[Opinion Thread] ​Kpop fans are unconsciously helping Stray Kids making their dreams come true as artists

    Disclaimer: I truly ask you all to stay civil and discuss properly if it's the case. This is just my opinion at the moment and please don't take it personally.


    We all know that it's already stablished on general Kpop fans' mind that Stray Kids' music is noisy. Not only that, but from what I've noticed, according to Kpop fans' mindset, they are the reference of this kind of sound among recent Kpop acts and releases.


    Every group that brings this hard-hitting EDM concept on their main title tracks are compared somehow to Stray Kids (or their name ends up getting mentioned in whatever topic about this so controversial Boygroup music sound).


    It's important to mention that a sheer amount of people who dislike these groups' music never took proper time to listen to their discography and b-sides, but throwing the same tantrum on their music is convenient anyway.


    And also, whenever Kpop fans want to dimish Stray Kids' music, the terms "noisy" and "noise" comes right next - their album NOEASY, a pun for NOISY, received this name for a reason.


    By saying multiple times that their music is noisy - or calling it "Noise Pop", a derogatory term for EDM-leaning Kpop acts' music -, they end up creating unconsciously a new genre within the Kpop umbrella.

    Of course that for the general Kpop non-fan it doesn't matter if the song in question is noisy or not, it's just Korean Music/EDM-pop music, but that's not the point of this thread.


    Stays know that Stray Kids have a dream to create their own sound, being reference on their music and, if it's possible, change somehow the Kpop scene with their music by bringing something new or different to the game.


    Korean media started calling them as the "Mala Taste genre pioneers", but for the lack of consistency on what exactly is Mala Taste as a genre since it's a more like concept than a music genre itself, people don't call it the way it is and just say that everything they release is just "Noisy".


    The point I want to reach is, whether these Kpop fans like it or not, this "Noise Kpop" genre is in fact what Stray Kids want to sing and perform and whenever they mention its existence and associate it with Stray Kids music, they stablish even more the concept that Stray Kids always wanted to reach: being reference on their genre.

    All of it in a very - bringing a word Kpop fans love - "organic" way.


    I'm not saying that any "noisy" act want to make what Stray Kids do, they're all unique on their own ways, but the fact that Stray Kids are trashed by many Kpop fans for their music and they still get referenced whenever the Boygroup hard-hitting EDM sound is mentioned, does tell me something about the general opinion on this same genre and how Stray Kids are perceived as some sort of groundbreakers.


    It was a great move to see Stray Kids embracing the term and then many critics and journalists complimenting them for how far they reached music wise and popularity wise with their so-called Noisy Music.

    I can't wait to see how far they're gonna reach musically and as influential seniors.


    Stray Kids: “We hope that one day Stray Kids will become a genre itself”
    Riding high on the success of their sublime second full-length album ‘NOEASY’, the JYP group take NME into the record and their mindset.
    www.nme.com

    Stray Kids: Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop -
    This eight-member South Korean powerhouse has forged one of the strongest identities in K-pop--next on their list? World domination
    rollingstoneindia.com

    Stray Kids’ album Noeasy: a noisy, fun and creative K-pop listen
    The eight-member K-pop band’s third LP, Noeasy, offers a lot of different styles to suit listeners and finds its strength in the band’s creativity and…
    www.scmp.com

    Stray Kids – ‘NOEASY’ review: storming through the scene with their repertoire of ‘noise’
    ‘Kingdom: Legendary War’ winners Stray Kids bring their A-game to the table with a versatile second full-length album 'NOEASY'.
    www.nme.com

    On “NOEASY,” Stray Kids Don't Play By Pop Music's Rules
    They’re noisy. So what?
    www.teenvogue.com


    Discuss.

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    :pepemusic:

    LAFBL0s.gif

    let us gather around for the lord’s prayer:

    Nævis we love you. You are the one who protected me when i was in trouble. MY victory, one SYNK DIVE. I know your sacrifices. Let’s meet surely after the resurrection.

    Æmen

    :pepe-pray:

    I’ve been entertaining this idea for a while.


    People call Stray Kids ‘irrelevant’ but when someone releases a song they don’t like due to its ‘noisiness’ they always mention Stray Kids - which makes them ‘relevant’, so to speak.

    Quote from bobsyouruncle

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    :pepemusic:

    Insane bop Thunderous is! <3

    Quote from kidsgonestray

    I’ve been entertaining this idea for a while.


    People call Stray Kids ‘irrelevant’ but when someone releases a song they don’t like due to its ‘noisiness’ they always mention Stray Kids - which makes them ‘relevant’, so to speak.

    It's the narrative inconsistency that gets me.

    There's one interview during NOEASY era, I don't remember exactly which was, where Seungmin said something that caught my attention. He said Stray Kids members actually don't care people label their music as noisy, because It means at least they left an impression. It means their music isn't being bland and isn't being forgotten. And It was an interesting mindset. Being seen as a group who isn't being noticed at all scares them more than being seen as a group that is doing "the wrong sound".

    I think K-pop stans are helping them to not only achive their dreams as artists leaving a mark with their artistry, but they also helped them to find their own identity as artists. It was because of the amount of hate they received (and are still receiving) that they were able to pull of a whole God's Menu and becoming Mala Taste genre pioneers. If they didn't have something to say to the world, a reason to express their pride and confidence in their own work, this song would never exist in the first place, for example.

    At the same time It sometimes destroys their mental health and we have to see our kids having breaking downs over some strong criticism (more than just say it's noisy), It gives them strength as musicians, to write and singing songs that will remember them of their own qualities and skills when they need these words to feel better.

    Edited once, last by Minazuki ().

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    :pepemusic:

    I love how in the first few seconds of Thunderous, Changbin is already calling out these ones who criticize his rap and say he only yells.


    "Oh so they call me, 'the one shouting'. Changbin, I choose my own path".


    :angryr:

    Quote from Minazuki

    It was because of the amount of hate they received (and are still receiving) that they were able to pull of a whole God's Menu and becoming Mala Taste genre pioneers.

    Certainly!

    I consider their previous songs as the uncut gems of the polished Mala Taste tracks they release nowadays. Double Knot being the closest to this concept identity.


    Their bold music was the main factor that made me interested on them, and the fact that even their b-sides keep their music identity but in a different light is amazing to me.

    Stray Kids is about versatility on their own music identity.

    Quote from Minazuki

    He said Stray Kids members actually don't care people label their music as noisy, because It means at least they left an impression.

    This is indeed a smart point of view.

    Whenever Stray Kids release a song, people who dislike their music always want to have an opinion about their track and listen to it anyway. It's a funny behavior to me, but that happens a lot.

    Either complimenting or trashing their music, people have their eyes on their projects. That matters a lot.

    God’s Menu was felt like their second debut. It’s like that track reset their entire career for the better - as both artists and in terms of recognition.

    Idk if "noise" is something any musician want to adopt as their identity. Music is created to be enjoyed, and "noise" indicate that whatever sound you're hearing is NOT enjoyable. It carry with it a negative connotation, like "noise pollution".


    What I do see is that Stray Kids may have taken criticism against them and play tongue-in-cheek with it. That is a very GREAT way to deal with criticism compare to being bitter about it. I will be frank and this might offend some fans, but their previous music was call noise because it's was loud but not catchy. EDM music is not exactly noise if there is a certain melody to it that stick to your ears (aka catchy) that you can enjoy. On top of that, when they were releasing those type of music, Kpop was littered with a million other bg who do similar music so they all blend together, and Stray Kids became the most well-known punching bag.


    However, what I do see from them is that instead of being bitter, or insisting they are right, they take in the criticism, developing their art and still maintaining some consistency to the style they like. THAT is the direction I see them going. So I rather that's what they continue to go rather than taking the "noise" label too seriously and brand themselves as such. Still doing loud music but make it catchier. That's what I think.

    Quote from mashimaroluff0

    Idk if "noise" is something any musician want to adopt as their identity. Music is created to be enjoyed, and "noise" indicate that whatever sound you're hearing is NOT enjoyable. It carry with it a negative connotation, like "noise pollution".


    What I do see is that Stray Kids may have taken criticism against them and play tongue-in-cheek with it. That is a very GREAT way to deal with criticism compare to being bitter about it. I will be frank and this might offend some fans, but their previous music was call noise because it's was loud but not catchy. EDM music is not exactly noise if there is a certain melody to it that stick to your ears (aka catchy) that you can enjoy. On top of that, when they were releasing those type of music, Kpop was littered with a million other bg who do similar music so they all blend together, and Stray Kids became the most well-known punching bag.


    However, what I do see from them is that instead of being bitter, or insisting they are right, they take in the criticism, developing their art and still maintaining some consistency to the style they like. THAT is the direction I see them going. So I rather that's what they continue to go rather than taking the "noise" label too seriously and brand themselves as such. Still doing loud music but make it catchier. That's what I think.

    First of all, I know you may have no bad intentions with your comment and I suppose your wanted to give a constructive criticism. But I think you might not be understanding all their intentions in embracing the noisy label, just some.


    You are right, in songs like 'Thunderous' and 'Cheese', they are being sarcastic about the whole criticism towards their sound. The word-play of NOEASY/NOISY is actually a joke on It's own. So, as a consequence, you can see they are not taking it serious and to the heart.


    And yes, they do not think they are right. And they do not think the ones who criticize them are right either. If you go through their interviews, you will see the members saying that, for them, there's not wrong or right answer for music. Everything depends on a subjective perspective and, as long as there are people enjoying what they do as much as the members, that's fine, they can deal with negative opinions.


    But I feel like in an industry like the K-pop Industry (actually, the pop music industry as a whole to some extent) we are always thinking about what is catchier to the mass, what is appealing to the general public, how the artist should adapt themselves and less about how they are feeling about the music they are dropping. Is it what they want? Are they happy?


    When they embrace their "Noisy label" they are not agreeing their music is noisy and not wanting to make people agree. As producers who have explored many genres and subgenres, I'm sure they are aware noise music is a genre itself. They are embracing their own music that despice people's criticism, It's what they are happy to follow as musicians and they are not interested to change just for the sake of the appeal. And that's okay If people think It's noise, the only thing they can do is laughing.


    And If the day comes when they change It, It's because It was what they wanted and not what others through they needed, even through they take notes on constructive criticism when they feel It's necessary.

    Quote from mashimaroluff0

    Idk if "noise" is something any musician want to adopt as their identity. Music is created to be enjoyed, and "noise" indicate that whatever sound you're hearing is NOT enjoyable. It carry with it a negative connotation, like "noise pollution".

    That's a point of view for sure, but I might say that as a Shoegaze (based on the actual Noise Pop genre) fan, the term "noise" isn't always meant to be read or heard in a negative way. Not after a while. Abrasive, distorted, ambient sounds can all be deemed as noisy in music. It's just a term, but the connotation of it is up to who is listening to them.

    It's up to the artist and the listeners what can be considered noise pollution in music or not, it doesn't matter if the artist in question is Stray Kids - pop artists - or Merzbow - an avant-garde artist. The problem is the disrespect towards artists who just like their music being as abrasive/distorted as it sounds.


    Just to give an example, before becoming the goats of the genre (at least in my opinion), the band My Bloody Valentine had to deal with enormous criticism due to their performance style - literally shy people singing and playing their instruments while looking at their pedals, hence the name of the genre being Shoe Gaze - and the amount of loudness and distortions they put on their songs and concerts. At that time, critics would call them "noisy", a "group with no purpose", etc. But Kevin Shields, the mastermind of the group, did have a purpose when they recorded their albums. It was exactly how he wanted to. It was just that simple.


    What's incredible is that their music is a huge influence to these days. Their Magnum opus, Loveless, is praised to these days (the group did receive praise on later 90s). They changed the direction of alternative rock by creating their genre - and also indie pop music with Dream Pop -, all of this with their noisy sound.

    My friends think that their music sounds like vacuum cleaners, while I find them beautiful, pure, roughly emotional.


    For sure that giving an example of a rock band can be a reach considering the nature of Kpop music, but it's just to say that the term noisy doesn't really need to be seen as a bad thing.


    Quote from mashimaroluff0

    However, what I do see from them is that instead of being bitter, or insisting they are right, they take in the criticism, developing their art and still maintaining some consistency to the style they like. THAT is the direction I see them going. So I rather that's what they continue to go rather than taking the "noise" label too seriously and brand themselves as such. Still doing loud music but make it catchier. That's what I think.

    For sure. The only thing is that if you put title tracks and some b-sides apart, their music is versatile and actually chill. So versatile to the point that they can sing a hard-hitting song like Domino and a ballad like Gone Away in the same album.


    The point of the thread is that by putting all their songs in the same table and labelling them as noisy, even calling it "Noise Pop/Kpop", they end up creating a genre within a genre and giving a representative leader to this genre, this leader being Stray Kids (for the amount of mentions people give to this specific group), something that Stray Kids actually want to happen.


    In fact, Stray Kids developed a robust identity after their Go Live album and we are still testifying what music direction they're developing and that specific sound is what they want to be considered the "Stray Kids" genre (Mala Taste genre), but this behavior of Kpop fans shows that even before reaching this goal, they're already showing us that what they do is being seen and given some sort of genre name.

    I would argue that Stray Kids aren’t the people that pioneered ‘noise music’ though. People called NCT’s music ‘noise music’ way before Stray Kids even debuted and NCT are largely attributed to causing this trend to blow up and are also the artist I usually see associated with ‘noise music.’


    However I would agree that Stray Kids have helped to popularise this sound, although other groups have helped too like Monsta X and Ateez (other groups whose names come up often in this debate). I don’t think the term ‘noise music’ necessarily helps Stray Kids pursue their dream, rather it’s just a general term used for boy groups because that is now the trend.


    It’s similar to teen crush in girl groups, how Itzy helped popularize this trend, but now it’s just become the blanket term used to describe girl group music. After NCT, Stray Kids is the group that this genre has helped the most though.


    This is just what I’ve seen, I don’t personally think that all these groups actually release similar music or noise music, nor am I trying to trash Stray Kids or NCT

    we curiously said similar stuff with totally different points lol

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