Main-Taunus (Sc) – They are a global phenomenon that continues its musical triumph in Germany – the successful K-Pop group StrayKids conquered the largest stadiums around the globe on their world tour, thrilled fans, and now attracts not only “Stays” and drive them to the cinemas.
On their 2024/2025 world tour, they filled the world‘s largest stadiums and made music history with a total of more than 2.2 million concertgoers. With their unique sound and fantastic stage performances, the eight guys from Korea thrilled their fans and set a milestone on their unstoppable rise to the top. The concert film “DominATE Experience,” currently showing in theaters, features their performances at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Los Angeles. The recordings are from their sold-out concerts in 2025, which were attended by nearly 100,000 fans.
“4th Generation Leaders”
Stray Kids are THE South Korean “boy band” of the 4th generation, who have topped the international music charts with hits such as “God‘s Menu”, “Chk Chk Boom”, “S-Class”, “Maniac”, “Backdoor”, “Ceremony”, and “Do It”. The eight band members Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, and I.N. have long since become icons of an entire K-Pop generation. Not only are they shaking up the music business, they are also active as global ambassadors for major international fashion brands (including Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Versace, Botega Veneta, Dior), consumer electronics (Samsung Korea), and international lifestyle brands (Pepero, Gong Cha Bubble Tea).
With their unique sound, they have created a completely new direction in K-Pop. Their songs – and this is very rare in K-Pop – are composed, written and produced by Bang Chan, Han and Changbin themselves under the label 3RACHA, with a few exceptions only. The 4th generation leaders now easily fill stadiums worldwide with more than 70,000 enthusiastic fans. Their fan base is like a big family. The members call themselves “Stays” and not only accompany the stars to concerts, but also take an active interest in their “private” lives via Instagram, Bubble, and TikTok, among other platforms – which explains the Stays‘ incredible enthusiasm for EVERYTHING related to their idols.
Stray Kids are known for their spectacular live performances, which have achieved a level of perfection that leaves audiences speechless—their charisma and passion on stage is palpable. The eight band members are no longer “kids,” but rather seasoned men in their mid-twenties who, well-trained and perfectly styled, exude a sex appeal that takes your breath away – so it‘s no wonder that ‘spicy’ performances like “Escape” make the air vibrate not only in the stadium, but also in the cinema.
The K-Pop phenomenon
The members were “cast” on a TV show before their debut, which is rather unusual in Korea – however, the current band leader Bang Chan was instrumental in selecting the current members, demonstrating remarkable insight into human nature – because once united as a group, the boys, aged 16 to 20 at the time, gave up their old lives and subjected themselves to a rigorous training program. The members themselves don‘t usually talk about those times, but it‘s well known that the then very young men were subjected to a strict diet and training program by the production company for several years. “Idols are made, not born” is a phrase that sums up this topic.
Ultimately, and this is something that the band members themselves embody, they have developed a strong personal bond with each other, which, according to their own statements, has carried them through many hard and dark hours—and in the end, their international success has proven them right!
Stray Kids not only have Felix, the most famous face in K-pop, but also arguably the most iconic bass voice in the entire K-pop universe (his vocals “Cookin like a chef ...” in the song “God’s Menu” or his intro to ‘Megaverse’ are legendary), but also Changbin, the fastest rapper (a breathtaking 11.13 syllables per second in the track “MIROH”), and Hyunjin, arguably the most gifted dancer K-Pop has to offer. They perform phenomenal songs that combine rap sequences with melodic K-Pop elements, backed by catchy beats and carried by great voices. It is this combination that makes their songs musical pieces that are unparalleled in the K-Pop universe. Stray Kids thus operate in a broad musical field that is unique in its combination. Catchy K-Pop, combined with rap and rock elements, alternates with beautiful, melodically catchy titles and songs with lyrics in which the members have partly poured out their experiences and adventures from their hearts. In addition, Han is considered the “ace” of the 4th generation – almost a musical “title of nobility” for the K-Pop artist who combines the greatest talent in the fields of composition, dance, and vocals in his generation.
Concert feeling with heart
With the current cinema concert film, the dream of being able to attend a concert is finally coming true for many fans, because getting tickets for the world tour often required not only extremely strong nerves but also a lot of luck. The enthusiasm is enormous, because the Stays live their fan status and don‘t “just” go to the cinema, but celebrate the film almost like a live concert. Equipped with light sticks and SKZOOS (plush toys) of all band members, perfectly styled and in high spirits, they were unmistakably fans last Thursday (premiere) as they made their way to the cinemas together. For the Stays, living fan culture means exchanging “freebies” – small fan gifts related to the band and its members – before the (cinema) concert, making new friends, and chatting about their personal favorites (bias) in anticipation of the film. One thing was clear even before the film started: it wasn‘t going to be quiet in the cinema...
As already described, the film itself is a recording of the concerts at SoFi Stadium near Los Angeles—the largest concert that Stray Kids gave on their stadium tour. It features a spectacular fireworks display of first-class songs, breathtaking performances, and a stage show that broke all boundaries. From the very first notes, the excitement in the cinema auditorium is palpable and the fans sing along – whether in English or Korean, because there are no limits to their collective enthusiasm. The sound is magnificent and the feeling of sitting – or standing – right at the front of the stage is overwhelming. What‘s more, collective enthusiasm erupts every time one of the band members “jumps” into the picture solo, bringing the fans a little bit closer to a collective heart attack. In fact, the “experience” is breathtaking, the sound is magnificent and the picture quality in the cinema is, of course, overwhelming. The film is not a documentary, as the focus is clearly on the concert, but it does feature interviews with all eight band members, who come across as surprisingly human. Fortunately, the “boys” don‘t just talk about the music or their tour, but also give a small but rare insight into their inner lives – which sometimes moves some female cinema-goers to tears.
Learning that band leader Bang Chan also knows what it‘s like to feel exhausted and that the burden of responsibility often weighs heavily on him, that sunny boy Felix spent a long time searching for meaning, or that Hyunjin admits that he—just like everyone else – feels vulnerability, loneliness, and worries that he would rather hide, and that his greatest fear is that these insecurities will become public knowledge, is emotionally overwhelming and touching at the same time.
Fans already love the movie, and many who “just went to the cinema with someone” ended up coming out as new fans last Thursday. With their movie, Stray Kids have once again proven that they deserve the title of “4th generation leaders” and made it clear that they are far from finished on their journey to the K-Pop Olympus. Meanwhile, the fan community is waiting for the release of new tour dates – or a new album – or preferably both! – Because the journey of these fantastic guys from Korea is certainly not over yet!
