South Korean big music label company JYP Entertainment is an expert in producing popular K-pop bands. Like bands on its list, having Twice, 2 PM, and Itzy makes JYP popular. A boy band named Stray Kids, abbreviated as SKZ, is another globally popular boy band formed from a self-titled show, produced and managed by JYP Entertainment. Today, in this article, we will discuss Stray Kids debut date, time, and album with its former members Woojin (an ex-member), Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, and I.N., including their debut album tracklist, members introduction, pre-debut release, debut reaction, and their debut album sales.
Stray Kids Debut Album, Tracklist, and Pre-debut Release
Stray Kids (SKZ) debuted officially on March 25, 2018, at 6 p.m. KST with their debut showcase held at Jangchung Arena, titled “Stray Kids Unveil (Op. 01: I Am Not),” followed by extended play (EP) “I Am Not,” released on March 26, which has a track length of 26 minutes and 58 seconds, and “District 9” serves as its lead title track. Stray Kids’ first mini-album has seven songs on its tracklist, which are as follows: “NOT!” “District 9,” “Mirror,” “Awaken,” “Rock” (돌), “Grow Up” (잘 하고 있어), and “3rd Eye.” All the songs are co-produced and written by 3Racha (Bang Chan, Changbin, and Han) with other music composers. The lead title track, District 9, was composed by Bang Chan, Changbin, Han, and Trippy, and it was arranged by Trippy and Bang Chan.
The music video for District 9 was released on the group’s debut day and for Grow Up (잘 하고 있어) on March 31, 2018. Later, the performance video for “Mirror” was also released on April 23. Also on March 29, 2018, Stray Kids performed for the first time on M Countdown with “District 9” and “Rock (돌).”
Talking about pre-debut activities, Stray Kids formed from a TV program called Stray Kids, which aired between October 17 and December 19, 2017, and was broadcast through Mnet on Tuesday at 11 p.m. KST. All nine members were pre-selected by the company, and in the show, all of them would perform their self-composed songs and trainees’ daily lives. Before any show or pre-debut release, Stray Kids launched its first digital music video, “Hellevator,” composed and arranged by Armadillo, 3Racha (Bang Chan, Changbin, Han), and Rangga. It got 20 million views within five months of its release.
Stray Kids also released a pre-debut extended play “Mixtape” on January 8, 2018, at 6 p.m. KST, which has a track length of 24 minutes and 2 seconds with “Beware (Grrr 총량의 법칙)” serving as its single. Mixtape has seven songs in its tracklist, which are as follows: “Hellevator,” “Grrr 총량의 법칙” (“Beware”), “어린 날개 (Spread My Wings),” “YAYAYA,” “GLOW,” “School Life,” and “4419.” The performance video of “Grrr 총량의 법칙” was released on January 8, followed by the performance video of “어린 날개 (Spread My Wings)” on January 15, 2018.
Stray Kids debut album was a commercial success; the group’s debut album peaked at fourth position on the Circle Charts (formerly called Gaon charts) and fifth position on the US Billboard Weekly charts. Within a month, the extended play “I Am Not” recorded sales of 54,733 copies. Former member Woojin left the band in October 2019 due to some personal circumstances, as announced through the official fan section of the JYP website, and since then Stray Kids has continued as an eight-member band.
So this is all about Stray Kids debut with its formed members, Woojin (an ex-member), Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, and I.N. All the important information regarding groups’ pre-debut activities and releases is mentioned here to make this blog more useful and clearer. Next, you can read about how old Stray Kids members are. Also, you can read other popular third-generation K-pop debuts like When Did Seventeen and Blackpink member debuts.