Since 1967, the Billboard 200 has charted the top EPs (Extended Play) and albums within the U.S.. Each week the charts are updated to give the most accurate popular music at the time for all to see. Start of Spring of 2022, the K-pop group Stray Kids debuted their first album entry on the charts, ODDINARY, hitting No. 1 for their first chart entry. At the time, ODDINARY was only the 13th mostly non-English album to ever hit No. 1 on these charts, but this was 2022. Since then, the group has continued to add more and more to their record to make history.
In Feb 2022, the group signed with Public Records to get more promotions in the US before the group dropped the ODDINARY album a month later. This signing was significant for their steady growth in popularity. When ODDINARY did so well in America, they took their chance to announce that they would be doing their Maniac tour later that year in the US and Canada. There was a total of seven tour spots hit in the US for international fans to see them in person. Before this tour, the group hadn’t been able to tour for two years due to COVID, so this was their way of showing their growth since the last time the US saw them, when they had just started out.
While the Maniac tour was still taking place, the group dropped their second album to top the Billboard 200, MAXIDENT. With the addition of this album, the group had two albums chart No. 1 in the same year. This soon became a normal thing for them as they did the same thing for the next two years as well. In 2023, albums 5-STAR and ROCK-STAR hit No. 1 to continue their streak. Then, in 2024, album ATE also hit the top. This together made a total of five of their albums to No. 1. For the group making majority non-English music, they were making history for foreign artists in the US.
Dec 13, 2024, HOP dropped and hit Billboard 200 No. 1. With that, Stray kids had made six albums hit No. 1 within three years. They have become the first act in history to have their first six entries on the chart all hit No. 1. And, to have six albums to hit No.1, the group ties BTS for the most. For how popular BTS had become- a global icon for K-pop- for Stray Kids to tie them in the US is a large feat. “BTS walked so Stray Kids could run.” said Kiana Dell, a senior at Wharton. Which, this does show to be true as K-pop has thrived and grown globally since BTS’s rise to fame.
The speed with which the Korean group got six albums to No. 1 is one of their great achievements but also should not be said to be out of the blue. Stray Kids has made multiple appearances in media and concerts for the US people to see them. For performing live, Stray Kids has headlined Lalapalooza for two years (2024 and 2023), Global Citizens Festival 2023, VMAs, KCON (2023 and 2022), and then their Maniac tour. Many of these concerts were festivals or awards at which there were multiple groups or solo artists that performed, meaning there was an even higher chance that people who did not go originally for them were introduced to them, bringing in possible new fans.
Even if Americans did not go to or watch online these performances, the group has collabed with people they may recognize. Hyunjin of Stray Kids featured on Troy Sivan’s “Rush”, Stray Kids had a remix made with Lil Durk’s “All My Life”, and the group made an original song with artist Charlie Puth. Along with these, Stray Kids has made original songs, with help of other producers, for the movie Deadpool and Wolverine and the Netflix original series Arcane.
“They’ve worked really hard to get here and I’m glad they are finally getting their recognition they deserve.” says Maahi, senior at Wharton. And they truly have come so far from where they started making music videos with a street and a Go-Pro. To be invited to such events and projects and doing their own thing filling stadiums of thousands.
Stray Kids still have another year added to their contract to continue to create new music with a chance to surpass the recent milestone they have hit. They have promised two more albums to be dropped this year, leaving the opportunity to hit No. 1 a total of eight times. As well as the fact the group is to hit the US with their DOMINATE tour this Spring and Summer.