Play in this article ↓Stray Kids 樂-STAR (ROCK-STAR): LALALALA and a Fourth Straight No. 1
Published:
- Category: Album guide
- Artist: Stray Kids
KPOP NO1 Editorial · Sources checked November 10, 2026
The title is a pun, and the message is a promise: whatever happens, the fun goes on. 樂-STAR, spelled "Rock-Star" in English, came out on November 10, 2023. It's Stray Kids' eighth EP, led by "락 (樂) (LALALALA)." It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, their fourth in a row, and the title song gave the group their first Hot 100 entry.
Here's the idea behind the name, the title track, the eight songs and the official videos to open.
The idea: the fun continues
The EP arrived about five months after 5-STAR and is closely linked to it, JYP says. The name means special people who know how to enjoy themselves, and it also states an ambition to be the rock star of an era. The message behind it: "In any situation, our 락 (樂) continues." JYP album page (JYP's page is in Korean; the summaries here are our translation.)
Our reading of the pun: the character 樂 means "enjoyment" and is read "rak" in Korean, close to "rock." Yonhap described the EP as portraying the group's "newfound free and rebellious spirit, reminiscent of rock stars." Yonhap via The Korea Times
Start with LALALALA (락 樂)
The title song's sound is built on a main theme in Phonk, an Afrobeats-based rhythm and a distorted bass. The lyrics play with the word "락" in several ways, and the repeated "Lalalala" in the chorus plus rock elements give the song its hook. Stray Kids wanted music that everyone could enjoy together. JYP album page The music video went up on JYP Entertainment's channel on November 10, 2023 (Korean time).
The teaser came on November 7.
Official video · JYP Entertainment / YouTube
Watch the original on YouTube ↗
Archival photo: Han of Stray Kids on November 21, 2023, eleven days after the album's release. Credit: 티비텐 (TV10), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0. Linked from Wikimedia Commons at a smaller size; no other edits by KPOP NO.1.
How the comeback rolled out
The era opened with a prologue film, 樂-STAR Prologue, on October 6, 2023.
Official video · JYP Entertainment / YouTube
Watch the original on YouTube ↗On October 26, the channel posted a stage video for MEGAVERSE, the album's opening track.
Official video · JYP Entertainment / YouTube
Watch the original on YouTube ↗The 8 songs
JYP's track list opens with MEGAVERSE, 락 (樂) as the title and 사각지대. The release text names the whole set. JYP album page
- MEGAVERSE: the opening track. Its stage video came out before the album.
- 락 (樂): the title song, described above.
- 사각지대, COMFLEX, 가려줘 and Leave: the other new songs.
- Social Path (Feat. LiSA) (Korean ver.): the Korean version of the title track of the group's first Japanese EP.
- 락 (樂) (Rock Ver.): a rock version of the title song.
Our take: JYP's page gives the group's own notes only for the title song, so that's the best place to start. MEGAVERSE and the Rock Ver. show how far the same idea can stretch. We don't describe the other songs, because we couldn't find official descriptions of them.
A fourth No. 1 and a first Hot 100 entry
樂-STAR debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 224,000 equivalent album units. Of those, 213,000 were physical album sales. It was the group's fourth No. 1, after ODDINARY and MAXIDENT in 2022 and 5-STAR earlier in 2023. Billboard said Stray Kids were the first act to see their first four chart entries all debut at No. 1 since Alicia Keys in 2001–07. Yonhap via The Korea Times
The same week, the title song entered the Hot 100 at No. 90, the group's first entry. That made Stray Kids the second K-pop boy band on the Hot 100, after BTS. The Korea Herald
Just before the EP, the group had been on the road. JYP says the 5-STAR Dome Tour made them the first fourth-generation K-pop boy group to play Japan's four big domes. JYP album page
The year around the EP was a big one. JYP lists the 5-STAR Dome Tour in Japan, eight shows in four cities whose pre-applications passed 2.5 million, and a sold-out solo concert at Seoul's Gocheok Sky Dome in October. In July 2023 Stray Kids were the first K-pop act to headline Lollapalooza Paris, in front of about 60,000 people. In September they made their MTV Video Music Awards debut and won Best K-Pop for "S-Class," and 3RACHA played the Global Citizen Festival in New York's Central Park. JYP album page
Official 樂-STAR videos
Dates are the YouTube publication dates in Korean time.
| Type | Official video | Channel | Published, KST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prologue | "樂-STAR" Prologue | JYP Entertainment | October 6, 2023 |
| Stage video | <樂-STAR> "MEGAVERSE" Stage Video | JYP Entertainment | October 26, 2023 |
| Teaser | "락 (樂) (LALALALA)" M/V Teaser | JYP Entertainment | November 7, 2023 |
| Music video | "락 (樂) (LALALALA)" M/V | JYP Entertainment | November 10, 2023 |
Keep exploring
New to Stray Kids? The Stray Kids starter guide introduces the eight members, and the STAY fandom guide explains the fans.
The albums around this one: 5-STAR before it, and ATE next.
Sources
- JYP Entertainment, 樂-STAR album page (Korean)
- Yonhap via The Korea Times, "Stray Kids scores 4th Billboard 200 No. 1 with 'Rock-Star'," November 20, 2023
- The Korea Herald, "[Today's K-pop] Stray Kids makes Billboard's Hot 100 for 1st time," November 21, 2023
- Official YouTube channel: JYP Entertainment