Ever since I first came across Stray Kids (which was roughly around January 2019), I’ve always felt that whilst listening to their music, it’s strangely easy to get ‘absorbed’.
The first song of theirs I heard (properly), was Hellevator. What hit me first about the song was the atmosphere, and shortly after that, it was the lyrics.
Whilst there had been songs I had previously listened that held a similar, solemn atmosphere, what stuck immediately in the lyrics was the hesitant sincerity they expressed.
I had never seen any artist divulge or incorporate such an incredible amount of their personal lives into their music. And yes, I was quite young and rather inexperienced with many types of music then. But to this day, I still haven’t found any other artist so wholly intent on incorporating unbelievably direct references in sincerity to their personal lives within music.
The manner in which Hellevator’s lyrics are written are rather brash and to an extent ‘immature’. Its metaphors are angsty and rough and the sentiments of the song - in foundation - are rather common.
Yet, instead of coming across as simply another ‘angsty, sad, hopeful’ track performed by some group , it comes across as a manifestation of all those feelings written down by a group of ‘immature, angsty and hopeful’ teenager that do indeed feel that way. They’re not playing a concept - they simply are it, but on their own terms and with experiences.
It’s authentic. In the song, they speak of their own personal circumstances - not for the sake of delivering a concept, but for the sake of expressing themselves through music.
And that’s Stray Kids for you.
Their songs are ‘Stray Kids’. Which sounds rather confusing, but what it means is that their songs are theirs - personal.
You could ask me for any song in any of their albums and in it, there would be something that is a musical representation of their identity as a group, their values, their beliefs and growth/expression as individuals.
I’ll take a couple songs and examine them.
The first is Streetlight. It’s not a group song, but a solo track by Changbin. And what’s astounding about this song is that within the span of barely three minutes, it manages to address and reflect upon the idea of ‘loneliness’ in a personal, sincere manner.
Any type of abstract noun, and in this case, the concept and idea of being ‘alone’, can be defined both with a ‘general’ view and a ‘personal’ view.
Changbin, instead of presenting his audience with the general concept of ‘Loneliness’, mostly commonly described as the act of being alone and with many allusions of being seperated from a person, presents his personal interpretation on the idea.
To him, a Streetlight (on a tangible and intangible level$ is what loneliness is - he shines ‘bright’ on stage and presents himself so and yet, he’s surrounded by nothing and everything. To him, that’s loneliness. In fact, there’s even more interpretations that he mentions in the same song and to him, all those things are loneliness.
Another example of making something personal is Red Lights.
I do not doubt that many of you, at first impression, think this song to be about sex and sex only. And in a way, it is - if you choose to interpret it so.
The origin of the song stems from being addicted to making music. To them, sex is a metaphor aligned with the feeling of being so unbelievably compelled to make music.
In the same way sex has connotations with pleasure, working and making music to Stray Kids is a enjoyable experience - so enjoyable that they cannot stop themselves from doing so, even if it may be better for them to.
And that, once again, is a message delivered on a personal level. It’s ‘Stray Kids’ interpretation of compulsion.
This brings me on to my conclusion.
There are many things that make an artist.
Stray Kids are artists that take and give.
That take their experiences - the positive and the negative - and they make it into a song, and give it, share it, to others that may relate to it.
In face of criticism, they refuse to sacrifice their sincerity, they refuse to hold back their passion for making music that is wholly ‘theirs’.
And that is not only admirable, but it something that many fans are grateful for, myself included.
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