I listened to nothing but Stray Kids for a week

If I asked you to name some K-pop artists who comes to mind, maybe you mentioned like BTS or Blackpink, but there's more to it than the big names. You might even throw it back to, like, Gangnam Style. Which side? But you know, there's more to K-pop than just the music side of things. A while ago, I did this video where I listened to BTS for a week, and within the response of that video, this name Stray Kids kept popping up. So I figured I might as well go and check them out. So for the next seven days, I'm going to listen to nothing but Stray Kids so I can figure out who they are, what their music is like, what they stand for, and honestly, why so many people love them. Okay, so you might not know anything about Stray Kids. So let me break it down for you. They were a product of a show titled Stray Kids, created by JYP entertainment in 2017. They have nine members. Well, eight now. and they have five studio albums, 14 EPs and four compilation albums. they are known worldwide for their self-produced music lyrics about finding their identity and their musical style, which is influenced by hip hop, dubstep, heavy metal and dance pop. They have done many things regarding philanthropy. And they've even been listed in Time's Next Generation leaders due to their global impact. And I'm sure there's probably more than that, but I think that's good enough to get us going. All the way back. Basically. I made a playlist and after each album I'll give my initial favorites. And then after listening to everything, I'll give my favorite albums and songs from all of their music. I'll also try to even make some kind of creative social media posts using one of their songs. And it should go without saying that I'm reading some translated lyrics because. Well, we'll tell you what. I'll tell you. I'm not going to tell you how many times it took me to try to pronounce that. yeah. You can't catch me and I won't be cast. One friend on these wannabes. They can't be. Me I'm perfect. Now, I don't know the last time I've done this, like running without music, but, I'm going all in, and I'm not going to listen to it because I don't know what they're saying. And to be able to focus and read the lyrics and to be. Listen, I'll be like that. I'm just going to run with that music. I feel like that's just the best thing to do. Okay. No. Like I'm like a running perspective. Running without music was a lot better than I thought. It was. Like, for me personally, like, obviously I listen to music, but when you're not listening to music allows you to think more about just random thoughts. But basically, I'm just saying I should try that more often. But for now, back straight, you. It was a Saturday and I ended up doing a bunch of stuff with my family, So I really didn't get to focus and start listening to Stray Kids until later in the day while I was doing the dishes specifically. and I only got through the first two albums or EP's, in this case mixtape. And I am not for for mixtape, give Me Hellevator beware, Spread My Wings and yeah yeah yeah as an honorable mention. From what I read and what I understand, I guess this album or this mixtape rather was from the show Stray Kids. And this is the part where I have to explain what goes through my mind when I'm listening to songs with lyrics that are foreign to me. There's like this balance of how the song sounds and what the lyrics say. In In other words, the song can sound amazing and the lyrics can be trash and vice versa. Anyway, for I am not, I have district nine, awakened, Grow Up and Rock and mirror as honorable mentions. And I know this is like the only second record that I listen to so far, but I can already get this vibe of, like, I'm a teenager trying to figure out my life through the All right. Today my main goal is to make it through, these next two albums or mixtapes, I think, is that I am not who I am, not you. Whatever the last. The second two out of the three are. I also just realized, like how busy I am this upcoming week. And so I'm like, is it was it a good idea to try to fit all? Like listening to all these songs and whatnot? But I think I could do it. It'll be close, most likely, but I think I can do it. I felt like this album was a little more groovy or a little more energetic. Maybe it was the mood that I was in. I don't know. with I am who I really liked my pace question and insomnia with Mia and Awkward Silence as an honorable mention. The song My Pace is a good reminder to, well, go at your own pace. Meaning that like, if someone got where you want to be quicker than you, it doesn't mean that you have to expedite your process. Sometimes you just need to take things at your face. And the last thing I'll say about this record is the song. Awkward silence was like a feel good, happy kind of song. Switching over to I Am You give me an S. I don't know how to say the actual name. Get cool then I am you. And I ain't even gonna lie to you. The song Get Cool kind of reminded me of Broccoli by Dram featuring Lil Yachty, and it could just have been the piano and the song. I do find it interesting that from the first three, the I am, I am not, whatever, going into the, I don’t even know how to say it, but let's just say Miroh, I feel like there's, like, a big, aggressive change, when they go from miroh to yellow wood I feel like they kind of, you know, they had the party vibes, but then they kind of chilled out, you know what I'm saying? So I'm interested to see what the third one. I can't remember the name right now, but I’m interested to see what the 3rd one is like in comparison to those other two. Oh, hey. How's it go? What's up? Oh, hey. Is it ring? Yeah. Oh, yeah. Ever heard the band Stray Kids? No. Okay. Streak, streak. I was curious Miro. Miro just had me jamming in my car because, like, that's the energy that I brought. At least that's what I felt like. So for that reason is number one, followed by Victory Song in 19 with Boxer and Maze of Memories as honorable mentions. I like the calmness of 19 and how the lyrics talk about those new phases in life, even though, like being 19 years old to me, in my opinion, is just kind of that weird age. the rest of the day. I did manage to get through Yellow Wood and La Vanthoor, since they're both fairly short on yellow wood. I really only have mix tape for side effects and mix tape two. Again, I was jamming to the song Side Effects, just partying by myself. And then I like to switch up with Mix Tape two and the overall acoustic feel and how it talks about making difficult decisions. Switching over to a live answer, I chose Double not Booster. You can stay an astronaut as an honorable mention. Almost put, you can stay at number one just because of the lyrics. I just felt like the meaning of the song, or at least my interpretation was different than the self reflection, self-identity, empowerment type of lyrics. also, this kind of goes without saying, but if there's any information or any references that I'm missing, obviously I don't fully understand the Korean culture. So if there's anything I'm missing, please let me know. Just be Hi. We're in the car again, and you might be thinking, like. And this man just stays in the car. But the reality is, I'm married. I have a son, and so, like, getting alone. Time to listen to music. I gotta plan accordingly. So because I'm going in the office almost every day, like being in the car, that's when I can listen to the music. Because like, I do want to have a session where I'm just kind of like just chilling. Got some headphones on, maybe close my eyes. Oh, no. either way, let me just, like, kind of say I'm. I'm enjoying it so far. Like, I'm not. I didn't think I was gonna be miserable or anything. I haven't been any time I do one of these music things, but, I mean, I didn't have any expectations, really. I was just worried about my whole, like, in my mind, low key comparison, them to comparison, comparing them to, beats. Or any other K-pop person that I've heard before, but obviously mainly beats because I've listened to all of their songs. I haven't finished listening to the album go live yet, but man, that song got for you. I got Me lyrics pending, of course. Are you doing back there? I started this day with Go Live, even though I kept calling it Go Live at first. And let me just say that that album is definitely my favorite one so far. God's menu was my number one, followed by Tough and Airplane With easy and Mixtape, gone Days and Haven as honorable mentions. With the help of reading the lyrics, the song God's Menu is like a declaration of Whatever we cook for you, it will satisfy you. In other words, they can make music that fits your style. It was also at this time that I realized that this was also their first full album. I don't know if that contributes to why I like it so much. But Changbin even said this. Hopefully I pronounced that right Throughout the rest of the day, I ended up listening to two more records in an all in. with the second half of it, and it was the same as Go Live because it was a repackaged album with eight new songs. So out of those eight songs I chose back, There We Go and any with Wow is an honorable mention. I do love the carefree vibes of the lyrics of the song We Go, but I will also say this is when I realized and learned. I guess I should say, about the subunits of Stray Kids. This album featured three Roja, Dance Roja, and Vocal roja. I don't know why I'm so energetic. Moving over to All In, which was their debut Japanese studio EP. So I guess technically there were only three songs that were new to me, But as I was listening to it, it was just cool because I'm in the process of learning Japanese. So I was like sitting there listening to the song and trying to learn or trying to recognize a word or two that I might have known. Out of those three songs, though, I would choose Pham one day, then all in. This also brings up the question of D for for listening to the song in its original language, or do you prefer like Korean or Japanese in this case? Honestly, overall, I was glad that I got to listen to God's menu again. Today was another general day of me going to work. How exciting! But I did manage to listen to no easy. Stray kids 2021 an ordinary. Some of it was during my commute. Some of it was while I was cleaning, and some of it was during the listening session while reading lyrics. And let me just say that I originally went to genius.com for lyrics, but they didn't really have English translations for a lot of songs. So I somehow found this site called Letras. Hopefully I'm saying that right, but it's been helpful through this entire process, assuming that everything's right. Anyway, I'm just going to go through these very quickly. For now. Easy. Give me Sick Domino. Surfin and Thunder is as an honorable mention. I'll also add that the song cheese gave me, like, a panic! At the disco kind of vibe. As I started listening to Stray Kids 2021, I was like, I heard these songs before. And so I did some digging, and then I realized that these were like rereleased songs, without Woo Jin in them. And I was like, dang, that's crazy. And so I started to dig why he left in the first place. And then all I got was that he left due to personal circumstances. All right with ordinary. I have maniac, freeze, venom and charmer as an honorable mention. I honestly can't tell if I fully like the song venom yet, but I do like that the adlibs remind me of venom the movie, you know? And even though I didn't mention this song, I do like the flow of the song Really? Thank you. Stray Kids by. All right, let me just go ahead and say that. Case one four, three is my favorite song from accident with three roja in taste. Three Roja, in my mind was like, if you take the rapper, designer and a rapper from the UK and combine them together, that's what you get. But I loved it. I'm not even gonna lie. I'm also at the point right now where I feel like randomly, I just need to be like straight. Cuz what do they call their fans, by the way? Stay. That's it. It's just stay. I then found out that Stray Kids Replay was the album that I was expecting at some point, meaning that each member had their own song. And for the sake of time, I just took all the songs from this album, which were technically two disc. So two, maybe two albums, whatever. All 25 songs. And I ranked them. I chose, I hate to admit, Mark on top. I think that's how you say it. I heard it throughout the song, but I can't remember whatever street light with doodle. I got it in zone as honorable mentions. I hate to admit it is like that strong ballad type of song that I kind of been looking for. I mean, I know they have a lot on this album, but and just throughout the rest of their discography, but I really like this one. the end of the day, I started listening to the sound, but I didn't get through it because I had to get ready for the next day. I had a 5.5 hour flight that left at 7 a.m., and I had every intention of finishing the album. The sound. But I'll be honest, I fell asleep on the plane. Now, this was also their first full Japanese album, and so I had heard some of the songs before, but the out of the ones that I didn't hear before, I have Battleground there and Don't Let Me Love You. I gotta say though, I was proud of myself because I was learning Japanese. I was able to say so Raku or whatever. At least I was able to read it. And because of that, I knew what song it was the Japanese version for, and they actually made me realize that I like that song a lot better than the first time I listened to it. So I'm in Vegas for work. And my original goal was to finish all of the Stray Kids albums before I got here. Or at least on the way here, because today's Friday. And that is technically the last day of the full week. But because I didn't finish, I was already based off of how the week was going. I was already like planning on giving it a couple extra days so I can like just listen to a shuffle playlist of all their music. And I'm just going to be honest. Tomorrow I'm running a marathon and my in my head, I was planning on finishing the Stray Kids music challenge before then because, this marathon that I'm doing, I really want to, like, lock in and not necessarily do my best, but I just want to run to the music I'm familiar with. So tomorrow I'm during the marathon, only I'm going to listen to my typical running playlist. And then when I get back to the room or throughout the rest of, I'll say Saturday, Sunday, maybe Monday, I'll get back to Stray Kids. So However, look at this view. While unpacking, I made it through the album Five Star, and I think I found my favorite lyric so far. first my top three were jet lit S-Class and Super Bowl with top line and Hall of Fame as honorable mentions. So back to my favorite lyric that has me stuck in my head for a while. It's from the song Super Bowl and it's. finger licking. Yeah. We cooking up a Super Bowl in the kitchen. Lay an irresistible. I don't know why. I just thought it was funny the first time I heard was also one of, if not the only one so far where all of the words in that song were already in English. finish off this long day, I listened through Rock star and I loved la la la la, mega verse and sociopath. And I had Cover Me as an honorable mention. By the end of the marathon, I was so exhausted, like I didn't even listen to music for the rest of the day. But I will say I had the song freeze my running playlist and it did play while I was running, so I was like, hey! But I was looking forward to the album eight because I knew that they had arguably their most popular song. Well, maybe right now. Chick chick boom. For. I personally I like the songs runners, I think, chick chick boom and mountains. I feel like I'm gonna give that song chick chick. I feel like I'm saying it wrong for some reason. Another listen at some point, because if it's that popular in the song, then I'm missing out on something. Obviously, with all these songs, I can think of them, you know, music videos, performance horses and all that kind of stuff. And I'm sure it would be amazing. But just from listening and looking at lyrics, it's all I got so far. After looking at my notes again, I actually have runners chick, chick, boom. Then jam or jam with mountains as an honorable mention. And I'm sure that chick chick boom will grow on me, but that's what I got right now. And I eventually got through the rest of the albums during my downtime at this conference or convention. I even had a chance to create a video using one of their songs. So if you want to see what song I chose, head on over to my Instagram or TikTok, and for a quick speed round on the album giant, this is when I realized that Chick Chick Boom was actually a bop, and it only took me to the Japanese version to figure that out or realize that. But, here we are. But as far as my top three goes, I chose why giant and following up and moving over to hop, I have Walking on Water railway you and unfair as an honorable mention. And then last but not least, their latest mixtape dominate. I have Truman Burning Tires an escape with cinema as an honorable mention Because randomly I'll just be like, this is my cinema. Let me be your cinema. Okay. Overall, I think the group Stray Kids is a group that is super talented, especially the fact that they have, like, in-house producers and songwriters. They got range is what I'm trying to say throughout all of their albums. I can sense this general theme of like, self-identity, fighting adversity and just overall unity. will also add that they definitely aren't afraid to experiment musically, while staying true to themselves. So picking my top three songs was actually kind of difficult. So whenever I would go back to listen to whatever. I found myself going to songs like God's Menu, La La La Thunder is case 1433 Rocky Airplane. Yeah, you get the point. So as of right now, meaning these could change. My top three songs are God's Menu, Get Lit and Thunderous or Slow to cook with three Roja I hate to admit And la la la la as. Honorable mentions. Honestly, they just have a lot of good songs. And as I was listening to the This Is Stray Kids playlist on Spotify, of course, I ended up hearing songs that weren't necessarily on their album. So like a lot of singles like, slash or even the song On My Life, when they were on the remix of that song. because I only listened through the albums in the mixtapes, if I had to rank them all, my top three would be. Go live. No. Easy then Max. It it. These, along with my top three songs, are subject to change, but they're pretty locked in right now. Again, if I missed some specific songs or albums or just random facts that I should know, please let me know. And to answer the question that I was already thinking of, would I go see them? Concert? Yes, because I'm sure the choreography would be top tier. I wouldn't be expecting any kind of disappointment. Now, because I only took a deep dive into one other K-pop artists or group, rather, BTS. And maybe just think, like, would they ever make a song with BTS's or any of their members? Have they made a song with them, Or is that just a no no in the K-pop world? Let me know what artists and genre I should do next. Sunday morning news quickly turns to afternoons. It's like that. I can barely go and catch it. Kinda how I feel when you.