My KPop Playlist, New Year's Eve Bonus Track: Stray Kids - Miroh
Like Momoland, Stray Kids got their start on a 2017 reality show as a pool of contestants competing for 9 slots in a group under the management of one of the biggest and most respected KPop labels, JYP.
Left to right, top to bottom:
BangChan (Christopher Bang): Leader, lead vocalist, rapper and producer
WooJin (Kim WooJin): Former vocalist
LeeKnow (Lee MinHo): Vocalist, rapper and dancer
ChangBin (Choi ChangBin): Rapper, vocalist, producer
HyunJin (Hwang HyunJin): Lead rapper and visual
Han (Han JiSung): Lead vocalist, rapper, producer
Felix (Lee Felix): Lead dancer, lead rapper
SeungMin (Lee SeungMin): Lead vocalist
I.N. (Yang JeongIn): Vocalist, Maknae
Their debut came at last in March of 2018.
Last October, WooJin left not only the group but KPop entirely for personal reasons, so now Stray Kids is an 8-member band.
The group was still a nine-member unit when they recorded and released their smash hit from March, “Miroh.” As with the 2PM selection, I list it here as a party song for New Year’s Eve celebrations. I’ll confess that it’s the only release by Stray Kids that I’ve liked, but I'm not one of those idiots who writes off an artist entirely if what they've made in the past wasn't my cuppa. A new release could be that great song I do like, as happened here. What's not to like about “Miroh?” It's a total banger, with an awesome hook for the chorus, “Iiiiiiiimmmm Oooookaaaaaaaay!” Oh yeah. Plus there’s ChangBin and Han blowing everyone’s minds with their breath control in the rap prechoruses (1:46 and 3:02). How did they get in that many words that fast, and not be gasping for air? I was panting for them before they got to the end of their lines.
Anyway, put “Miroh” on at your next party and nobody will be sitting around looking bored.
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Trivia
Fandom name: Stay
No lightstick color yet.
Miroh means “maze” in Korean, so the song is about being trapped in a situation where you never know what wrong turn you'll make trying to find your way out.
