Play in this article ↓Stray Kids ODDINARY: The Mini Album Where MANIAC Began
Published:
- Category: Album guide
- Artist: Stray Kids
KPOP NO1 Editorial · Sources checked November 4, 2026
What if being strange is the most normal thing about you? That's the question inside the title. JYP Entertainment explains that ODDINARY joins two English words, odd and ordinary. The message it gives is simple: ordinary people all have an odd side, so odd is ordinary.
Stray Kids released the mini album on March 18, 2022, with MANIAC as the title track. It turned out to be a starting point in more ways than one. Here's where it fits, what each song is about in the members' own words, and which official videos to open first.
Where ODDINARY fits
ODDINARY came after a busy stretch. JYP's release notes look back on Stray Kids winning Mnet's Kingdom: Legendary War in 2021, the first full album's title track 神메뉴 (God's Menu), the repackage IN生 with Back Door, and the second full album NOEASY with 소리꾼 (Thunderous). According to JYP, NOEASY made Stray Kids the company's first artist to sell a million copies of an album.
ODDINARY was also a return to a shorter format. JYP describes it as the group's first mini album since Clé : LEVANTER in December 2019. Official ODDINARY page
Those results came from the members' own work. JYP describes Stray Kids as a self-producing group that grew through music it made itself, with 3RACHA's Bang Chan, Changbin and HAN at the center of the writing. In 2021 the group also won its first grand prize at a year-end awards show, three years after debut, as part of four wins at that ceremony, according to JYP.
The title follows a habit the group already had. JYP points out that names like GO生, IN生, NOEASY and the holiday single Christmas EveL all play on double meanings. ODDINARY does the same with two words.
Start with MANIAC, the title track
According to the members' comment on the official page, MANIAC is about refusing the plain, simple way of life the world sets out. Instead, Stray Kids show their own "MANIAC" side. They add that the song goes beyond the charm they'd shown before. It has a more mature mood and more restraint, built from compressed energy.
JYP's release notes put the message in one line: don't get trapped in the frame the world has set, and reveal the real you that was hidden. The lyrics are credited to Bang Chan, Changbin and HAN, the group's producing team 3RACHA. The three also composed the song with VERSACHOI, who had worked with them on God's Menu.
The music video was published on JYP Entertainment's channel on March 18, 2022 (Korean time). JYP explains that the scenes change when the song's mood flips, and that each member plays a character with a story of their own. The video also shows the world as each member sees it, sometimes unreal and sometimes witty, according to the release notes.
Here's a question to bring to the video: when the mood changes, do you notice the sound first or the picture?
VENOM, FREEZE and the rest of the album
The album opens with 거미줄 (VENOM), not the title track. In the members' comment, it's about being caught in someone's fatal charm, as if stuck in a spider's web, and not being able to get out. They promise that if you listen closely, even once, you'll get hooked. Stray Kids' channel posted a video for it on March 23, 2022.
Official video · Stray Kids / YouTube
Watch the original on YouTube ↗Charmer is a confident song about everyone falling for Stray Kids' charm. The members point to the pipe sound as the part that makes you want to dance.
땡 (FREEZE) is the playful one. The members say it shows the group's cheerful side. The lyrics are about smashing a giant iceberg in the way, instead of waiting for it to melt. They also call out the ending: "FREEZE. 땡!" The channel's video for it went up on March 27, 2022.
Official video · Stray Kids / YouTube
Watch the original on YouTube ↗Lonely St. carries the group's direction. According to the members, even if their road is lonely and hard, they're ready to walk it to the end without looking back. They sang it with rough-edged vocals to carry that resolve.
Two unit songs, all eight names
JYP lists seven songs in total. Two of them split the group into units of four:
- 피어난다: Bang Chan, Lee Know, Seungmin and I.N
- Muddy Water: Changbin, Hyunjin, HAN and Felix
JYP adds that every member is credited on the album. Outside producers include DallasK, Trippy, JUN2, Nickko Young and Millionboy, alongside VERSACHOI.
If you're still learning the eight members, the unit songs are a good next step after MANIAC. You only follow four voices at a time.
Archival photo: Stray Kids at the Music Core mini fan meeting, November 11, 2023, about a year and a half after ODDINARY. Credit: 티비텐, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0. Linked from Wikimedia Commons at a smaller size; no other edits by KPOP NO.1.
A first No. 1, and a run that followed
ODDINARY is where a long chart run began. In its notes for the 2025 album KARMA, JYP looks back: starting with the 2022 mini album ODDINARY, six Stray Kids releases in a row went straight to No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The others were MAXIDENT, ★★★★★ (5-STAR), 樂-STAR, ATE and 合 (HOP). JYP calls it a first in the chart's 69-year history. Official KARMA page
The group marked the moment itself. On March 29, 2022 (Korean time), Stray Kids' channel posted a short video titled "#1 on Billboard 200."
Official video · Stray Kids / YouTube
Watch the original on YouTube ↗The choreography came next. The official MANIAC dance practice video followed on April 2, 2022. If the music video made you curious about the moves, this is the one to open.
Official video · Stray Kids / YouTube
Watch the original on YouTube ↗MANIAC also has an official "(Feat. STAY) Guide Video," published on release day; you'll find it in the table below.
Official ODDINARY videos
Dates are the YouTube publication dates in Korean time.
| Type | Official video | Channel | Published, KST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Music video | MANIAC M/V | JYP Entertainment | March 18, 2022 |
| Guide video | MANIAC (Feat. STAY) Guide Video | Stray Kids | March 18, 2022 |
| Track video | 거미줄 (VENOM) Video | Stray Kids | March 23, 2022 |
| Track video | 땡 (FREEZE) Video | Stray Kids | March 27, 2022 |
| Chart moment | #1 on Billboard 200 | Stray Kids | March 29, 2022 |
| Dance practice | MANIAC Dance Practice Video | Stray Kids | April 2, 2022 |
Keep exploring
New to the group? The Stray Kids starter guide introduces the eight members and a route from District 9 onward.
Want to see where the No. 1 run led? The KARMA guide covers the fourth full album and its title track, CEREMONY.
Curious about the fans in the guide videos? The STAY fandom guide explains the name and the fan culture around it.