So Stray Kids have the luxury of only making songs that they would love other people to hear. They decided that the music they made would be something that other people can relate to. If you read the lyrics, almost every song has deeper meanings & uplifting messages. Even the tracks they made to slap back at people who hate on them are not really rude or derogatory. (Such songs like Cheese, Domino, and Easy are such a bop)
If you would like to listen to more of Stray Kids, I will list a few songs that vary in both sound ans style. From title tracks to b-side songs.
Thunderous
Blueprint
Secret Secret
Miroh
Mirror
Time Out
Easy
Cheese
Domino (Do their dance practice. There isn't a full video for the song. There's just an unveil track & that isn't the full song.)
Hall Of Fame (Do a color-coded lyric video, this is a b-side with no video)
Super Bowl (Again, no video. But it's in English.)
Maniac
Chronosaurus
Voices
Back Door
Freeze
Super Board
Side Effects
Double Knot
I think that's enough of Stray Kids for now. I didn't even list any songs that the group divided up into units for. They do have solo songs, and small unit songs of 2-4 members.
Now. I will also challenge you to listen to a few groups that I love. (Besides Stray Kids. They are my favorite Boy Group.) I'm going to put a group, a tiny bit about them, and a song that I love.
Ateez. (My second fave boy group. 8 members. Also mostly self produced.) I'll start you off with my fave song, even if it's not completely typical of them. It is & isn't. The song is "Halazia".
KARD. (One of the only mixed groups in K-pop. 4 members, 2 guys & 2 girls. One of the guys is from California. Have a bit of Latin flair to a lot of their songs. Definitely on the more mature end of K-pop.) I'm actually gonna throw you in the deep end with their song about the toxicity in k-pop fandoms towards the Idols who the fandom "loves". The song is "Gunshot".
Mamamoo. (4 member girl group. They are BAD ASS Bitches & set their own standards. Vocals for days.) I'm gonna give you their song that is actually kinda classic. The song is "Decalomanie".
Have fun with your foray into K-pop.
8:50 if you want you can watch on your own time their performance of Topline in lollapalloza Paris! Exactly what you said here everybody screaming their lungs out the chants.... really really cool
You were right at 8:42, about a crowd getting involved. They performed this song at the Lollapalooza Paris and let me tell you, we were INVOLVED 😂 check it out!
Stray kids got me into kpop
Same
In terms of translation they do take that in consideration as far as I know and they try to keep it as close as possible and sometimes the leader of the groupe who is also their producer and aussie 🇦🇺 explain things further in his live streams. They mostly have a total creative freedom over their stuff.
12:06 soooooooo anyone gonna recommend "Easy"
Exctly what i had in mind when he mentioned they make it look easy 😂😂😂
Your insights are interesting to hear. Long comment, brace yourself, some song recs for your reactions at the end. General thoughts (for context, meaningful or otherwise, I am Aussie, probably older than you):
1. Stray Kids is far from typical of Kpop, because a lot of Koreans seem to like their pop very melodic and sweet (I would argue saccharine but that's my prejudice.) It made me resist Kpop for years until my teenager FORCED me to listen to a couple of Stray Kids tracks while driving Melb to Canberra. I think we had been through five albums by the time we came home.
2. In the same way BTS 'paved the way', Stray Kids' success has given a lot of other acts the opportunity to be noisy and intense and experimental in a way international audiences seem to love, but only a subset of Korean listeners do. SKZ, probably because of BTS' success, had the opportunity to do it without having to change their fundamental sound.
3. SKZ are very, very good at all the things (hence the other comments about production, writing etc) but one thing I don't see often and I think is at the very core of their music is how 3Racha (but probably mostly Bang Chan) uses the individual members so well. They are his instrument and he deploys them with incredible knowledge and appreciation for how each of them can be used to build something that is very different each time. Sometimes I see comments about how Bang Chan doesn't get enough lines, doesn't sing enough etc etc and I want to scream - he creates the whole, the totality of the SKZ sound. it's his baby. And his formative influences more international than most of his peers in the K-pop industry.
4. I think K-pop really needs to rebrand because in the wider SKZ catalogue, there is very little I would describe as pop. Maybe a dozen songs in well over a hundred, most of them shamelessly sweet (somewhat cringy) fandom songs? Usually there might be one or two in an album (Maxident went overboard, but certainly true for Oddinary, NoEasy and Five Star, but if someone asked me what sort of music Stray Kids were, I'd be more inclined to go for edm-ish hiphop rock with the occasional pop-punk twist.
5. (Almost done ...) In terms of things to react to, I love watching reactions that show the breadth of the artist, so for SKZ, keeping in mind what you've done: From Five Star, S-class and DLC for the contrast, FNF for the Aussies; from Maxident, Case 143 as the title, and for rockier feels, Superboard (lookout for Felix's AC/DC shirt). From Oddinary, very hard to pick beyond the title track Maniac but Charmer is possibly the most interesting aurally, and Lonely St and Waiting for Us feel very stadium rock? Muddy Water for throwback hiphop vibes. NoEasy has Thunderous as their title track and really interesting use of Korean tradition visually and musically; and for vocal flexing and songwriting chops, Secret Secret or Sorry I love you. (But also Cheese, which is a classic bite at the haters as well as hilarious.) Then to round out with some of the (amazing) older stuff: official debut District 9 is a rocky earworm, Levanter is a gorgeous swelling rock ballad closer to pop than most, Side Effects and Gods Menu are two songs that created the great Korean pushback against SKZ as 'noise music', Any for wordplay and synth, and then there is Easy, the song I am convinced is somehow black magic because it manages to be soothing and stirring all at once.
Thank you for sharing your insightful thoughts. I hope you have thanked your awesome teenager for "forcing" you to listen to SKZ on your trip.. you sure have open your eyes to another side of K-pop. I agree that SKZ's music tang can not be pigeonholed and I found a new hobby in "reactor-watching".
That was interesting read to me, thank you.
I support this comment 💯
i'm at 6:30 and i just keep thinking about how i would really love to hear your thoughts on one of their songs called The Tortoise and the Hare. It's one of my favorites and probably their most experimental song. Many people find it confusing because of how different it sounds from the usual kpop music so I am always looking for people who I think could appreciate it as much as I do because I swear it's a masterpiece. Please please consider reacting to it!!
All the work that you was trying to educate us on that goes into 1 song for example is all done by themselves. Lyrics, music, themes etc. I could go on and on. Watch them recording the making of S class from scratch. Think it was already written firstly lol. I know that they are super talented in what they can do. My respect and happiness for them is earned. Tiger in Korea is like what Eminem is to us english speakers. The GOAT. Those who don't like Eminem still grudgingly respect him. Stray kids are ones to watch and I'm loving every minute and hope guys see them as role models. Proof you don't have to act macho all the time
Great reaction. One of the best I've seen. Actually "reacting"... what a concept.😊
Oh with the way you described your music taste i think you'll really like 'muddy water' (but only 4 members of skz) it's like kinda 90's jazzy hiphop beat, another one u might like 'tortoise and the hare' it's really cool and experimental and such an awesome beat. Also, skz got 2 aussie members, one of them, bang chan, is the leader and one of the main producer of SKZ, he and 2 other members (the producer trio called 3RACHA) produce 99% of their songs the other 1% is some other producers they work with and the collabs they do. I think you'll really enjoy SKZ's music, i really hope you check out more of their songs
Stray Kids music is always iconic and witty and interesting. Never ever boring time with them
Stray Kids are in the 4th category, they are in their mid 20’s and as you said each are very talented and can do it all but they worked hard to be where they are.
If you want to go a little further back please look into BIGBANG who are 2nd generation, they are in their mid 30’s. Why?
-They led me to Stray Kids.
-First group to write and produce their own music, mostly by G-Dragon.
-First group to have rappers T.O.P and G-Dragon (GD).
-First group to have an underground rapper become an idol (T.O.P).
-Experiments with different genres.
-It is impossible to have a favourite song, they are all good.
-They sound better live than in studio, they are to this day the kings of live performances.
-Each member were able to have a successful solo career while staying with their group.
-They are the idol’s idols.
-Taeyang the main vocalist just came back after a 6 year hiatus with 2 solo hits Vibe featuring Jimin of BTS and Shoong featuring Lisa of Blackpink.
-GD is working on releasing new music this year after a 6 year hiatus.
-Daesung also the main vocalist is scheduled to perform this month in Japan after a 6 year hiatus.
-T.O.P who is also an award winning actor will be starring in Netflix’ Squid Games 2. He was also chosen as one of the 8 artists to fly to the moon on Elon Musk’s SpaceX project #dearMoon.
Their music videos do not have English subtitles but you can find them on VIP’s channels like Dorian Gray, he has many of their live performances and you do not need to worry about copyright issues.
Songs-
BIGBANG- Bang Bang Bang, FXXK It, Sober, Loser. Live performances Haru Haru, If You, Tell Me Goodbye.
Solo or sub units- Good Boy (GD/Taeyang, Zutter (GD/T.O.P), Crooked (GD) Bullshit (GD) Doom Da Da (T.O.P), Anymore (Daesung).
Correction- when I said Stray Kids are in the 4th category, I meant to say they are in the 4th generation category.
thanks, I'll check BigBang out, I'm just getting into music again and found Stray Kids from (Wang Yibo) UNIQ's song EOEO
There are two members Bang Chan (Leader) and Felix who are actually Australian. If you're interested to check out something other than songs maybe watch some moment videos of these two being Aussies. Its really funny😅
Thank you!
I really liked your reaction.
Trust me, the more you listen to Stray Kids the better it gets. They havd a rather extensive catalog.
Also you can pretty accurate lyric videos here on YT that make it easier to understand the Korean parts.
Listen to Super Bowl and Heyday
That 👆... lyric videos, sketchy depending on who interpreted the lyric... music videos, pretty bang on and most importantly, cultural mediation is applied. Like for the song GET LIT, some lyric vids say "let's go die" instead of "get lit", which yes is not exactly wrong, but the intent matters and that phrase is how they convey that concept. So, when it gets interpreted into another language, context is SOOOO important. 😅
12:00 I have a good news! They have a song about it called "Easy"
Ya saya setuju sekali dengan apa yang anda katakan,... seseorang mendengarkan musik tidak hanya musik atau melodinya yang bagus tapi cara mereka menyampaikan melalui lirik yang dapat mempengaruhi orang yang mendengarkan saya sangat menyukai Stray Kids karena mereka membuat musik degan paket komplit dan istimewanya dari mereka adalah mereka memproduksi musik mereka sendiri itu keren menurut saya....❤
Setuju..
i used to listen to rock, metal and rap a lot and avoided kpop cause i was avoiding pop in general but it’s such an intricate industry that at the end of the day if you truly enjoy music you’ll find something of your taste
with stray kids it’s even easier cause their discography is already super diverse (from drill, to hip hop, to edm, psytrance, rock, ballads etc)
since you seem new to the genre i recommend dreamcatcher, they are the first successful girl group to incorporate elements of rock into kpop, scream is my fav song of them
Wow...great reaction. 👍
Based on what you said about finding complexities in songs, I think you might enjoy Miroh, since it doesn't really follow the popular song structure, and The Tortoise and The Hare and its tempo play! I would love to see you reacting to more of their songs, they have it all!
thank you for your reaction!
It was very interesting to listen to your analysis and perspective!
I think so far you have only listened to "venom" and "topline"? I must remark, that both a b-sides (= not title tracks). they both have "typical" Stray Kids sound, but still they sound relatively "simple" in comparison to their title tracks and the MVs are much cheaper.
I think you haven't heard "s-class" yet? it is a title track from the same album as "topline". I would be curios to hear your opinion about it and how they combine genres in 1 song.
I would also recommend "god's menu" - it is a song from 2020 from which their popularity started to grow.
speaking of things one has never heard before, I would really love to hear your opinion on "toroise and the hare". I am not a rap fan outside of kpop, and that song is for sure the most weird (in the best way possible) song I have ever heard. especially in combination with the lyrics :) it doesn't have an MV though.
and regarding the language, I would recommend to check out "super bowl". it is a song fully in English from the same album as "topline", without an MV, but I think you might find it interesting to.
Thank you for reacting to Stray Kids once again! I have been checking your channel every week for the past 4 months, I kid you not, hoping for another reaction since Venom and it did not disappoint! Also, many other comments have said that, but I feel like their leader and main producer, Bang Chan, being Australian plays a huge role on the genres they keep exploring
So my favorite video genre right now is Skz reactions and yours is really really great. I love how you go into more technical reasons to enjoy them. Because it is very easy to dismiss kpop as a product, to just see it as a lot of production with a huge budget, robotic "press a button" , premade; instead of all the hard work, skill and artistry that goes into making it as good as it is. Your reaction I can show to friends who say everything sounds the same: it kind of does but there's a reason for the formulas and there's art in how they are executed in each song. Anyway. You might enjoy their production videos, they have them for this track and other on 5-stars. It's less technical and more about bringing that energy and their signature style to achieve the intended sound. In your S-class reaction you mentioned the storyboarding process for the video, well there's videos of the production process for the voice tracks. (There's also making of the MV but those are more like, treats for the fans) on their straykids channel Stray Kids "★★★★★ (5-STAR)" Recording Scene｜2023 STAYweeK no need to react to it but I think you would enjoy it.
It doesn’t have a music video, but I think you would like ITEM. Cheese is also amazing production wise
Another great analysis! Loved learning about music production from you. Definitely earned my sub! Hope you make more videos like this, and i hope more people discover your work.
I think you'll REALLY like "Battle Ground" by SKZ.
Omg yes!!
You definitely have to react to S-Class by Stray Kids- there is a little old school hip hop surprise 🙃
love your reaction, focusing from producer's eyes including lyrics meaning and else
Thank you! Please more Stray Kids ❤
Bit late to the party but I think the tortoise and the hair and heyday might scratch your brain in a nice way! neither have music videos but they're truly wonderful songs (heyday is by 3racha which is 3 of the members in the group who do most of the writing and production of the songs so it won't say stray kids in the title)
Loved your insight! Thanks for the reaction :))
Don't worry they are burning money from all around the world 🤑😂😂😂 i mean i am from Mexico an here we are i l9ve to listen to they're music, watching all they content and buying his discs and merchandise hihihihi thank you so much for your great reaction i love them, please more skz content ✨✨✨✨
They so talented 😭😭 I like your reaction. I love stray kids ❤️
Stray Kids are one of the self produced kpop artists. What I love about them is that they don't particularly have a genre they have so much diversity that til today I'm still surprised with songs I discovered from them and I love that they embrace every genre and do not just enclose themselves in a box. Also yes this song is very singable. 60k+ people at Lollapalooza in Paris were singing this so loud. I feel like these are the songs that you'll like from them
-Awaken( a very underrated one but it so good and I feel like you'll like it cause it is a mix of rock and hiphop)
-District 9
-Side Effects
-Tortoise and a Hare
-Item
-S-class
first video i saw from you but : finally someone who reacts and gives opinions instead of bobbing his head to a song that's clearly likeable. Hope your other vids are as dope :D
Its great that you're Australian because you will love their group even more, two members, Banchan the leader, and Felix the deep voice are also Australian, they both lived in Sydney Australia and they still go to that place when visiting their family or concerts
Thanks for react to them :D!!
The contrast between the music and the rapping creates focus ❤
2 of the members are actually Australian! u should definitely watch a guide to straykids 🙏🏼 there’s many uploaded on here
Love ur reaction and how you appreciated their song
I’ve been waiting for this reaction haha, but dude. The title track S-class has a segment that your gonna love they go full 90s hip hop.
Try S Class for a change up of different genres, and maybe there is little Aussie influence in there 😉
One of the things that makes Stray Kids is so special is that three of the members: Bangchan, Changbin, and Han (Jisung) also know as 3racha produce all of their music. It adds a special touch to all their songs even just knowing that its a personal creation made by the members themself.
Thunderous 🔥
God's menu 🔥
Backdoor 🔥
Top 3 u must listen to ❤
You know it's a masterpiece when you get tiger jk on your track,changbin starts the song, and han raps after tiger jk... it's such a bop!
I have good ones by TWICE, one of the most popular girl groups in History
Fake & True, it's a japanese release but to understand it's better to watch the video of bookish theories about it
Feel special also has a video to explain it.
Their latest Korean single is 'set me free', it's pretty good too.
To talk about another Legendary GG : SNSD. You should watch 'I Got a boy'. It's a mix of genres that I don't remember having seen in an other mainstream industry.
Red Velvet zimzalabim is similar. The chorus is genius, like a tribal chant in relation with the theme of the song.
"HIT" by Seventeen is a great example of the changes between hype and slow with great use of silence and pauses just in the right places, it's very EDM but sooo satisfying!
I think it would be really interesting to see you react to some of their slower/sadder songs!! If youre interested at all some of my favorites are secret secret, gone away (unit song between han, seungmin, i.n), never ending story (live performance), and lost me
Very nice reaction. ❤
I have an unhealthy addiction to this song.
one thing i wanna mention about the lyrics/translations: stray kids are NOTORIOUS for using korean wordplay in a lot of their discography. it may be why you don't 100% understand what they're saying, just as any english wordplay may sound translated into korean. they have such a large palette of genres to explore, beyond the kpop stamp that people dismiss it as. kpop has always been any music in korean, i feel like a lot of that got lost when it became more popular. but yes, the "ear tickling" is so relatable! as someone with ADHD, stray kids' music is my own fidget toy. i can focus on one specific sound & be able to replay the songs dozens of times just to focus on the other sounds. it's a GIANT playground mentally, which helps me stay calm and able to complete my daily tasks. great video!
I hope you check out their song FNF from this same album it’s more of a pop song but it’s about the Australian bush fires that happened a few years ago two of their members Felix and Bang Chan who are from Australia wrote it and the music video was shot in Australia when they were there for their world tour
You should check out their song S Class
We love your honesty. Have you checked out Maniac? Or their debut song- District 9?
Not yet. I’ll take a look soon.
You mentioned it looks like they’re burning American dollars and from a distance they do look like American dollars but if you look closely you’ll see that they have a one eyed octopus monster on them which is the same octopus you’ll see in the music video for their song S-Class which I highly recommend checking out
Oh! That's a cool connection!
Bang Chan picked the members of his group himself which is unique in kpop.
There are parts of 90's or old hip hop part in their latest music, s-class (changbin's part) and Stray kids members are part of the greatest and most skilled rappers in 4th gen idols if not kpop industry itself
It's a bit funny that you would say "being cool is about making it look easy" cause they have a song called Easy which is exactly about that lmao
You should check it out, I think you'd really like it!
Stray Kids are top tier in my book ❤
more skz!!!
Social Path reminds me a lot of the 2000s era of Falling In Reverse.
Changbin - Streetlight!!
" God's Menu ",
is easily, the most outstanding benchmark , of everything they have ever done.
It has to be one of the best pieces of hard-hitting artistic content , ever created in this decade.
Happy day ➕️ Enjoy U👏. So COOL U R 👀 Stray Kids! 💯🤍! (more PLZ). Until next time... happiness ☮️ 🌸 be well.
Interesting fact 2️⃣ of the members are from Australia👏 ( the leader, Bang Chan ➕️ the member with deep voice, Felix).
PLS more stray kids reactions, I really love them ❤❤
More Straykids pls 🙏
I think part of the US money thing is that it is instantly recognizable. I'm not saying there aren't layers here, but that is part, at least.