From topping charts to winning awards, Stray Kids continue to take over the world with their thunderous music. With their undeniable success, the “S-Class” singers are now honored as one of the “Next Generation Leaders” by TIME magazine.

On Thursday, October 5, the American news magazine unveiled that the K-pop boy group is one of the acts included in the annual list of  “Next Generation Leaders.” Following this announcement, Stray Kids now become the third third K-pop act to achieve this feat. Other acts featured in the list were BTS in 2018 and NewJeans in May of 2023.

In the TIME article, Stray Kids has been recognized for their unique color. The article stated that despite the initial criticism towards the band’s grunger headbanging anthems, Stray Kids has still managed to stand out in the industry. “Instead of shifting to pander to expectations for Korean boy groups, Stray Kids embraced their distinct sound”, TIME explained.

Member Changbin then talked about the group’s ambitions for the future. “The goal is to continuously pioneer new subjects and to have our music be recognized as a ‘Stray Kids’ genre,” he said.

With the group straying away from expectations, they have now proved themselves as a recipe for global success. 

Composed of Changbin, Bang Chan, Felix, Seungmin, Han, Hyunjin, Lee Know, and I.N., Stray Kids made their debut in 2018. They produced numerous hit tracks such as “Maniac, “God’s Menu” and “Case 143” to name a few. 

 

Throughout their career, the group’s trend-setting influence has allowed them to clinch the No.1 spot on the Billboards 200 for three of their albums. These albums are MAXIDENT, ODDINARY, and the recently released 5-STAR.

STAYs proud of SKZ’ Time recognition

With yet another accomplishment written under their name, their fans, STAYs, can’t help but feel proud to be fans of SKZ.

“You’ll always see their souls in their work. They are a whole genre!,” one fan wrote. Meanwhile,  another stated: “They make their own music loved by all around the world.”

 

Moreover, fans couldn’t help but be impressed as it’s the latest addition to the growing list of the group for 2023 alone.  To note, Stray Kids became the first K-pop group to headline the LollaPalooza Festival in Paris. As well as bagging the “Best K-Pop” award at the 2023 MTV VMAs.  Currently, the group from JYP Entertainment is also nominated at the 2023 MTV Europe Music Awards.

And fans are even more excited as the group is soon to release new music. Stray Kids is set to drop their next EP Rock-Star on November 10. 

Featured image: Stray Kids during their promotional activities for ‘S-CLASS.’ Credit: Facebook/Stray Kids