‘K-pop leaders’ Stray Kids are challenging for yet another ‘K-pop record’. With their new album to be released on the 13th, they are determined to break their own record of ‘5 consecutive no. 1 spots’ on the ‘Billboard 200’, Billboard‘s main album chart, a measure of global pop music popularity.

Stray Kids will be releasing their new album ‘SKZHOP HIPTAPE’ on the 13th. The album name, which is a combination of the group name’s abbreviation ‘SKIZ’ and hip-hop, reveals their bold ambition to showcase ‘Stray Kids‘ own new genre’.

The title song ‘Walkin’ on the Water’ is a song that highlights the team‘s strengths in the hip-hop genre and magnificent group dance. The group’s producing team 3RACHA, consisting of Bang Chan, Changbin, and Han, participated in the song‘s production, revealing their identity as a ‘self-producing idol group’.

They also secured favorable conditions for entering the Billboard rankings by officially releasing their new album at 2 PM on the 13th, which is midnight (0:00) Eastern Standard Time. Billboard updates its music streaming counts, which determine major chart rankings, at midnight on Fridays.

Stray Kids’ new goal is ‘6 consecutive no. 1s’, adding another no. 1 spot to the ‘Billboard 200’. Starting with their mini-album ‘Ordinary’ in March 2022, they have placed five albums in a row at No. 1 on the ‘Billboard 200’, including ‘Maxident’, ‘Five Star’, ‘Rock Star’, and ‘Eight’. They are the first K-pop artist to have five consecutive No. 1 albums. If they continue to top the chart with this album, they will tie BTS (6 times) for the most No. 1s on the ‘Billboard 200’.

The green light for success has already been turned on. While growing their strong influence in the North American market, they have expanded their current world tour to a ‘stadium level’. They have also become the first K-pop group to set foot on Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, the home stadium of soccer star Son Heung-min. On the 13th (Korean time), he will also participate as a performer at the ‘2024 Billboard Music Awards’, one of the largest music award ceremonies in the United States, for the second consecutive year.


Reporter Yoo Ji-hye yjh0304@donga.com