At the end of an exhausting world tour, most bands would take a well-earned break.
Not Stray Kids.
Within weeks of wrapping up their record-breaking DominATE shows this summer - including two sold out nights at London's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium - the Korean band released a new album, Karma.
It was their second album in under a year; during which time they'd also released a new EP and a 12-track mixtape, Hop, featuring solo tracks from each of the eight members: Bang Chan, Changbin, Felix, Han, Hyunjin, I.N, Lee Know and Seungmin.
Not only that, but they'd made their debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, via a cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine, for which they also contributed the soundtrack song, Slash.
All that activity made them the fifth biggest selling act in the world last year, just behind Taylor Swift and Drake.
Unlike many K-pop groups, however, Stray Kids write and produce their own material. So how on earth did they sustain that level of creativity while touring the world's biggest venues?
We split up the parts as much as we could and shared the work among the members, explains rapper and vocalist Han.
Since their debut in 2017, the band has approached music with a combination of curiosity and hunger, constantly pushing their sound in new directions.
On Karma, that includes everything from the Brazilian funk rhythms of Ceremony to the pop-punk inflections of In My Head.
Their recently-won legal battle has also added layers to their narrative, as Felix shared his experience of defamation cases amidst their rise.
The group is known for their tight relationship with fans, and they aim to remain grounded, focusing on creativity and long-term goals over short-term fame.
Bang Chan concluded, Stray Kids have reached very far but we're still very hungry to achieve more milestones.
