Stray Kids have made music history. The K-Pop group have earned their sixth number one album on the Billboard 200 with their album HOP, making them the first act ever to debut at number one with their first six charting albums. The record additionally topped the World Albums and Top Album Sales charts.
HOP was released on December 13th, with the lead single “Walkin on Water.” On top of its U.S. success, the album charted at number one in the group’s home country of South Korea. The record’s title is a bit of word play; “Hop” comes from hip-hop as well as “合” (meaning ‘unity,’) as the record was a collaborative effort between all members.
The album contains three group songs and eight solo songs–one performed by each member. Stray Kids premiered the solo songs back in August when they embarked on their ongoing <dominATE> World Tour. The extensive tour features 48 shows across 32 cities, including 25 stadium performances worldwide. Stadiums include Mexico City’s Estadio GNP Seguros, Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium, New York’s Citi Field, Toronto’s Rogers Stadium, London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and Paris’ Stade de France. Ticket information can be found on Stray Kids’ website.
This December, the group took home the “Top Global K-Pop Artist” Award at the 2024 Billboard Music Awards, where they took to the stage with a medley performance of “Chk Chk Boom” and “JJAM.” It’s been a big year for the band, whose music featured in two major cinematic projects this year. They recently appeared on the soundtrack of Netflix’s animated series Arcane (Season 2) based on the game League of Legends with “Come Play,” while their track “SLASH” was featured on the soundtrack of the film Deadpool & Wolverine.
Stray Kids additionally won “Group of the Year” at the 2024 People’s Choice Awards and “K-Pop Album of the Year” at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards.