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How did Stray Kids hit 10M followers on Instagram in just two years? A look at K-Pop band's struggles and top songs

Their flawless discography includes some of the most talked-about K-pop songs from the last two years, including their latest release 'God’s Menu', 'MIROH' and 'My Pace'

After making it to Time’s 10 Best songs of 2020 with their hit track ‘Back Door’, a feat that only Stray Kids as a K-pop group have achieved this year, the super boy band has crossed yet another stellar milestone. Stray Kids has garnered a whopping 10 million followers on Instagram only after 2 years of debuting on the social media platform. The eight-members group is now one of the most followed K-pop groups on Instagram.

K-pop has a name and fame for being a cutthroat industry where it takes a lot more than just charming attributes to make it to the top but Stray Kids have solidified their name and place within this short period by displaying a huge diversity across genres. The group consists of Bang Chan, the leader, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin and I.N. 
Their flawless discography includes some of the most talked-about songs of K-pop from the last two years, including their latest releases ‘God’s Menu’, ‘MIROH’ and ‘My Pace’.

In Time’s top 10 songs list, editor’s described Stray Kids’ ‘Back Door’ as “an artful Frankenstein that’s as catchy as it is complex. There are dramatic airhorns, slinky R&B breaks, jazz interludes, a trap chorus, electronic beats that would rile up festival crowds, and others more likely to be found in underground clubs. It’s hard not to become enraptured by the song’s sheer bravado—both in its multi-layered production and the brassy energy of the eight performers.”

Stray Kids formed from a reality show of the same name of JYP Entertainment where the group originally consisted of nine members in 2018. But shortly after, a member named Woojin left the group for undisclosed reasons. The group officially debuted in 2018 in March with ‘I am not’, their debut Extended Play.

Stray Kids have gained their popularity by showing a lot of different genres and maintaining their multi-lingual variety by releasing songs in Japanese and English as well. Here are a few of the songs of the group which deserve a special mention.

‘Voices’ from their 2018 EP ‘I am WHO’ is a song worthy of a place in your playlist from the album nit just because of the amazing choreography or rap line but because of how deep the lyrics go in portraying mental health issues, battling with a number of voices in their own heads which constantly urge them to ‘give up’. 

‘Maze of Memories’, a song from their fourth extended play ‘Clé 1: Miroh’ released in 2019 is a must check out song for people who like rap. The explosive beats is a bop in itself coupled with a tempo that rises upwards and makes you feel like, you are truly in a maze of complex emotions.

‘Blue Print’, a more recent song in their discography, quite different than their dark themes but may just make it to your playlist. It is a feel-good song from their summer release of 2020 which provides a comforting feeling and quite fresh for the ears.

‘Booster’, a 2019 release is characteristically the most Stray Kids song of this lot. It is aggressive, vibrant, an instant boost of energy, Stray Kids signature written all over it. 

‘Hello Stranger’, a lovesong, a genre still not explored by the group. But here, Stray Kids show that they can easily shine in a lovesong as much as in an energetic bop. The song which is a part of a web drama, Pop Out Boy. 

In 2020, Stray Kids is formidable as their fans share this milestone with them. A fan wrote, ‘Look how far skz has come! Their growth in less than 3 years!” Another fan group posted, “@Stray_Kids is the Fastest Boy group and also 2nd fastest Kpop groups to reach 10 million followers on Instagram. (1053 day)Congratulations”