Stray Kids return with ‘ATE,' ambitious to broaden music

Stray Kids have returned with confidence and aspirations to reach a broader audience.

The eight-member group dropped its 9th mini album, “ATE,” on Friday, expressing ambitions to broaden their musical spectrum.

"This is our first album of the year. As our unique style has become more distinct, we've worked hard to prepare it, so please enjoy it," said leader Bang Chan during a press conference held at the Conrad Seoul in Yeongdengpo-gu, Seoul on Friday.

The title track, “Chk Chk Boom,” is a song that combines Latin-style hip-hop rhythms with catchy melodies and bold lyrics. The group's producing team, 3RACHA – consisting of Bang Chan, Changbin and Han – composed all eight tracks on the album, including the title track. Additionally, Felix contributed to the lyrics of the fifth track, “Runners.”

“While our previous work expressed explosive and exuberant energy, this time we wanted to convey restrained and latent energy, while still keeping it engaging. We also expanded the genres of the B-side tracks to make the album more diverse,” explained Han.

“In our previous title tracks, I focused on writing fun, witty lyrics, but for this one, I paid special attention to pronunciation so as to bring out a Latin flavor even in the parts where we rap in Korean. There's a lot of Spanish in it as well,” added Changbin.

The music video drew significant attention from K-pop fans, as it featured Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman.

Stray Kids have had a special connection with Reynolds since their Deadpool-themed performance on Mnet’s K-pop competition show, "Kingdom: Legendary War," in 2021. The members described filming with Reynolds and Jackman as an incredible, surreal experience. Stray Kids also contributed to the soundtrack of the recently released movie, "Deadpool & Wolverine," in which the two actors starred.

Felix shared more precious moments the group had experienced abroad, “Pharrell also praised our music, and at the New York Met Gala, Childish Gambino encouraged us to stay true to our musical pursuits while enjoying our journey.”

Meanwhile, the group delighted fans by announcing that all members had renewed their contracts with JYP Entertainment on Thursday, the day before the album release.

“I was eager to share the good news of our unanimous contract renewal with our fans. I'm especially grateful to the members for making this decision together. We've been telling our unique story since before our debut, and there is still much more that we want to show,” said Bang Chan.

Changbin added, “Each of us has a strong desire to achieve a lot as a team,” expressing their commitment to continuing their music journey together. When asked what Stray Kids means to each member, Felix responded, “Family,” while Seungmin said, “The entirety of our youth,” showing their affection for the group.

The octet, who have been performing at festivals and concerts around the world, are set to meet fans with their third world tour, “dominATE,” starting in August. They will hold concerts in Singapore, Australia, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, Hong Kong and Indonesia, and will further expand their tour to North America, South America and Europe. The group is also scheduled to perform at Lollapalooza in Chicago in August.