Stray Kids Talk Making Billboard History: ‘Really Honored’ To Chart Their First No. 1 Album In The U.S.

Stray Kids made history in America when their new album Oddinary made it to the top of the charts. 103,000 fans in the U.S. purchased a copy of the project, which was the largest proper sales week of the year.

The first No. 1 album for the K-pop boy band was Oddinary. Stray Kids have been picking up steam all around the world for the past few years, and now with the backing of Republic Records, it seems there's nothing they don't already have.

Stray Kids are the third South Korean group to have a No. 1 album in the U.S. I had the pleasure of speaking with the full band just hours after the good news had been shared, and we discussed how they can reach American fans, and how they can wait.

The group that has the No. 1 album in America is going to be speaking to me.

The man is Aww! That feels weird!

McIntyre asked what it felt like to hit the top spot.

Wow, bang Chan. It's unbelievable. We were amazed when we heard the news. We did not know what to say. We were looking at the article and we were shaking and wondering if this really happened. It was amazing. The reason why we were able to get these results was because of how beautiful and lovely the Stays were. A big thank you to everyone who supported our latest album.

You are the third Korean act to have a No. 1 album in America. What does it feel like to be in that company?

Being able to reach that level is a great honor. It is a good experience for us. We feel like it could be another big lesson, something that we can learn from and something that will motivate us to try harder and reach higher levels. We can get this far because of Stays. They gave us a very nice gift. We want to make more for them. It is like a big engine that keeps us moving.

Absolutely. I speak to a lot of artists who are successful on the charts. Do you watch sales numbers or chart positions? Do they matter to you?

If we really go for what we are supposed to do right now, it will give us good stuff. We look through the records and history to get feedback that is really good. Looking back helps us improve. I think we focus on what we have to do right now.

McIntyre was watching the Gaon charts. Your sales numbers in Korea are amazing. The numbers do not lie. You have millions of people buying your album in an era when people don't do that anymore. How do you understand that kind of love?

We had a little bit of change for the Oddinary album. We were concerned about changing something. A lot of Stays liked it. Hopefully, we are really thankful for the relationships between us and Stays. We are really grateful for the support.

We did emphasize trying to show something new from Stray Kids. It was really good to know that fans really appreciated it. All good.

McIntyre is impressed that you are involved in the writing and the performing. That is not how all groups operate. Why do you need to work on every aspect of your music?

We are the ones who are singing on stage, we are the ones who are performing. The lyrics are being expressed by us. We feel like it is important that we are the ones who are writing the message in order for us to express our true feelings. We have been writing our own music since we were training. We have been writing about what we want to say, the message that we really want to convey to everyone. Stays out there like to listen to our music because of that.

McIntyre thought the name was really cool when he first heard it. I like the title a lot. It is very clever. How did you come up with it? What does it mean to someone who has not heard it?

We really wanted to give something different and also something that was relevant to Stays all around the world, and that's what Seungmin said about bringing this new concept. We wanted to make the word Oddinary out of ordinary and odd. We want to tell people around the world that it is okay to be odd. Being odd is a way of expressing how ordinary you can be. I feel like it gives a good message and is very positive in every way.

McIntyre had a good explanation. That was a good answer. Oddinary is different from your previous material. What makes it stand out?

The translation is "Translating for I.N." The B-sides of the album are matching the concept of the album itself. The two-unit songs are completely different to the other ones. There are different units that we have never shown before. That is a big difference to the other ones.

McIntyre: I enjoyManiac, but I know that it is the focus, but I do like it. Tell me what it means to you and what you want fans to take away from it.

Most of our songs have different styles of energy. It has a special energy, but we wanted to show a controlled energy, something that was a bit different. We wanted to say that odd and ordinary are fine. Go be free and be crazy. Show the other side of you. Do what you want and be whatever you want.

McIntyre watches charts all around the world. Your album did well in Korea. In the U.K. and other countries, it charted. You have gone from one of the biggest acts in Korea to a star all around the world with one album. Is that intimidating? To make that jump so fast?

It's something that we still don't... It is hard for us as well. We want to think of it as something we can learn from. Yes. It is not like we have become superstars straight away. We started with Stays and it feels like a long journey. Together. I feel like we are moving forward, bringing more people into the journey that we have started. We are going to keep trying to do that. Go on that road. Just keep moving forward.

McIntyre: You are going to be doing your biggest tour ever, and you are going to release a new album. What do you think about the tour? Are you looking forward to it? Are you nervous?

So excited!

It has been so long since we saw Stays. The last world tour was two years ago. We miss our Stays. There are Stays all around the world waiting for us. We prepare for the tour every day. We really need to get prepared for the world tour because we are thinking about our Stays. We can't wait.

McIntyre: Excellent.

It has been a while since we have been on tour during the hot weather, but he can't wait to feel the hotness of our Stays from all around. He will be drenched in sweat while singing.

McIntyre: It's good for you, I don't miss that! What advice would you give to your younger fans if they wanted to get into this scene?

The message that Oddinary has is to look out for what you want to do. If you are comfortable with what you are doing and you want to try anything, then go for it. Enjoy the experience. I think it's important to enjoy what you do. If anyone out there is interested in trying music, it is important that they do not control themselves. Just let it go. Music is a good way to express yourself. Maybe we could meet up if you ever become an artist.