You probably don’t need to be that much into the K-Pop fandom to know who Stray Kids are. A few hours a day on the Internet would be more than enough to have caught wind of the eight members of one of the most popular boy groups active today, as well as their particular kind of music.
While the current 4th generation of K-Pop is filled with talented boy and girl groups, Stray Kids have definitely reached “established and beloved” status within the industry, with a very distinctive sound, members whose faces are known to the public, and of course, a dedicated fanbase. Like all fanbases of K-Pop groups, Stray Kids’ fans also have an official name, “STAY,” which is incorporated in a very famous slogan often used by the group, “You make Stray Kids STAY”—as in, STAYs are the place where Stray Kids can stay and also their reason for existing.
The group was formed back in 2018 by JYP Entertainment—the same company as TWICE, SNSD and ITZY, just to name a few—through a survival program that shared the group’s name. At the end of the program, which is a very common way of forming new groups while also getting the public invested in the members before they even officially step onto the scene, they officially debuted on March 25, 2018. There were nine members at debut, but Woojin left the group in October of 2019 for personal reasons, so Stray Kids continued as eight.
Their seven-year career spans four studio albums—three in Korean and one in Japanese—as well as thirteen EPs—ten in Korean and three in Japanese—in which the members themselves have always been particularly involved, especially the group’s three rappers, who also make up the songwriting and production sub-unit 3RACHA.
So if you have maybe heard the incredibly catchy drop of “MIROH” or caught pieces of “God’s Menu” under a The Bear edit, or if you’ve stumbled upon a picture of one of the members that has intrigued you, here is a guide to all the eight members of Stray Kids—arranged by age order, of course, as is common with K-Pop groups. And if you’re a longtime STAY, I’m willing to bet you’re still going to read until the end because there’s nothing we K-Pop people love more than going over info we already know about our faves for the hundredth time.
Bang Chan
Bang Chan, born as Christopher Bahng on October 3, 1997 (26), was actually raised in Sydney, Australia and is part of the small but mighty “Aussie line” of K-Pop—which includes one of his fellow Stray Kids members but also other idols throughout the industry, like BLACKPINK’s Rosé.
Bang Chan is the leader of Stray Kids as well as one of the members of the 3RACHA trio, meaning he has a major role when it comes to writing and producing the group’s songs. While he obviously also dances and sings, he’s mostly recognizable within Stray Kids for being part of the rap line.
Lee Know
Lee Know is the stage name of Lee Min-ho, who was born in South Korea on October 25, 1998 (25). Within Stray Kids, he takes on the role of dance leader, as well as that of vocalist and rapper like the rest of the members. As reported by the K-Pop database K-profiles, he’s actually part of the Dance Racha sub-unit—a trio of members that have a greater affinity for dance, modeled after 3RACHA.
Changbin
Seo Chang-bin is another member of 3RACHA and one-third of the biggest creative force behind Stray Kids’ music. He’s rapping in a good majority of the group’s music, even though his positions also include that of vocalist. He was born in South Korea on August 11, 1999 (24).
Hyunjin
Born in South Korea’s capital of Seoul on March 20, 2000 (23), Hyunjin—full name Hwang Hyun-jin—is a vocalist and a rapper, but he’s maybe most importantly part of the Dance Racha sub-unit and so a member of the group’s dance line. He also holds the position of visual, meaning that member—or more—that most fits the South Korean beauty standard, even though the entire K-Pop industry is filled with undoubtedly beautiful people. Like several idols in other groups, Hyunjin also works closely with one of the major global fashion houses—in his case, he’s been the Korean Global Brand Ambassador for Versace since the summer of 2023.
Han
Real name Han Ji-sung, Han was born on September 14, 2000 (23), in South Korea—in one of the cities in the area around Seoul like Lee Know and Changbin. Han is the final member of the 3RACHA sub-unit, and so he is a rapper and producer more than he is a vocalist.
Felix
Born as Felix Lee, or Lee Yong-bok, Felix was born on September 15, 2000 (23), in a suburb of Sydney, Australia and raised there just like Bang Chan—even though Bang Chan was born in South Korea and moved to Australia as a very young child. Felix, whose distinctive deep voice is immediately recognisable in Stray Kids’ music, is the final member of the Dance Racha trio. Like Hyunjin, Felix’s career also spans to fashion—he was appointed House Ambassador for Louis Vuitton in the summer of 2023.
Seungmin
Full name Kim Seung-min and born on September 22, 2000 (23), in Seoul, Seungmin is one of the group’s vocalists—and as such, he’s also part of the last of Stray Kids’ sub-units, Vocal Racha. Just like Dance Racha is for the dancers, Vocal Racha, as the name suggests, is for the vocalists. Originally a trio like the other sub-units, with Woojin’s departure from the group Vocal Racha is now a duo.
I.N.
The group’s maknae—or youngest member—is I.N., the stage name of Yang Jeong-in, who was born in Busan, South Korea, on February 8, 2001 (22). Another one of the group’s vocalists, he makes up the other half of the Vocal Racha duo together with Seungmin.
(featured image: JYP Entertainment)
