Bang Chan, the leader of K-pop group Stray Kids, visibly recoils when I ask how it feels to be part of a global phenomenon. Are we that big? he laughs nervously, genuinely flustered by the suggestion as he twiddles the ring on his finger, his hair perfectly sculpted to look effortlessly messy. When I press the point, he concedes with a modest OK in a self-deprecating way that suggests he doesn't really believe me.
Felix, the other Aussie member in the group alongside Bang Chan, is similarly stunned by the idea of the band's immense popularity. Taking over the world? No, no! he says, shaking his long icy blond hair and causing dozens of tendrils to fall over his face, every strand seemingly falling with purpose. His distinctive looks have the air of an otherworldly character from a Renaissance painting.
Despite their protests, the eight-piece consisting of Bang Chan, Changbin, Felix, HAN, Hyunjin, I.N, Lee Know and Seungmin - are arguably the biggest band in the world right now. It's hard to keep up with their journey as they rack up milestone after milestone at breakneck speed. In between me interviewing them in July and Rolling Stone UK going to print, they have broken a record, becoming the first group to see their first five albums debut at number one on the Billboard 200 following the July release of their latest mini album, ATE. They have since performed for more than 250,000 fans over three concerts and as many continents, leaving a glittering trail of A-list celebrities and billion-pound brands fawning over them in their wake.
Denne historien er fra October/November 2024-utgaven av Rolling Stone UK.
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Denne historien er fra October/November 2024-utgaven av Rolling Stone UK.
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Sounding the Alert - The UK music industry is calling for the new Labour government to make essential changes to rescue British music - from halting the closure of venues to providing essential opportunities for new talent
To quote one Bob Dylan: "the times they are a-changin." After 14 years of Tory rule, 4 July saw a changing of the guard in British politics as Sir Keir Starmer stood on the steps of Downing Street to mark the start of a new Labour government and - according to the man himself - a decade of national renewal.Not that the result was ever in doubt, however. A cursory look at polls over the preceding year showed that a Labour landslide was very much on the cards, and it seemed like those aforementioned Dylan lyrics were about to ring true.
Staying Power- As they gave their first performance in the UK for five years, Rolling Stone UK caught up with Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, HAN, Felix, Seungmin and I.N, who together make up the record-breaking K-pop phenomenon Stray Kids
As they gave their first performance in the UK for five years, Rolling Stone UK caught up with Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, HAN, Felix, Seungmin and I.N, who together make up the record-breaking K-pop phenomenon Stray Kids. Here, they open up about the bonds they share between themselves and their devoted fans, as well as their common goal of super stardom
BACK TO THE GRIND
The Clipse broke up when a spiritual path called to one of the brothers from Virginia. Now, one of the greatest duos in rap returns
THE SCREAM QUEEN NEXT DOOR
In just a few short years, Hunter Schafer has gone from small-town North Carolina to global runways, Euphoria stardom, and her first lead role, in the horror flick Cuckoo
Together in Electronic Dreams
Raphaella Lima of video game publisher Electronic Arts brings music to her childhood love of gaming to spotlight many of the most exciting emerging acts of the past two decades in the hit football game EA SPORTS FC
JAMIE XX WAVE AFTER WAVE
Nine years after his decade-defining debut album In Colour, Jamie xx returns with In Waves, a darker and broodier follow-up that saw him fall back in love with making music
"You can feel trapped when people perceive you as one thing"
On their career-best fourth album, Fontaines D.C. have shed their skin of old to deliver something more fantastical. Grian Chatten tells us the story behind their evolution
IN COMPLETE CONFIDENCE
Confidence Man's Janet Planet and Sugar Bones go bigger and wilder than ever before on 3AM (LA LA LA), an album made about partying, while partying, and perfect for partying to
Collective consciousness
Ezra Collective return with Dance, No One's Watching, the roaring follow-up album to last year's boundary-moving Mercury Prize win
DAYDREAM BELIEVER
Welsh techno-pop artist Kelly Lee Owens is the first signing to Dirty Hit's new dance label, dh2. She talks \"transcending my bullshit\" on the euphoric, thumping club tunes of fourth album, Dreamstate
