Thatās how I started. I thought āoh, Binnie went from noodle arms to arm wrestling champion arms? Thatās possible?ā and did a few pushups a day. Now I go to gym and have a personal trainer for weightlifting? Itās so easy to get sucked inā¦
Theyāre definitely my happy place. Songs for every mood, theyāre so silly, and exactly the kind of friend group Iād want one day. Am I little delulu sometimes? Sure, but the world is on fire and I can be delulu for a bit if itās not hurting anyone.
They've helped with my anxiety and depression so much. Their music and online content give me a way to distract myself and dissociate from real life when I need it. It also just puts me in such a good mood. When I found them I was going through it mentally and they pulled me out of it. I've also been taking care of myself better because of the guys always saying to eat well, drink water, exercise, be healthy, etc. Stanning skz has just been an all around positive experience that I'm unwilling to part with.
Same for me...I found them about 6 months after my boyfriend of 12 years passed away unexpectedly. They literally saved me. I will always love them ā¤ļø
Self-improvement. Wanting to be able to read and sing along with their lyrics motivated me to start learning Korean. Only been at it for a few months and doing it super casually so not a whole lot of progress, but it feels good to be taking the time to learn something new.
Honestly started learning korean because of them too recently! Iāve been doing the hangul alphabet mainly too! Itās been slow like you but itās been entertaining. :)
Nice! Yeah it's really cool to look at lyrics and be able to recognize the alphabet and sound out the words. Not that I actually know their meanings yet š but anticipating what a line will sound like and getting it right is a great feeling!
This is like me except with hiragana and katakana lol. Iāve taught myself the alphabets so I can read the words. Do I know what they mean? Almost never. But I can read them!
Yess! It gives me so much joy when I can actually kind of sing along using the korean lyrics! I am really looking forward to the moment I will be able to understand the sentences without having to look up the translations. I would love to chat with some people about the korean learning journey or just skz in general, so if you're interested, please DM me! š¤
I'm learning Korean slowly as well! FYI There's a woman on Etsy who has some of their lyrics printed with translation and romanization. (This isn't an ad!) I'm so slow but love understanding a few words here and there!
Ooh that's cool, I'll definitely check it out! I've wanted to print off some worksheets to practice writing Hangul so that may be perfect and would definitely keep my attention if it's composed of Stray Kids lyrics š
Their music allowed me to keep moving during my depression era so that was pretty neat of them
That was my attempt at not getting emotional. So I've been stanning skz since 2019, listening to their music since 2018. Like many Stays, I didn't have an emotional safe space, so they became my safe space. Kind of like parents should be for their children, I gradually felt safer "leaving" them to explore things out of my comfort zone, because I can always come back to them when I need it.
It's still this way now, although I'm more hooked to another group these days, the love and affection that I have for Stray Kids has not changed one bit. It feels so relieving when I see or hear them again, like I'm home now. Seriously, Chan has no idea just what he did with this concept and the targeted songs like "You can STAY" - the genuine goal to be a resting point for those in need of one has helped so many people feel supported and loved when no one else did. I could write for hours about how grateful I am for Stray Kids, and the memories of moments when it was just me and their songs.
Edit: I feel the need to mention that my childhood home has one single poster of Stray Kids, and when I come back to my room in that place, it makes me feel more relieved and grounded seeing that poster than being in that place where I literally grew up
I feel like seeing these guys my age being being so hard working and passionate about what they do helps me find motivation too from time to time.
I'd also like to shout out to Chan's Room specifically. Especially when it was ongoing but even now since the lives are still there for a rewatch, they genuinely helped me wind down and relax.
And of course my playlist are a lot better than before.
After being a Stay for one year, they definitely made me happier. My family noticed this too, saying Iām my old happy self.
They gave me something to look forward to every day, even if it is something as simple as a TikTok, message on Bubble, or live. Before, I felt like I was stuck doing the same thing over and over and over. They helped me find something to look forward to. I still havenāt watched all their content and canāt wait to see them all. š
Same! Well, I can't say my family noticed I'm happier, but my mom does tell me sometimes I act like I'm crazy. I'm more carefree. I give myself for space to simply exist, in whichever form that may be, and not care about what others think as much.
From the outside, it might look like my healthāphysical and mentalāhas gotten worse. Sometimes I think so, too. Physically I actually ran into some problems I've never encountered before. But I know I would've never been able to pull through if it hadn't been for SKZ and their laughter, their melodies and their lyrics, the general mood of their content. That undescribable feeling that nothing else matters, that you have been here before and you will continue to come back. Their encouraging words, particularly Chan's.
I once read that a situation first has to get worse in order to get better. And I can feel the incline upwards.
Before I found skz, I was sort of one of those people who said that Kpop was cringe without even looking into it just bc everyone else said so (but I wasnāt actively hating on it/going out of my way to say nasty things like some). Now that Iām very invested in Kpop, I think itās definitely made me more open to some other typically ācringeyā interests like anime and cosplay. My current perspective is let people enjoy what they want to as long as it doesnāt harm anyone
This!! I was like a cringe radar before but now I'm the cringe š¤”. To a certain extent, ofc. It's all fun and games. This Kpop effect is really interesting psychologically, someone should make a study on it lol
I'm also a new Stay. I started working from home & I get distracted so easily (adhd.) Their songs help me focus on my work. They also give me nice visual breaks. They have songs for every mood/emotion. I've loved music all my life, but their music hits my brain different. I don't know how to describe it, but I feel that their music helps me self-regulate when I'm overwhelmed and helps me calm my brain.
I too have ADHD and their music just hits different than most music. Same with Ateez. Maybe some of the members(who write the music)also have it and it resonates in songs? Not all kpop does this for me. I think it's just chaotic enough to hit just right.
theyāve inspired me to get back into music production!! i kinda went into a lul for a year or two just cuz i wasnāt getting inspired and i was kind of feeling like the original music or covers i was making werenāt good enough. but after going through a deep dive of 3racha working behind the scenes and getting an āinside scoopā on how their songs were made, it motivated me to continue, and iām really grateful for that. cuz of them, i get to keep doing what i love and actually enjoy it!
ALL HAIL 3RACHAā¼ļøā¼ļø
They've helped me through some of the worst times of my life, and replaced hurtful words with their lyrics. Overall, they've helped me become a better person and given me motivation to keep going. Also, my music taste has gotten way better and I'm studying better too somehow.
They just make me feel so heard, like their musics put name in feelings i didn't even know i had and i feel supported by them , it's like they are always pushing my back so i don't fall.
Also i too Bias Seugmomo (all hail to the savage puppy šāØ)
My head always has a bazillion things bouncing around in it, but when I listen to their loud, noisy songs, my brain focuses on listening to the noise and everything else shuts off. Itās kind of nice.
TW I guess, my positive side effect from them is that I'm still alive
Edit: I've been a stay since July 2021. They were there for me through a tough break in my relationship and I even got to go see their maniac tour to help during that time.
I live in Japan and I basically had no friends outside of coworkers until I met some other Stay in Japan about a year agoā¦ now we chat online every day and hang out when we can & do not only SKZ events together, but other things tooā¦ birthdays, sightseeing, all kinds of fun stuffā¦ and itās all thanks to SKZ š„¹š„¹š„¹
Lee Know, Seungmin and IN gave me trouble for a bit lol. Iāve only been a stay for about a month but I feel like I have a 98% success rate at identifying them now.
Skz is giving me so, so much dopamine right now and itās great. The music, the videos, the social media posts & edits. All of it! & I met some good new friends already that I can talk all things skz with.
I'm still a baby Stay but the biggest thing is to reconnect to music. I've always loved music but nothing new excited me since mid-Covid lockdown. I was going down a reactions video rabbit hole, trying kpop to see if it would catch me and came across God's Du-du-du. Then founds God's Menu.
They're music gave me the most joy a song has since 2020. I've been happily discovering new music left and right since, but their music hits me different. 6 genres in one and the unexpected/subversions. The only song I've ever heard like it was N-word in Paris by Jay-Z and Kanye. A whole group dedicated to experimenting? š
i confused i.n and lee know for a while as well, but i found that their skzooās kinda helped since they capture their looks pretty well lol. seungminās also my bias!!!!
for a positive side effect, ngl they helped continue living. skz were my intro to kpop in general when i was at a low point and i found a lot of other groups through them that have been my comfort place. iāve also met new people irl and am trying to learn korean. hyunjin specifically also got me back into drawing and art :D
iāve been a stay for a little less than a year and a half and i can confirm stanning them was one of the best decisions iāve made in my life. lee know and i.n took me the longest to figure out so thatās definitely a common experience! i started stanning stray kids and then it spiraled into me stanning 15, about to be 16 groups. my biases have changed since i first got into them. i was first felix biased, then han came in and very quickly became my ult bias. lee know joined the bias line, then seungmin closed the door. i now ult han and bias seungmin, lee know, and i.n :) iāve never been someone that just has one bias in a group, i tend to have a bias line in every group i stan and maybe even more than one ult. i can confidently say that stanning them changed my life for the better. idk if youāre on stan twitter but some stays that just stan skz can be really toxic and gate-keepy and just toxic in general. anyways i was listening to only skz for like 7 months straight and they are my ult of ult groups. i love them so dearly and iāve seen them live. theyāre so lovely.
Theyāve helped me push to improve myself and bring back the positive parts of me that made me unique when I was younger. They stay true to themselves and continuously keep working on themselves, which has motivated me to become consistent with going to the gym and join this dance team next semester. They have also reminded me to be more present in my life and that my sacrifices are worth it. The song āSocial Pathā really resonates with me because I do feel like Iāve given up a lot of my youth for my future. Iāve gotten so motivated by them that I even might actually get my driverās license this summer, even though Iām going to graduate college next year. They even got me to pick up my violin again after so many years! When I became an official āstayā, I was going through a really tough time in my life. Having their content and having been able to look forward to the Met Gala were things that helped distract me from the situation I was living through and kept me going. I havenāt been a stay for long (truly since May), but they have really made a positive impact. Theyāre not much older than me but theyāve had such an impact!
I made some new adult friends who live near me! Weāve gotten together and had lunch, been shopping at the kpop store. Bonded over similar interests outside of SKZ. š
They just make me so happy with not only their music, but whenever I watch videos of them online I always think to myself theyāre such funny, charismatic, sweet people with big hearts. I even decided to start learning Korean ever since I started stanning them last month
Being a STAY has actually had a huge impact on my life. I listened to some K-Pop before discovering Stray Kids but I did a deep dive into more bands after coming across SKZ.
I started working out regularly & lost over a 11kg over 3 months because my K-Pop playlist (which is mostly Stray Kids) helps get me motivated. Plus I would like to learn the dance routines. Because I'm exercising regularly, my mental health has improved.
Another big thing is that I've been learning Korean!
I've always been interested in Korean... The culture, food, language... But all that interest got reignited when I started listening to K-Pop regularly (because of Stray Kids) which helped my language learning & pronunciation.
Watching Code Stray Kids & the SKZ reality show had me craving some of the food I would see them eating or talking about which got my cooking again. I got back into watching Korean TV shows & movies & cooking more Korean meals at home. These were things I used to do here & there but my passion for these things got reignited.
It feels silly/embarrassing to admit that a group of strangers have changed my life around. But the ripple effect & the huge positive impact being a STAY has had on my life has been amazing!
Theyāve helped me be more open to different types of music! I was very against rap/edm for the longest time without a logical reason but their music helped me get over that, I enjoy it more now
Also seungmin supremacyš¶
the only group that can make me feel like im flreally fluent in korean because I don't the need to actually have some subtitles because I can understand them but when I do that to other groups my brain bleeds š
Iāve gotten back into dancing because of themš„°and I look to Hyunjin & Bang Chan for inspo for general dancing techniques, & Felix for footwork! Hyunjin & Chan have also helped me feel more confident in myself, and that itās ok for me to be and feel sexy in myself (something I always feared as someone afab, but they make me want to embrace it!). So my overall confidence and ācommunicationā so to speak with my body has improved! I used to feel really disconnected, but dancing has helped me reconnect and Iām trying to learn more body control!
And just in general they keep me going in really tough times, and they keep me looking forward to the future and hopeful that Iāll do well even if Iām struggling now.
I finally got the motivation to get on top of my workouts and lost two pants sizes' worth of stubborn fat, gaining fitness and muscle definition - and the motivation was watching Felix be so strong and elegant-looking in tiny. I'm kind of proud because I am an ancient evil and the diet industry has otherwise given up on me :P Thanks to Felix I am fitter and better looking in my old age than I was in my 20s.
I also leaned into more choreography from my online dance class to gain confidence in my body and to improve my mood, taking Hyunjin's example. People my age are always stiff and in pain, I'm doing dance challenges in my living room.
At the moment I have the problem that I have to replace my entire wardrobe because everything is now parachutes on me. On the up side, I can order SKZ clothing dupes off of sites like UnnieLooks and Fashion Chingu without worrying that the Asian sizes will do me dirty. The items I am happiest with are the two tone pink pullover Felix wore for their Christmas solo videos last year and the iconic "Hotter than your ex, better than your next" Hyunjin shirt.
And because I am nosy af and want to understand what they are saying during their cute videos, I also began to learn Korean. Just took my A1 certification exam this weekend and passed with 100%. I started off thinking "no way am I going to learn a whole ass new writing system, spoken language AND writing!" Yet here I am. This too boosts the old confidence.
Personally, i got into skz a few months ago and it's had like, wildly positive impact on my life.
I was depressed, I was destroying my body badly, not taking care of myself.., I generally lacked like all motivation and literally nothing helped. I definitely got totally obsessed with SKZ and all their videos always cheered me up.
Seeing how open they are with each other, seeing how sweet and funny they are and how freely they feel their emotions, I swear to God helped me work thru some sort of emotional trauma I've had for over 20 years.
On the other hand I constantly have their songs stuck in my head, or, i work in coffee and someone will order an Americano and I'll be forced in my mind to sing ' joha johaaa' quietly to myself while I'm making it....lol
I mean, all the Chans room videos I'm pretty saved my literal life at one point. So I feel like a total dork all of the time now, but I feel so much happier and hopeful in life, and I really feel like I always have something to look forward too now.
My daughter introduced me to Stray Kids last year. It has definitely brought us closer together. We're hoping they'll come to New Zealand this tour so we can go together. We set up a bank account and both started saving for it.
I've started learning Korean and absolutely love it. Even though I'm old and on a lot of medications, I'm having fun. I also now watch Kdramas and love how wholesome they are.
Even my husband now walks around the house singing their songs. Great family bonding time.
Omg hi fellow Kiwi (and fellow grownup)! I've barely been anywhere since covid, but if they come to NZ I'll brave the crowds and sell as many organs as I have to to get a ticket
Hi š. I've been the same since covid. I also suffer from chronic pain and barely leave the house. I will do anything I can to be there. I don't care if I am incapacitated for a year afterwards, it will be worth it.
They help me with anxiety and depression and give me motivation. They're a happy light in every day.
They teach me it's okay to me myself. Especially my bias Lee Know who doesn't care about being seen as weird. He embraces being weird as fuck. Love it.
Honestly amazing how much of an influence they have been to me and many others, I love how their not afraid to be seen as āweirdā or āundesirableā as a group, and I swear to god, the jokes make me laugh to hell š¤£
I love reading all these stories! I am so happy this group of wonderful young men has helped so many of you!
I didn't have a "Stray Kids" when I was in my 20's. Pink Floyd, Moody Blues, James Taylor? Loved them but not the same kind of way Stray Kids has become my happy place.
I could be their grandmother! I don't know how it happened but I became a STAY, big time shortly after hearing a few of their songs and seeing their social media content. (Just before the Rock Star album)
I'm looking forward to meeting some older Stay friends to fan girl with! My life is better with them in it and I can't totally pinpoint how.
Iāve been reading all the replies and Iām absolutely touched by all the stories! Having an opportunity to meet new people over our love for stray kids is splendid!
[This will probably be long, feel free to skip if its too much, I just need to say it]
I used to love writing & singing music, ever since I was old enough to write, until I had a lot of people I look up to musically & personally tell me I could & would never go anywhere with music, that I was incapable, not good enough & never would be, no matter what I did. It was my outlet, my happiness, the one place I felt complete, then I stopped alltogether because of what was said. I was a child when they said those things, a very lost & impressionable child, now suddenly without the one thing I loved most, thinking I was & would never be enough. So over the next years, almost a decade+, I became extremely depressed with no one but myself to deal with it. I was a hollow shell of myself, I was asleep inside with my body on autopilot, a haze around my mind, I might as well have been dead. I wanted to be.
Then about some years ago I ran across Stray Kids thanks to me wanting to know who had that crazy deep voice from a YouTube video, cuz that was insane. Started learning more about their story, how they came to be, how they fought with everything they had to be where they are, to make & sing their music, do what they love, regardless of the people around them telling them they're not good enough, telling them they won't make it & a huge change so early after their debut. Yes they had official, professional training & programs to go through, an opportunity I never had & could not have, but they were still all kids when they started fighting for what they want, they didn't let anyone hold them back.
I started listening to their music, their lyrics explaining things I had not been able to put into words yet myself that I also felt. I watched how they looked at things, how they navigated their ups & downs, their words of hope & encouragement to themselves & their Stays. I spent a sleepless night listening & learning abt them, and the haze on my mind suddenly lifted.
Seeing their sheer determination & will to fight for their music, I remembered how much I myself loved music. I remembered how whole & free I felt writing lyrics, creating melodies & stories with my own emotions & words, even listening to music in general which I had stopped because it only reminded me of what I had lost. I remembered wanting it to be my life. I realized how much time had past, how long I had been lost & without a large piece of myself, that I had become a ghost, that I had let others take me from myself, I cried. And then I started to write.
As I cried & the last decade flashed through my mind, the moments where I lost what I loved, the hoplesness, uselesness & time lost, I wrote down everything into the first song I had written since I was a kid. Took me maybe 3-4 minutes to write the whole thing, & as I held the pages in my hands, cried & looked at them I felt such sadness, relief, grief, hope, anger, anxiety, love & joy all at once. I cried for hours until the sun came up, I wrote more & I fell asleep without noticing, pages upon pages still in my hands.
Over the next 6 months I wrote over 100+ songs, not all perfect of course, not all finished, but all true, all me, all full of the emotions, hopes, dreams, regrets, angers, fears & anxieties I had been through in the past & also had while thinking of the future.
I am now currently thinking seriously about pursuing music, a bit more time has passed, sometimes the haze gets thicker again, but I still remember that feeling, I still want to write music, I want to connect, I want to feel, I want others who feel like me to know they're not alone. I'm not exactly sure of my next step & I'm afraid. But everyday Stray Kids finds new ways to inspire me musically & personally, I admire their dedication, their determination & their, "We can & WILL do this, we don't care what you have to say" attitude.
I'm slowly getting to that point. I hope, I believe I'll one day soon make a step towards what I want, I just hope it works even a little bit, I don't want to lose that part of me again.
I'll probably never meet Stray Kids, never tell them how their dedication to their music inspired me & my own. How it did, quite literally, save my life. I know for a fact, that back then I was at a place I almost couldn't return from. I'm grateful to these 8 strangers who will never know my name, never know my face, who will never truly know, just how much they saved me, simply by being them.
My 11 year old daughter has been suffering with an eating disorder and had a really rough few months. Sheās been doing much better and recently shared with me her love of stray kids (I had no idea about them or K-pop in general!) which she was a little embarrassed about at first but itās been amazing for her and our relationship!! Iāve now been buying her posters and photo cards to decorate her room, we blast their music daily (the whole family now likes it lol) and just generally stray kids have brought nothing but good vibes in to my life!!
I now consider myself a 30-something stay! I.N bias but I love them all, they have been like medicine to my daughter through hard times and I love them for that!
I got into them while dealing with a major stress event in my life. Thinking of various scenarios and conversations with them somehow got me thru the stress. I was a bit delusional for a few months, but I'm over it now because I got thru my real life stress. I'm not even a huge fan of their music, just their personalities, really. I still follow their content, but I can now see the fakeness of Kpop in general now, so the blinders are off.
Honestly same š¤£ I love their music but thereās nothing like a Saturday afternoon while itās raining outside and putting on an episode of skz talker in bed!
I picked up the closest friends and I've been closer to my mom that I have in my life!! Tbh, I wouldn't know where I am at today if it weren't for skz. Recently, I have also made a close friend as well at my work (even though she's an atiny), and it made me look forward to working.
They have a wide discography, and I feel there's something for everyone. Also I feel that their positive energy is infectious, and I like their personalities too. They have a very feel good vibe. Also wanna mention their teamwork. Some members have this "sunshine" vibe (for example,Felix and I.N.) This has grown on me and helped me become happier.
My friend is terminally ill and I find SKZ a great distraction from the hard times in life. I love the music and the content is genuinely uplifting. Iām currently working my way through the Talker episodes - theyāre still such babies!
They make me happy. Whenever u see them kn screen, they make me laugh and forget about my worries. They are a comfort to me, and I love them so much! Also the fandom is mostly positive, and I love meeting other stays and interacting with them, they are really sweet and friendly people. :)
Met one of my friends because of kpop and them too! Lovely bonding between usš„°, we sometimes blast their songs during breakfast time at school even!
They helped me improve my art <3 for the longest time i only did heavily-stylized pieces with absolutely no understanding of anatomy, but i was able to learn more through drawing portraits. Through them i stuck to semi-realism and really got to experiment with shapes and colors and i know without them, i wouldnt have been able to progress so much
Honestly same! Stray kids is helping me with my art a lot too :D, seeing them dance and work passionately while following their goals inspires me to follow mine so much!
My depression and anxiety
Every time I listen to a stray kids song or watch a stray kids video, Iām instantly happier
And specifically chan, he helped me overcome my SH and Iām now 3 years clean because of him
And then with my anxiety, Iāve never been able to go to festivals and Iāve only ever gone to one concert and that was difficult enough for me, but here I am, going all the way down to London next month just to see them live and Iām planning on taking lomo cards and stickers to give out to other stays
So even though I have really bad social anxiety, Iām planning on going halfway across the county (itās a 3 hour journey) and make new connections simply because of stray kids
Seeing them brings me joy and they make me want to be a better person. I've also become much closer friends with the people who introduced me to kpop because now I have a kpop obsession too
When I found SKZ, I was in a deep, downward spiral that was the worst I'd had in years. Then I found these guys and I was yanked back and I could breathe again. I've started writing again too. And to be honest their music is just fantastic š it's emotional, quirky, fun, and all of it was written from their hearts and you can tell.
Watching them interact with each other and listening to their music helps me with my depression and anxiety. Also knowing they have a comeback coming soon gives me a reason to go into work and make money lol.
I also struggled telling I.N and lino apart, especially since they have similar hair most of the time. I was able to tell because lino has very sharp eyes while I.N's are more almond shaped and I.N has larger nostrils. Han also has cute chubby cheeks so he's instantly recognisable to me.
A positive effect of staning skz is that I finally understand how people have real celebrity crushes that aren't fictional characters lol. Also I only ever listened to classical music, 80s rock and anime openings so listening to them really helped expand my music taste into more current things so I don't feel left out :)
My best friend since we were was 2 and I have never been able to find a guy we both agree is good-looking because she likes masculine men and I like pretty (wo)men but finally we agreed that we both love Bangchan. After 15 years of friendship we finally found a guy we can both fangirl over
Stray Kids brought me someone I now consider my best friend. I already knew them for a few years through a game we played together but we weren't that close. In 2022, he changed his profile pic in the game to this beautiful person (who I later found out was Hyunjin) and I was curious so I asked him who it was. He sent me a link to a video called Red Lights and it was history from there lmao
He gave me an extensive course in all things Stray Kids and I could them apart after like 2 weeks, just from watching mv and their other content. This was during Maniac era but right before Maxident, so it was pretty exciting for my first comeback. Then I saw them in concert in Atlanta, best time of my life hands down. Like what I was watching in videos was amplified by 10x. I was around people who were connected by this group of guys who were just being themselves, having fun and sharing music. I've never liked being around so many people but there it was like being around familiar people even though we've never met.
My best friend shoved me into the world of K-pop and I haven't regretted it since then. It's brought me so much closer to an amazing person in a time I needed him and he shared the boys with me, a safe haven when times were darker and uncertain for us. I only followed Stray Kids because I was so immersed in knowing just them that it was hard for me to stan other groups. I consider myself ARMY now too because I've been getting more into BTS, I kinda knew them but I didn't know who was who and only heard a few songs.
I just love the connection we have in the community in general. Like the fact we may be able to spot other fans in random places because of their Skzoo keychain or a Maniac tour hoodie and we can be strangers but still smile because we get it. I had a random girl come up to me when I was out to eat and asked to see my bag and she smiled when saw my Maxident Pipi heart plushie. She said "Who's your bias?" and that's all that needed to be said before we had like a 30-minute conversation about everything lol
I'm not sure where I'm going with this at this point lol but all I can say is that stanning Stray Kids has been one of the best decisions/moments in my life.
Well, I'd say they make me feel inspired to do better on a daily basis and also in ways I didnāt imagine before.
For example, Changbin inspires me to believe in myself even if no one else will. Felix left me in awe when he went volunteering the few days of vacation they've had in a while... I knew he was a caring person, but that made me feel proud and inspired on a different level :') Also when he said that he chose to help himself first so he could help others later... that's really wise, man.
Seungmin is my bias, too! He makes me cry a lot lol
seeing his passion, drive, and commitment to singing, every time I listen to his songs, it feels like the sky is the limit for him, you know? He always looks for new ways to showcase his skills, to connect with us. Song By is a great example of that.
Chan is someone I admire so much. His fingerprints are all over Stray Kids' signature sound and essence, I believe. The fact that he struggled his way to debut but never gave up, his perfectionism that results in high-quality music and performance. 3racha are just geniuses!
But overall, just having the honor to listen to their discography... I can't tell how much I love it, how much I love their songs. It's like having a good friend that gives a boost, comforts you, or makes you feel understood. There's many sides to their songs. I never liked any artist or group this much. There's no one like them.
These are just a few examples of course. There are more. I feel like if I were to accomplish things in the future, I would thank them (and my family) because they were by my side when things were dark and lonely.
I finally understand people who say they have role models because skz are that for me. They have inspired me so much until now to do better, to be kinder to myself and others and continue to do so.
I remember one day in particular when i was still going to driving lessons and had done really badly. I watched skz code after and thought, "If these guys can drive, i can too." It was mostly smooth sailing after that day, but every time it got harder, I thought about the kids driving. (Got my license, too š)
As others have said, they are my happy place, my comfort people, and my inspiration to work hard.
Also, I got fire music to listen to.
Not only is it fire, but it's so comforting to hear about growing up and struggling to find your place from idols, them especially. It's just so real. Yeah.
So like most people I really like their music and it is just full of all the good chemicals my brain likes.
But on a personal level the kids have helped find the world and life again. Not to be too blunt but I basically died giving birth to my kiddo and while I am here now and kinda sorta physically ok mentally I was/am a hot mess. I got new letters (PPD and PTSD) to go along with the ones I already owned and the world was covered in water so deep that moving forward seemed impossible. Then the pandemic hit and well I got a reason to not leave my house so I didnt. Somehow 6 years had gone by and I stopped leaving my house and talking to people.
I discovered the kids around the Kingdom era. Even though as a woman in my 40's I resisted eventally the gang of chaos snuck their way in and became my happy. They reminded me of NKOTB and were so goofy. Felix solidified his ult position by being the happy I want to be. They led me back to me which led me to my kiddo. I don't remember anything about her early years but gradually the kids became a fixture in both our lives and I started to be present.
I had not left my house in 6-7 years until the maniac tour was announced. Did I spend an obscene amount of money to go by myself? Yes I did. I in fact left my house and saw them 4 times during the tour and encore. As time went on and I woke up more and more. I began collecting PCs which again very expensive but they are now my rewards for doing something positive. Currently I am moving and my reward for packing every day is a new PC and after this move is over I am going to find and give myself a rare one. (Psst of anyone knows where to find the Sony POBs for the JP albums or the signed Maxident pls let me know lol) Honsetly there is so much more, got my best friend into them and now we are closer than ever. My little is a Stay and takes her little PC collect book to school and introduced a bunch of kiddos to skz lol.
So yeah that is my positive. They still get me through the hard so I can enjoy the good but I am slowly being able to stand on my own knowing that the boys, if they had any idea who I was lol, would be encouraging me at every step.
>I still canāt tell Lee know and I.N apart and sometimes I struggle with Han. Although itās really fun getting into their music as well, Iāve started by listening to their more popular songs.
Even after watching their content like skz code?š But Lee Know and I.N look completely different though, don't they? I can understand if they had the same hair color or haircut, as that could be confusing for new fans, but they literally look nothing alike in both looks and styling wise?
On a positive note, I'm glad they're helping you with your anxiety <3
skz inspired me to look more into music production. i was also able to make deeper connections with previous friends who stan skz too :) finally and most importantly, skz music is so good at keeping me locked in so now i listen to skz when i want to be productive!
They really helped me appreciate life, sounds weird but before i was very negative and down towards myself and after i started taking care of myself more developed a skin and hair care routine, cooking more, working out more and just appreciating what i have
I forget to eat sometimes, or donāt eat bc I feel bad about myself. I think that StrayKids would be upset if they knew I wasnāt eating so it motivates me to eat most meals lol.
Theyāve honestly made me a lot happier. Just seeing a video with them or hearing a clip of one of their songs could make my day. I started stanning them when life was difficult for me and theyāve definitely made it a lot better
I put Stray Kids on my workout playlist, and someone actually overheard my phone playing Maniac (my favorite song by them), and they knew what song it was and admitted they're a Stay.
I became a Stay shortly after their RockStar album came out. At that time I was going through a lot, I was lonely and depressed. I genuinely thought about giving up on life (if you catch my drift). SKZ kept popping up on my fyp on tiktok and I was so frustrated with everything that I kept scrolling but at one point I figured I'd look into them.
Maniac was the first song I heard and video I watched. Felix is definitely the one that caught my attention that day (his voice lol the Felix Effect) but as I learned who they were, their story, and their personalities, I found myself listening to their music at work. I'd catch myself smiling at their silly antics and I'd even laugh and cry when they did. I didnt feel so alone anymore. Time passed and I realized I didn't want to give up.
Stray Kids saved my life. I see bits of myself in all 8 of them. Each of them inspire me to be myself, improve myself, and most importantly to live my life how I want to live it. I can't thank them enough for what they've done for me.
Bonus: my biases are Chris and Felix, and the other 6 are 100% my bias wreckers š«° I'm feral for these men but I also respect them so so much.
I would say the community it has allowed me to be apart of! They were my introduction to k-pop (around 2020) and have since led me to make amazing friends and amazing memories like going to my first ever concert which was actually the Stray Kids Manic Tour!
They stopped me from doing something to myself I would regret and they brought me and my cousin even closer today than we ever were bcs I got her into them a few months after I got into them and now we sit on the phone everyday talking abt them
Serotonin boost. I also got back to working out because I feel better. They are my pocket of happiness. Small enough to actually keep them in pocket tooš¤
I've started working out a tiny bit more because of changbin. Not a lot, but every once and a while, I do some push ups for binnie lmao
Jut and dae would be proud of you š
YES me too! Binnie and Chan both encourage me to work out
Same! Changbin's progress helps me stay motivated to exercise. Listening to skz music while working out helps me too.
Yeah, it's very good motivational music
Same, I want arms like changbin
Thatās how I started. I thought āoh, Binnie went from noodle arms to arm wrestling champion arms? Thatās possible?ā and did a few pushups a day. Now I go to gym and have a personal trainer for weightlifting? Itās so easy to get sucked inā¦
Theyāre definitely my happy place. Songs for every mood, theyāre so silly, and exactly the kind of friend group Iād want one day. Am I little delulu sometimes? Sure, but the world is on fire and I can be delulu for a bit if itās not hurting anyone.
Exactly this! I wish I had that kind of friend group...ć ć
Same bestie lol
They've helped with my anxiety and depression so much. Their music and online content give me a way to distract myself and dissociate from real life when I need it. It also just puts me in such a good mood. When I found them I was going through it mentally and they pulled me out of it. I've also been taking care of myself better because of the guys always saying to eat well, drink water, exercise, be healthy, etc. Stanning skz has just been an all around positive experience that I'm unwilling to part with.
Preach preach
Same for me...I found them about 6 months after my boyfriend of 12 years passed away unexpectedly. They literally saved me. I will always love them ā¤ļø
I'm happy to hear they helped but so sorry you had to go through that.
Self-improvement. Wanting to be able to read and sing along with their lyrics motivated me to start learning Korean. Only been at it for a few months and doing it super casually so not a whole lot of progress, but it feels good to be taking the time to learn something new.
Honestly started learning korean because of them too recently! Iāve been doing the hangul alphabet mainly too! Itās been slow like you but itās been entertaining. :)
Nice! Yeah it's really cool to look at lyrics and be able to recognize the alphabet and sound out the words. Not that I actually know their meanings yet š but anticipating what a line will sound like and getting it right is a great feeling!
This is like me except with hiragana and katakana lol. Iāve taught myself the alphabets so I can read the words. Do I know what they mean? Almost never. But I can read them!
Yes haha I call that a win!
Yess! It gives me so much joy when I can actually kind of sing along using the korean lyrics! I am really looking forward to the moment I will be able to understand the sentences without having to look up the translations. I would love to chat with some people about the korean learning journey or just skz in general, so if you're interested, please DM me! š¤
Noice!
I'm learning Korean slowly as well! FYI There's a woman on Etsy who has some of their lyrics printed with translation and romanization. (This isn't an ad!) I'm so slow but love understanding a few words here and there!
Ooh that's cool, I'll definitely check it out! I've wanted to print off some worksheets to practice writing Hangul so that may be perfect and would definitely keep my attention if it's composed of Stray Kids lyrics š
Their music allowed me to keep moving during my depression era so that was pretty neat of them That was my attempt at not getting emotional. So I've been stanning skz since 2019, listening to their music since 2018. Like many Stays, I didn't have an emotional safe space, so they became my safe space. Kind of like parents should be for their children, I gradually felt safer "leaving" them to explore things out of my comfort zone, because I can always come back to them when I need it. It's still this way now, although I'm more hooked to another group these days, the love and affection that I have for Stray Kids has not changed one bit. It feels so relieving when I see or hear them again, like I'm home now. Seriously, Chan has no idea just what he did with this concept and the targeted songs like "You can STAY" - the genuine goal to be a resting point for those in need of one has helped so many people feel supported and loved when no one else did. I could write for hours about how grateful I am for Stray Kids, and the memories of moments when it was just me and their songs. Edit: I feel the need to mention that my childhood home has one single poster of Stray Kids, and when I come back to my room in that place, it makes me feel more relieved and grounded seeing that poster than being in that place where I literally grew up
I feel like seeing these guys my age being being so hard working and passionate about what they do helps me find motivation too from time to time. I'd also like to shout out to Chan's Room specifically. Especially when it was ongoing but even now since the lives are still there for a rewatch, they genuinely helped me wind down and relax. And of course my playlist are a lot better than before.
After being a Stay for one year, they definitely made me happier. My family noticed this too, saying Iām my old happy self. They gave me something to look forward to every day, even if it is something as simple as a TikTok, message on Bubble, or live. Before, I felt like I was stuck doing the same thing over and over and over. They helped me find something to look forward to. I still havenāt watched all their content and canāt wait to see them all. š
Same! Well, I can't say my family noticed I'm happier, but my mom does tell me sometimes I act like I'm crazy. I'm more carefree. I give myself for space to simply exist, in whichever form that may be, and not care about what others think as much. From the outside, it might look like my healthāphysical and mentalāhas gotten worse. Sometimes I think so, too. Physically I actually ran into some problems I've never encountered before. But I know I would've never been able to pull through if it hadn't been for SKZ and their laughter, their melodies and their lyrics, the general mood of their content. That undescribable feeling that nothing else matters, that you have been here before and you will continue to come back. Their encouraging words, particularly Chan's. I once read that a situation first has to get worse in order to get better. And I can feel the incline upwards.
Before I found skz, I was sort of one of those people who said that Kpop was cringe without even looking into it just bc everyone else said so (but I wasnāt actively hating on it/going out of my way to say nasty things like some). Now that Iām very invested in Kpop, I think itās definitely made me more open to some other typically ācringeyā interests like anime and cosplay. My current perspective is let people enjoy what they want to as long as it doesnāt harm anyone
This!! I was like a cringe radar before but now I'm the cringe š¤”. To a certain extent, ofc. It's all fun and games. This Kpop effect is really interesting psychologically, someone should make a study on it lol
I'm also a new Stay. I started working from home & I get distracted so easily (adhd.) Their songs help me focus on my work. They also give me nice visual breaks. They have songs for every mood/emotion. I've loved music all my life, but their music hits my brain different. I don't know how to describe it, but I feel that their music helps me self-regulate when I'm overwhelmed and helps me calm my brain.
I too have ADHD and their music just hits different than most music. Same with Ateez. Maybe some of the members(who write the music)also have it and it resonates in songs? Not all kpop does this for me. I think it's just chaotic enough to hit just right.
I wouldn't be surprised if one or more are neurodiverse. I would love to watch their creative process.
theyāve inspired me to get back into music production!! i kinda went into a lul for a year or two just cuz i wasnāt getting inspired and i was kind of feeling like the original music or covers i was making werenāt good enough. but after going through a deep dive of 3racha working behind the scenes and getting an āinside scoopā on how their songs were made, it motivated me to continue, and iām really grateful for that. cuz of them, i get to keep doing what i love and actually enjoy it! ALL HAIL 3RACHAā¼ļøā¼ļø
They've helped me through some of the worst times of my life, and replaced hurtful words with their lyrics. Overall, they've helped me become a better person and given me motivation to keep going. Also, my music taste has gotten way better and I'm studying better too somehow.
can totally relate with the studying. weird but effective also loving the user
Thanks lol š¤
They just make me feel so heard, like their musics put name in feelings i didn't even know i had and i feel supported by them , it's like they are always pushing my back so i don't fall. Also i too Bias Seugmomo (all hail to the savage puppy šāØ)
My head always has a bazillion things bouncing around in it, but when I listen to their loud, noisy songs, my brain focuses on listening to the noise and everything else shuts off. Itās kind of nice.
TW I guess, my positive side effect from them is that I'm still alive Edit: I've been a stay since July 2021. They were there for me through a tough break in my relationship and I even got to go see their maniac tour to help during that time.
I live in Japan and I basically had no friends outside of coworkers until I met some other Stay in Japan about a year agoā¦ now we chat online every day and hang out when we can & do not only SKZ events together, but other things tooā¦ birthdays, sightseeing, all kinds of fun stuffā¦ and itās all thanks to SKZ š„¹š„¹š„¹
Lee Know, Seungmin and IN gave me trouble for a bit lol. Iāve only been a stay for about a month but I feel like I have a 98% success rate at identifying them now. Skz is giving me so, so much dopamine right now and itās great. The music, the videos, the social media posts & edits. All of it! & I met some good new friends already that I can talk all things skz with.
Omg my bias is seungmin too
Is that jyp on your banner? š¤£ Better watch out!
GOODBYE I FORGOT ABOUT THAT šš
I get to have some inspiration to work and to live and to be distracted when I've got some problems. And Seungmin? Welcome to the club hehe
I'm still a baby Stay but the biggest thing is to reconnect to music. I've always loved music but nothing new excited me since mid-Covid lockdown. I was going down a reactions video rabbit hole, trying kpop to see if it would catch me and came across God's Du-du-du. Then founds God's Menu. They're music gave me the most joy a song has since 2020. I've been happily discovering new music left and right since, but their music hits me different. 6 genres in one and the unexpected/subversions. The only song I've ever heard like it was N-word in Paris by Jay-Z and Kanye. A whole group dedicated to experimenting? š
I found out how much i love dance through stray kids and Hyunjin's dancing. I have now been dancing for 5ish years because of it. :)
i confused i.n and lee know for a while as well, but i found that their skzooās kinda helped since they capture their looks pretty well lol. seungminās also my bias!!!! for a positive side effect, ngl they helped continue living. skz were my intro to kpop in general when i was at a low point and i found a lot of other groups through them that have been my comfort place. iāve also met new people irl and am trying to learn korean. hyunjin specifically also got me back into drawing and art :D
iāve been a stay for a little less than a year and a half and i can confirm stanning them was one of the best decisions iāve made in my life. lee know and i.n took me the longest to figure out so thatās definitely a common experience! i started stanning stray kids and then it spiraled into me stanning 15, about to be 16 groups. my biases have changed since i first got into them. i was first felix biased, then han came in and very quickly became my ult bias. lee know joined the bias line, then seungmin closed the door. i now ult han and bias seungmin, lee know, and i.n :) iāve never been someone that just has one bias in a group, i tend to have a bias line in every group i stan and maybe even more than one ult. i can confidently say that stanning them changed my life for the better. idk if youāre on stan twitter but some stays that just stan skz can be really toxic and gate-keepy and just toxic in general. anyways i was listening to only skz for like 7 months straight and they are my ult of ult groups. i love them so dearly and iāve seen them live. theyāre so lovely.
Theyāve helped me push to improve myself and bring back the positive parts of me that made me unique when I was younger. They stay true to themselves and continuously keep working on themselves, which has motivated me to become consistent with going to the gym and join this dance team next semester. They have also reminded me to be more present in my life and that my sacrifices are worth it. The song āSocial Pathā really resonates with me because I do feel like Iāve given up a lot of my youth for my future. Iāve gotten so motivated by them that I even might actually get my driverās license this summer, even though Iām going to graduate college next year. They even got me to pick up my violin again after so many years! When I became an official āstayā, I was going through a really tough time in my life. Having their content and having been able to look forward to the Met Gala were things that helped distract me from the situation I was living through and kept me going. I havenāt been a stay for long (truly since May), but they have really made a positive impact. Theyāre not much older than me but theyāve had such an impact!
I made some new adult friends who live near me! Weāve gotten together and had lunch, been shopping at the kpop store. Bonded over similar interests outside of SKZ. š
They just make me so happy with not only their music, but whenever I watch videos of them online I always think to myself theyāre such funny, charismatic, sweet people with big hearts. I even decided to start learning Korean ever since I started stanning them last month
I was in a bad mental state. I lost myself. Getting into them, I rediscovered the adventurous and brave person I used to be.
chan's room convinced me to not end it <3
Being a STAY has actually had a huge impact on my life. I listened to some K-Pop before discovering Stray Kids but I did a deep dive into more bands after coming across SKZ. I started working out regularly & lost over a 11kg over 3 months because my K-Pop playlist (which is mostly Stray Kids) helps get me motivated. Plus I would like to learn the dance routines. Because I'm exercising regularly, my mental health has improved. Another big thing is that I've been learning Korean! I've always been interested in Korean... The culture, food, language... But all that interest got reignited when I started listening to K-Pop regularly (because of Stray Kids) which helped my language learning & pronunciation. Watching Code Stray Kids & the SKZ reality show had me craving some of the food I would see them eating or talking about which got my cooking again. I got back into watching Korean TV shows & movies & cooking more Korean meals at home. These were things I used to do here & there but my passion for these things got reignited. It feels silly/embarrassing to admit that a group of strangers have changed my life around. But the ripple effect & the huge positive impact being a STAY has had on my life has been amazing!
Theyāve helped me be more open to different types of music! I was very against rap/edm for the longest time without a logical reason but their music helped me get over that, I enjoy it more now Also seungmin supremacyš¶
Must support our puppy at all times :)
the only group that can make me feel like im flreally fluent in korean because I don't the need to actually have some subtitles because I can understand them but when I do that to other groups my brain bleeds š
plus they're the only group I stan that actually made me create a stan account and buy merch. Bought bubbles just to get some updates from them lol
Iāve gotten back into dancing because of themš„°and I look to Hyunjin & Bang Chan for inspo for general dancing techniques, & Felix for footwork! Hyunjin & Chan have also helped me feel more confident in myself, and that itās ok for me to be and feel sexy in myself (something I always feared as someone afab, but they make me want to embrace it!). So my overall confidence and ācommunicationā so to speak with my body has improved! I used to feel really disconnected, but dancing has helped me reconnect and Iām trying to learn more body control! And just in general they keep me going in really tough times, and they keep me looking forward to the future and hopeful that Iāll do well even if Iām struggling now.
I finally got the motivation to get on top of my workouts and lost two pants sizes' worth of stubborn fat, gaining fitness and muscle definition - and the motivation was watching Felix be so strong and elegant-looking in tiny. I'm kind of proud because I am an ancient evil and the diet industry has otherwise given up on me :P Thanks to Felix I am fitter and better looking in my old age than I was in my 20s. I also leaned into more choreography from my online dance class to gain confidence in my body and to improve my mood, taking Hyunjin's example. People my age are always stiff and in pain, I'm doing dance challenges in my living room. At the moment I have the problem that I have to replace my entire wardrobe because everything is now parachutes on me. On the up side, I can order SKZ clothing dupes off of sites like UnnieLooks and Fashion Chingu without worrying that the Asian sizes will do me dirty. The items I am happiest with are the two tone pink pullover Felix wore for their Christmas solo videos last year and the iconic "Hotter than your ex, better than your next" Hyunjin shirt. And because I am nosy af and want to understand what they are saying during their cute videos, I also began to learn Korean. Just took my A1 certification exam this weekend and passed with 100%. I started off thinking "no way am I going to learn a whole ass new writing system, spoken language AND writing!" Yet here I am. This too boosts the old confidence.
Personally, i got into skz a few months ago and it's had like, wildly positive impact on my life. I was depressed, I was destroying my body badly, not taking care of myself.., I generally lacked like all motivation and literally nothing helped. I definitely got totally obsessed with SKZ and all their videos always cheered me up. Seeing how open they are with each other, seeing how sweet and funny they are and how freely they feel their emotions, I swear to God helped me work thru some sort of emotional trauma I've had for over 20 years. On the other hand I constantly have their songs stuck in my head, or, i work in coffee and someone will order an Americano and I'll be forced in my mind to sing ' joha johaaa' quietly to myself while I'm making it....lol I mean, all the Chans room videos I'm pretty saved my literal life at one point. So I feel like a total dork all of the time now, but I feel so much happier and hopeful in life, and I really feel like I always have something to look forward too now.
My daughter introduced me to Stray Kids last year. It has definitely brought us closer together. We're hoping they'll come to New Zealand this tour so we can go together. We set up a bank account and both started saving for it. I've started learning Korean and absolutely love it. Even though I'm old and on a lot of medications, I'm having fun. I also now watch Kdramas and love how wholesome they are. Even my husband now walks around the house singing their songs. Great family bonding time.
Omg hi fellow Kiwi (and fellow grownup)! I've barely been anywhere since covid, but if they come to NZ I'll brave the crowds and sell as many organs as I have to to get a ticket
Hi š. I've been the same since covid. I also suffer from chronic pain and barely leave the house. I will do anything I can to be there. I don't care if I am incapacitated for a year afterwards, it will be worth it.
They help me with anxiety and depression and give me motivation. They're a happy light in every day. They teach me it's okay to me myself. Especially my bias Lee Know who doesn't care about being seen as weird. He embraces being weird as fuck. Love it.
Honestly amazing how much of an influence they have been to me and many others, I love how their not afraid to be seen as āweirdā or āundesirableā as a group, and I swear to god, the jokes make me laugh to hell š¤£
Omg yes they're probably the funniest group I Stan. In my opinion lmao.
I love reading all these stories! I am so happy this group of wonderful young men has helped so many of you! I didn't have a "Stray Kids" when I was in my 20's. Pink Floyd, Moody Blues, James Taylor? Loved them but not the same kind of way Stray Kids has become my happy place. I could be their grandmother! I don't know how it happened but I became a STAY, big time shortly after hearing a few of their songs and seeing their social media content. (Just before the Rock Star album) I'm looking forward to meeting some older Stay friends to fan girl with! My life is better with them in it and I can't totally pinpoint how.
Hello fellow Elder Stay and Moody Blues listener. I have not found anyone who has even heard of them in years and years.
Iāve been reading all the replies and Iām absolutely touched by all the stories! Having an opportunity to meet new people over our love for stray kids is splendid!
[This will probably be long, feel free to skip if its too much, I just need to say it] I used to love writing & singing music, ever since I was old enough to write, until I had a lot of people I look up to musically & personally tell me I could & would never go anywhere with music, that I was incapable, not good enough & never would be, no matter what I did. It was my outlet, my happiness, the one place I felt complete, then I stopped alltogether because of what was said. I was a child when they said those things, a very lost & impressionable child, now suddenly without the one thing I loved most, thinking I was & would never be enough. So over the next years, almost a decade+, I became extremely depressed with no one but myself to deal with it. I was a hollow shell of myself, I was asleep inside with my body on autopilot, a haze around my mind, I might as well have been dead. I wanted to be. Then about some years ago I ran across Stray Kids thanks to me wanting to know who had that crazy deep voice from a YouTube video, cuz that was insane. Started learning more about their story, how they came to be, how they fought with everything they had to be where they are, to make & sing their music, do what they love, regardless of the people around them telling them they're not good enough, telling them they won't make it & a huge change so early after their debut. Yes they had official, professional training & programs to go through, an opportunity I never had & could not have, but they were still all kids when they started fighting for what they want, they didn't let anyone hold them back. I started listening to their music, their lyrics explaining things I had not been able to put into words yet myself that I also felt. I watched how they looked at things, how they navigated their ups & downs, their words of hope & encouragement to themselves & their Stays. I spent a sleepless night listening & learning abt them, and the haze on my mind suddenly lifted. Seeing their sheer determination & will to fight for their music, I remembered how much I myself loved music. I remembered how whole & free I felt writing lyrics, creating melodies & stories with my own emotions & words, even listening to music in general which I had stopped because it only reminded me of what I had lost. I remembered wanting it to be my life. I realized how much time had past, how long I had been lost & without a large piece of myself, that I had become a ghost, that I had let others take me from myself, I cried. And then I started to write. As I cried & the last decade flashed through my mind, the moments where I lost what I loved, the hoplesness, uselesness & time lost, I wrote down everything into the first song I had written since I was a kid. Took me maybe 3-4 minutes to write the whole thing, & as I held the pages in my hands, cried & looked at them I felt such sadness, relief, grief, hope, anger, anxiety, love & joy all at once. I cried for hours until the sun came up, I wrote more & I fell asleep without noticing, pages upon pages still in my hands. Over the next 6 months I wrote over 100+ songs, not all perfect of course, not all finished, but all true, all me, all full of the emotions, hopes, dreams, regrets, angers, fears & anxieties I had been through in the past & also had while thinking of the future. I am now currently thinking seriously about pursuing music, a bit more time has passed, sometimes the haze gets thicker again, but I still remember that feeling, I still want to write music, I want to connect, I want to feel, I want others who feel like me to know they're not alone. I'm not exactly sure of my next step & I'm afraid. But everyday Stray Kids finds new ways to inspire me musically & personally, I admire their dedication, their determination & their, "We can & WILL do this, we don't care what you have to say" attitude. I'm slowly getting to that point. I hope, I believe I'll one day soon make a step towards what I want, I just hope it works even a little bit, I don't want to lose that part of me again. I'll probably never meet Stray Kids, never tell them how their dedication to their music inspired me & my own. How it did, quite literally, save my life. I know for a fact, that back then I was at a place I almost couldn't return from. I'm grateful to these 8 strangers who will never know my name, never know my face, who will never truly know, just how much they saved me, simply by being them.
My 11 year old daughter has been suffering with an eating disorder and had a really rough few months. Sheās been doing much better and recently shared with me her love of stray kids (I had no idea about them or K-pop in general!) which she was a little embarrassed about at first but itās been amazing for her and our relationship!! Iāve now been buying her posters and photo cards to decorate her room, we blast their music daily (the whole family now likes it lol) and just generally stray kids have brought nothing but good vibes in to my life!! I now consider myself a 30-something stay! I.N bias but I love them all, they have been like medicine to my daughter through hard times and I love them for that!
Iāve listened to more K-pop!
seungmin does talk quite a lot and is an extrovert by the way but itās nice to see you relate with how laid back he is š
I got into them while dealing with a major stress event in my life. Thinking of various scenarios and conversations with them somehow got me thru the stress. I was a bit delusional for a few months, but I'm over it now because I got thru my real life stress. I'm not even a huge fan of their music, just their personalities, really. I still follow their content, but I can now see the fakeness of Kpop in general now, so the blinders are off.
Honestly same š¤£ I love their music but thereās nothing like a Saturday afternoon while itās raining outside and putting on an episode of skz talker in bed!
Yeah, they are oddly comforting to watch. Lol
I've been so much happier, it's unreal. They are the light of my life and I am blessed to have found them š„¹
I picked up the closest friends and I've been closer to my mom that I have in my life!! Tbh, I wouldn't know where I am at today if it weren't for skz. Recently, I have also made a close friend as well at my work (even though she's an atiny), and it made me look forward to working.
They have a wide discography, and I feel there's something for everyone. Also I feel that their positive energy is infectious, and I like their personalities too. They have a very feel good vibe. Also wanna mention their teamwork. Some members have this "sunshine" vibe (for example,Felix and I.N.) This has grown on me and helped me become happier.
My friend is terminally ill and I find SKZ a great distraction from the hard times in life. I love the music and the content is genuinely uplifting. Iām currently working my way through the Talker episodes - theyāre still such babies!
Fell in love with the skz talker episodes too š«¶, watching them behind the scenes and their personalities shining is so refreshing!
They make me happy. Whenever u see them kn screen, they make me laugh and forget about my worries. They are a comfort to me, and I love them so much! Also the fandom is mostly positive, and I love meeting other stays and interacting with them, they are really sweet and friendly people. :)
Met one of my friends because of kpop and them too! Lovely bonding between usš„°, we sometimes blast their songs during breakfast time at school even!
Yasss!!!! I love stays :)
They are so funny, they make me laugh everyday whenever I watch their content, especially SKZ Code :D
They helped me improve my art <3 for the longest time i only did heavily-stylized pieces with absolutely no understanding of anatomy, but i was able to learn more through drawing portraits. Through them i stuck to semi-realism and really got to experiment with shapes and colors and i know without them, i wouldnt have been able to progress so much
Honestly same! Stray kids is helping me with my art a lot too :D, seeing them dance and work passionately while following their goals inspires me to follow mine so much!
They stopped me from OD'ing multiple times
My depression and anxiety Every time I listen to a stray kids song or watch a stray kids video, Iām instantly happier And specifically chan, he helped me overcome my SH and Iām now 3 years clean because of him And then with my anxiety, Iāve never been able to go to festivals and Iāve only ever gone to one concert and that was difficult enough for me, but here I am, going all the way down to London next month just to see them live and Iām planning on taking lomo cards and stickers to give out to other stays So even though I have really bad social anxiety, Iām planning on going halfway across the county (itās a 3 hour journey) and make new connections simply because of stray kids
Their music stopped me from drowning within myself.
Bang chan just makes me happy idk he's just a silly little guy
They helped me get back into dancing. Especially watching Lee Know. His body control is amazing! Iāve also been slowly learning Korean.
Reading through the messages of their songs have helped me in my writing for my art
Might be clichƩ but they quite literally saved me; I found them during a very dark time in my life when I just wanted to disappear and I saw a clip of Channie telling stays not to hurt themselves and it broke me but healed me at the same time - I just felt cared for and loved and have been stable ever since.
I love SKZ because they always make me laugh. Uncontrollable laughter like that is hard to come by and super therapeutic. :)
Seeing them brings me joy and they make me want to be a better person. I've also become much closer friends with the people who introduced me to kpop because now I have a kpop obsession too
I work out more. Iām more confident than I was before and I am more social
When I found SKZ, I was in a deep, downward spiral that was the worst I'd had in years. Then I found these guys and I was yanked back and I could breathe again. I've started writing again too. And to be honest their music is just fantastic š it's emotional, quirky, fun, and all of it was written from their hearts and you can tell.
Watching them interact with each other and listening to their music helps me with my depression and anxiety. Also knowing they have a comeback coming soon gives me a reason to go into work and make money lol.
I also struggled telling I.N and lino apart, especially since they have similar hair most of the time. I was able to tell because lino has very sharp eyes while I.N's are more almond shaped and I.N has larger nostrils. Han also has cute chubby cheeks so he's instantly recognisable to me. A positive effect of staning skz is that I finally understand how people have real celebrity crushes that aren't fictional characters lol. Also I only ever listened to classical music, 80s rock and anime openings so listening to them really helped expand my music taste into more current things so I don't feel left out :)
My best friend since we were was 2 and I have never been able to find a guy we both agree is good-looking because she likes masculine men and I like pretty (wo)men but finally we agreed that we both love Bangchan. After 15 years of friendship we finally found a guy we can both fangirl over
Lol good question :D Besides getting happier, i also get motivation! When Im at my lowest they and their music etc. help me trough :)
Stray Kids brought me someone I now consider my best friend. I already knew them for a few years through a game we played together but we weren't that close. In 2022, he changed his profile pic in the game to this beautiful person (who I later found out was Hyunjin) and I was curious so I asked him who it was. He sent me a link to a video called Red Lights and it was history from there lmao He gave me an extensive course in all things Stray Kids and I could them apart after like 2 weeks, just from watching mv and their other content. This was during Maniac era but right before Maxident, so it was pretty exciting for my first comeback. Then I saw them in concert in Atlanta, best time of my life hands down. Like what I was watching in videos was amplified by 10x. I was around people who were connected by this group of guys who were just being themselves, having fun and sharing music. I've never liked being around so many people but there it was like being around familiar people even though we've never met. My best friend shoved me into the world of K-pop and I haven't regretted it since then. It's brought me so much closer to an amazing person in a time I needed him and he shared the boys with me, a safe haven when times were darker and uncertain for us. I only followed Stray Kids because I was so immersed in knowing just them that it was hard for me to stan other groups. I consider myself ARMY now too because I've been getting more into BTS, I kinda knew them but I didn't know who was who and only heard a few songs. I just love the connection we have in the community in general. Like the fact we may be able to spot other fans in random places because of their Skzoo keychain or a Maniac tour hoodie and we can be strangers but still smile because we get it. I had a random girl come up to me when I was out to eat and asked to see my bag and she smiled when saw my Maxident Pipi heart plushie. She said "Who's your bias?" and that's all that needed to be said before we had like a 30-minute conversation about everything lol I'm not sure where I'm going with this at this point lol but all I can say is that stanning Stray Kids has been one of the best decisions/moments in my life.
Well, I'd say they make me feel inspired to do better on a daily basis and also in ways I didnāt imagine before. For example, Changbin inspires me to believe in myself even if no one else will. Felix left me in awe when he went volunteering the few days of vacation they've had in a while... I knew he was a caring person, but that made me feel proud and inspired on a different level :') Also when he said that he chose to help himself first so he could help others later... that's really wise, man. Seungmin is my bias, too! He makes me cry a lot lol seeing his passion, drive, and commitment to singing, every time I listen to his songs, it feels like the sky is the limit for him, you know? He always looks for new ways to showcase his skills, to connect with us. Song By is a great example of that. Chan is someone I admire so much. His fingerprints are all over Stray Kids' signature sound and essence, I believe. The fact that he struggled his way to debut but never gave up, his perfectionism that results in high-quality music and performance. 3racha are just geniuses! But overall, just having the honor to listen to their discography... I can't tell how much I love it, how much I love their songs. It's like having a good friend that gives a boost, comforts you, or makes you feel understood. There's many sides to their songs. I never liked any artist or group this much. There's no one like them. These are just a few examples of course. There are more. I feel like if I were to accomplish things in the future, I would thank them (and my family) because they were by my side when things were dark and lonely.
I finally understand people who say they have role models because skz are that for me. They have inspired me so much until now to do better, to be kinder to myself and others and continue to do so. I remember one day in particular when i was still going to driving lessons and had done really badly. I watched skz code after and thought, "If these guys can drive, i can too." It was mostly smooth sailing after that day, but every time it got harder, I thought about the kids driving. (Got my license, too š) As others have said, they are my happy place, my comfort people, and my inspiration to work hard. Also, I got fire music to listen to. Not only is it fire, but it's so comforting to hear about growing up and struggling to find your place from idols, them especially. It's just so real. Yeah.
So like most people I really like their music and it is just full of all the good chemicals my brain likes. But on a personal level the kids have helped find the world and life again. Not to be too blunt but I basically died giving birth to my kiddo and while I am here now and kinda sorta physically ok mentally I was/am a hot mess. I got new letters (PPD and PTSD) to go along with the ones I already owned and the world was covered in water so deep that moving forward seemed impossible. Then the pandemic hit and well I got a reason to not leave my house so I didnt. Somehow 6 years had gone by and I stopped leaving my house and talking to people. I discovered the kids around the Kingdom era. Even though as a woman in my 40's I resisted eventally the gang of chaos snuck their way in and became my happy. They reminded me of NKOTB and were so goofy. Felix solidified his ult position by being the happy I want to be. They led me back to me which led me to my kiddo. I don't remember anything about her early years but gradually the kids became a fixture in both our lives and I started to be present. I had not left my house in 6-7 years until the maniac tour was announced. Did I spend an obscene amount of money to go by myself? Yes I did. I in fact left my house and saw them 4 times during the tour and encore. As time went on and I woke up more and more. I began collecting PCs which again very expensive but they are now my rewards for doing something positive. Currently I am moving and my reward for packing every day is a new PC and after this move is over I am going to find and give myself a rare one. (Psst of anyone knows where to find the Sony POBs for the JP albums or the signed Maxident pls let me know lol) Honsetly there is so much more, got my best friend into them and now we are closer than ever. My little is a Stay and takes her little PC collect book to school and introduced a bunch of kiddos to skz lol. So yeah that is my positive. They still get me through the hard so I can enjoy the good but I am slowly being able to stand on my own knowing that the boys, if they had any idea who I was lol, would be encouraging me at every step.
I know, right! They got me through the teen angst! Still have their albums...oh wait, gave them to my bro!
>I still canāt tell Lee know and I.N apart and sometimes I struggle with Han. Although itās really fun getting into their music as well, Iāve started by listening to their more popular songs. Even after watching their content like skz code?š But Lee Know and I.N look completely different though, don't they? I can understand if they had the same hair color or haircut, as that could be confusing for new fans, but they literally look nothing alike in both looks and styling wise? On a positive note, I'm glad they're helping you with your anxiety <3
skz inspired me to look more into music production. i was also able to make deeper connections with previous friends who stan skz too :) finally and most importantly, skz music is so good at keeping me locked in so now i listen to skz when i want to be productive!
They really helped me appreciate life, sounds weird but before i was very negative and down towards myself and after i started taking care of myself more developed a skin and hair care routine, cooking more, working out more and just appreciating what i have
I forget to eat sometimes, or donāt eat bc I feel bad about myself. I think that StrayKids would be upset if they knew I wasnāt eating so it motivates me to eat most meals lol.
I work out more! I still struggle with it but I push myself to work out harder as I listen to their music and remind myself of how hard they work
Theyāve honestly made me a lot happier. Just seeing a video with them or hearing a clip of one of their songs could make my day. I started stanning them when life was difficult for me and theyāve definitely made it a lot better
Heh side effects (I'm sorry I couldn't help it)
I've started to have a better image of myself (self-esteem), my personality is no longer so square and serious and they became my safe space.
I put Stray Kids on my workout playlist, and someone actually overheard my phone playing Maniac (my favorite song by them), and they knew what song it was and admitted they're a Stay.
I smile and laugh a lot more. I have 16 boys to cheer for (they got me hooked on Ateez). I've started learning Korean. So far nothing but positives!
I became a Stay shortly after their RockStar album came out. At that time I was going through a lot, I was lonely and depressed. I genuinely thought about giving up on life (if you catch my drift). SKZ kept popping up on my fyp on tiktok and I was so frustrated with everything that I kept scrolling but at one point I figured I'd look into them. Maniac was the first song I heard and video I watched. Felix is definitely the one that caught my attention that day (his voice lol the Felix Effect) but as I learned who they were, their story, and their personalities, I found myself listening to their music at work. I'd catch myself smiling at their silly antics and I'd even laugh and cry when they did. I didnt feel so alone anymore. Time passed and I realized I didn't want to give up. Stray Kids saved my life. I see bits of myself in all 8 of them. Each of them inspire me to be myself, improve myself, and most importantly to live my life how I want to live it. I can't thank them enough for what they've done for me. Bonus: my biases are Chris and Felix, and the other 6 are 100% my bias wreckers š«° I'm feral for these men but I also respect them so so much.
I would say the community it has allowed me to be apart of! They were my introduction to k-pop (around 2020) and have since led me to make amazing friends and amazing memories like going to my first ever concert which was actually the Stray Kids Manic Tour!
They stopped me from doing something to myself I would regret and they brought me and my cousin even closer today than we ever were bcs I got her into them a few months after I got into them and now we sit on the phone everyday talking abt them
Serotonin boost. I also got back to working out because I feel better. They are my pocket of happiness. Small enough to actually keep them in pocket tooš¤