BOY WONDER

Bang Chan on the pursuit of perfection, brotherhood and growing up.

- SON ANNA and AARON KOK

Seven years after his debut and at the cusp between boyhood and manhood, let it be said that Bang Chan might just be one of the hardest-working figures of today's generation of Korean pop singers.

Bang Chan-short for Christopher Chahn Bahng-has more than 200 music credits to his name to date. Under his leadership, the K-pop boyband Stray Kids has chalked up a string of poleposition honours on the Billboard, and their song "Lalalala" was their first foray in the Billboard Hot 100. Clearly, the guy knows a thing or two about music.

Yet, in spite of Stray Kids' seemingly carefree and jovial disposition, the newly minted brand ambassador for Fendi is also surprisingly serious when it comes to work. For starters, he's a self-professed perfectionist who never settles for the accolades of the band. And as he turns 28 this October, he's spent more time dwelling on what it means to grow up in the media spotlight, circumstances for which a large fraction of us wouldn't be familiar with by any measure.

Togged in Fendi's spring/summer 2025 collection, Bang Chan reflects on making peace with himself, and with time.

Hop, the first mixtape released by the group last December, has spent six consecutive weeks at the top spot of Billboard's album charts. Do you feel like Stray Kids has hit its peak in terms of success?

Bang Chan (BC): Definitely not. People around us have always said that we've grown so much as a group, but I always tell them that we've still got so much drive in us to take us further. We're often told to embrace the compliments and the success, but I feel that we still have a long way to go. The direction for the band is set, but we still haven't decided where the destination and the end goal is just yet. We are still in the journey of growth.