Boy band Stray Kids poses for photos during a press conference for the release of its fourth full-length album, “Karma,” at Conrad Seoul in western Seoul on Aug. 22. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]
Boy band Stray Kids held a news conference on Friday at the Conrad Hotel in western Seoul, just hours before the release of its fourth full-length album “Karma.”
The eight-member group — Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin and I.N — posed for photos, reflected on the success of their recent “dominATE” world tour and introduced their album to the media.
“Karma” marks the band’s first studio album in over two years, following “5-STAR”, which was released in June 2023. The new album features 11 tracks, including “Bleep,” "Creed,” “Mess,” “In My Head,” “Half Time,” “Phoenix,” “Ghost,” “0801” and lead track “Ceremony” along with two remixes.
The members were deeply involved in the album’s production, with the group’s in-house producing team, 3RACHA — consisting of Bang Chan, Changbin and Han — credited for every track.
“We were working while physically exhausted and busy, and I think that desperation and energy really came through in the process,” Han told reporters. “Hitting our limits like that helped us grow, and this album is the result of that growth. I think the messages in “GHOST” really encapsulate the journey we went through in a consistent way.”
“I'm really thankful to the members because they give us feedback, and their opinions, experiences, mental states and ideas have been a huge source of reference for 3RACHA,” Bang Chan added.
Stray Kids recently wrapped up its “dominATE” world tour, which stopped in Asia, Oceania, Latin America, North America, and Europe from August of last year through July. The group performed 34 shows, including 27 stadium concerts.
“On this stadium tour, we wanted to show a lot of new things, like festival-like energy and fresh setups,” Felix shared. “I just hoped it could be memorable for the fans who waited for us from far away for such a long time.”
“Karma” was released at 1 p.m. on Friday.
Here are some highlights from the media event, where Stray Kids posed for the cameras and answered questions from reporters.
Boy band Stray Kids poses for photos during a press conference for the release of its fourth full-length album “Karma” at Conrad Seoul in western Seoul on Aug. 22. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]Boy band Stray Kids poses for photos during a press conference for the release of its fourth full-length album “Karma” at Conrad Seoul in western Seoul on Aug. 22. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]Boy band Stray Kids poses for photos during a press conference for the release of its fourth full-length album “Karma” at Conrad Seoul in western Seoul on Aug. 22. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]Stray Kids’ I.N poses for photos during a press conference for the release of the band’s fourth full-length album “Karma” at Conrad Seoul in western Seoul on Aug. 22. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]Stray Kids’ I.N poses for photos during a press conference for the release of the band’s fourth full-length album “Karma” at Conrad Seoul in western Seoul on Aug. 22. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]Stray Kids’ I.N poses for photos during a press conference for the release of the band’s fourth full-length album “Karma” at Conrad Seoul in western Seoul on Aug. 22. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]Stray Kids’ I.N poses for photos during a press conference for the release of the band’s fourth full-length album “Karma” at Conrad Seoul in western Seoul on Aug. 22. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]Stray Kids’ Seungmin poses for photos during a press conference for the release of the band’s fourth full-length album “Karma” at Conrad Seoul in western Seoul on Aug. 22. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]Stray Kids’ Seungmin poses for photos during a press conference for the release of the band’s fourth full-length album “Karma” at Conrad Seoul in western Seoul on Aug. 22. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]Stray Kids’ Seungmin poses for photos during a press conference for the release of the band’s fourth full-length album “Karma” at Conrad Seoul in western Seoul on Aug. 22. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]Stray Kids’ Seungmin poses for photos during a press conference for the release of the band’s fourth full-length album “Karma” at Conrad Seoul in western Seoul on Aug. 22. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]Stray Kids’ Felix poses for photos during a press conference for the release of the band’s fourth full-length album “Karma” at Conrad Seoul in western Seoul on Aug. 22. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]Stray Kids’ Felix poses for photos during a press conference for the release of the band’s fourth full-length album “Karma” at Conrad Seoul in western Seoul on Aug. 22. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]Stray Kids’ Felix poses for photos during a press conference for the release of the band’s fourth full-length album “Karma” at Conrad Seoul in western Seoul on Aug. 22. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]Stray Kids’ Han poses for photos during a press conference for the release of the band’s fourth full-length album “Karma” at Conrad Seoul in western Seoul on Aug. 22. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]Stray Kids’ Han poses for photos during a press conference for the release of the band’s fourth full-length album “Karma” at Conrad Seoul in western Seoul on Aug. 22. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]Stray Kids’ Han poses for photos during a press conference for the release of the band’s fourth full-length album “Karma” at Conrad Seoul in western Seoul on Aug. 22. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]Stray Kids’ Han poses for photos during a press conference for the release of the band’s fourth full-length album “Karma” at Conrad Seoul in western Seoul on Aug. 22. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]Stray Kids’ Hyunjin poses for photos during a press conference for the release of the band’s fourth full-length album “Karma” at Conrad Seoul in western Seoul on Aug. 22. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]Stray Kids’ Hyunjin poses for photos during a press conference for the release of the band’s fourth full-length album “Karma” at Conrad Seoul in western Seoul on Aug. 22. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]Stray Kids’ Hyunjin poses for photos during a press conference for the release of the band’s fourth full-length album “Karma” at Conrad Seoul in western Seoul on Aug. 22. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]Stray Kids’ Hyunjin poses for photos during a press conference for the release of the band’s fourth full-length album “Karma” at Conrad Seoul in western Seoul on Aug. 22. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]Stray Kids’ Changbin poses for photos during a press conference for the release of the band’s fourth full-length album “Karma” at Conrad Seoul in western Seoul on Aug. 22. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]Stray Kids’ Changbin poses for photos during a press conference for the release of the band’s fourth full-length album “Karma” at Conrad Seoul in western Seoul on Aug. 22. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]Stray Kids’ Changbin poses for photos during a press conference for the release of the band’s fourth full-length album “Karma” at Conrad Seoul in western Seoul on Aug. 22. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]Stray Kids’ Lee Know poses for photos during a press conference for the release of the band’s fourth full-length album “Karma” at Conrad Seoul in western Seoul on Aug. 22. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]Stray Kids’ Lee Know poses for photos during a press conference for the release of the band’s fourth full-length album “Karma” at Conrad Seoul in western Seoul on Aug. 22. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]Stray Kids’ Lee Know poses for photos during a press conference for the release of the band’s fourth full-length album “Karma” at Conrad Seoul in western Seoul on Aug. 22. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]Stray Kids’ Bang Chan poses for photos during a press conference for the release of the band’s fourth full-length album “Karma” at Conrad Seoul in western Seoul on Aug. 22. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]Stray Kids’ Bang Chan poses for photos during a press conference for the release of the band’s fourth full-length album “Karma” at Conrad Seoul in western Seoul on Aug. 22. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]Stray Kids’ Bang Chan poses for photos during a press conference for the release of the band’s fourth full-length album “Karma” at Conrad Seoul in western Seoul on Aug. 22. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]Stray Kids’ Bang Chan poses for photos during a press conference for the release of the band’s fourth full-length album “Karma” at Conrad Seoul in western Seoul on Aug. 22. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]Boy band Stray Kids answers questions during a press conference for the release of its fourth full-length album “Karma” at Conrad Seoul in western Seoul on Aug. 22. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]Boy band Stray Kids answers questions during a press conference for the release of its fourth full-length album “Karma” at Conrad Seoul in western Seoul on Aug. 22. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]Boy band Stray Kids answers questions during a press conference for the release of its fourth full-length album, “Karma,” at Conrad Seoul in western Seoul on Aug. 22. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]Boy band Stray Kids answers questions during a press conference for the release of its fourth full-length album, “Karma,” at Conrad Seoul in western Seoul on Aug. 22. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]Boy band Stray Kids answers questions during a press conference for the release of its fourth full-length album, “Karma,” at Conrad Seoul in western Seoul on Aug. 22. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]Boy band Stray Kids answers questions during a press conference for the release of its fourth full-length album, “Karma,” at Conrad Seoul in western Seoul on Aug. 22. [DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ]
BY DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ [gp.daniela@joongang.co.kr]
