Tag: Lee Know (Stray Kids)

[Review] CINEMA – Lee Know & Seungmin (Stray Kids)

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It has been over a year since Stray Kids released their single album, Mixtape: dominATE. Despite being a big fan of Stray Kids (I acknowledge I give them a lot more attention than any other group), I have yet to review any tracks from their Mixtape: dominATE. As the one-year anniversary has just passed, now would be a timely moment to review the tracks on it. The lead single is the Korean version of their 2024 Japanese single, GIANT (which I have yet to review but will do later). Alongside GIANT are unit tracks – this post focuses on Lee Know and Seungmin’s CINEMA. Links to the reviews of the other unit tracks (as they are released) are below the music video.

CINEMA is a rock ballad that opens with dramatic drumming and follows through with atmospheric vibes from the electric guitars. From there, the song slowly builds, introducing other band instrumentation to the backing, allowing the rock ballad profile to proliferate and intensify. Both Lee Know and Seungmin sound breathtaking and amazing throughout CINEMA. We all know Seungmin as the main vocalist of Stray Kids and as someone who can captivate audiences with his vocals. But Lee Know completely surprised me. The song showcases his improved vocals since his debut, and his ability to hold his own alongside a main vocalist is pretty remarkable. Both convey a hopeful, uplifting tone throughout CINEMA, delivering beautiful melodies and their vocal ad-libs and harmonies at the end give the track so much impact.

Set in a post-apocalyptic world, CINEMA‘s music video depicts the pair’s journey to ‘the stadium’, where they perform CINEMA. We see snippets of them penning the song together and making the physical journey to ‘the stadium’. Despite their car breaking down, which also tests their relationship, the pair supports each other in their efforts to realise their goals and dreams to perform. The storyline can definitely be seen as a representation of Stray Kids’ journey thus far with the rest of their group and their fans (more on this soon). The idea of the final destination being called ‘the stadium’ might also be a reference to their world tour, where they have performed in stadiums across the globe, highlighting their success and where they are at in the present. The most abstract aspect of the music video is the post-apocalyptic setting, which, in my mind, represents starting from nothing. Both Lee Know and Seungmin acted well in the video, as well.

I am not factoring their stage performances of CINEMA into the final rating (as there isn’t a choreography for this release), but I really enjoyed the idea of their fan names at each leg of their world tour scrolling across the screen in an ‘ending credits’ type of fashion. Again, this highlights the importance of STAYs in their journey of being Stray Kids.

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 10/10
Overall Rating – 10/10

Burnin’ Tires – CHANGBIN & I.N | Truman – HAN & FELIX
ESCAPE – BANGCHAN & HYUNJIN | Cinema – LEE KNOW & SEUNGMIN

[Album Review] 合/HOP (1st SKZHOP HIPTAPE/Mixtape) – Stray Kids

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Stray Kids is nominated for Best Male Group and Best Stage Presence in the 2025 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. CEREMONY is also nominated for Best Dance Performance (Male Group) and Best Concept, while Hollow is nominated for Best International Song (Japanese). Individual members and units are also nominated for various song categories. Support Stray Kids, CEREMONY and Hollow by clicking here today to vote.

As alluded to last week, Stray Kids’ first mixtape (branded as SKZHOP HIPTAPE), 合 (HOP), is the final 2024 album that I will be reviewing for the time being. This means I can still review other 2024 albums I have missed in the future, but for now, I will shift my focus to 2025/26 albums. Anyhow, Stray Kids’ HOP features the title track Walkin’ On Water, solo songs that the group had performed as part of their Dominate World Tour, and two additional tracks (one of which is a collaboration with EPIK HIGH’s TABLO). It dropped back in December 2024.

The mixtape has some really great songs from the group and individual members. If you want to get to know Stray Kids more, then this mixtape is a good way to do so. Following the release of HOP, the group went on to release their Mixtape: DOMINATE single album, their fourth Japanese mini-album Hollow, their fourth studio album KARMA (with CEREMONY as the lead single), and their second mixtape DO IT (featuring the lead singles DO IT and DIVINE).

HOP Album Cover

1. Walkin On Water (Title Track) – Click here for the full review for Walkin On Water. (8/10)

2. Bounce Back – Personally, I felt Bounce Back could have been a better title track, showcasing what the group has to offer across the board. Bounce Back combines old-school hip-hop and rock to create a cool diss track. It carries intensity and powerful energy from the start, making you want to stick around. Impressive rapping and nice vocals (for a hip-hop number) bring Bounce Back to life, courtesy of the members. (9/10)

3. U (ft. TABLO of EPIK HIGH) – Previously, TABLO from EPIK HIGH made an appearance in Stray Kids’ music video for MEGAVERSE. This time around, TABLO returns to collaborate with Stray Kids in U. This song is much more emotional than usual, showcasing the group in a different light. Both the group and TABLO’s delivery throughout the track pack a lot of emotion, with CHANGBIN (in the second verse) and TABLO (in the bridge) hitting hardest with their rapping for me. I also enjoyed the drum and bass in the instrumentation, as well as the soft vocals, which add to the emotional heft of U. (9/10)      

4. Walkin on Water (Hip Version) – See my review for Walkin on Water above.

5. Railway – Click here for my full review of BANG CHAN’s Railway. (8.5/10)

6. Unfair – Click here for the full review of FELIX’s Unfair. (7/10)

7. HALLUCINATION – Click here for the full review of I.N’s HALLUCINATION. (9/10)

8. Youth – Click here for my full review of LEE KNOW’s Youth. (8/10)

9. So Good – Click here for my full review of HYUNJIN’s So Good. (8/10)

10. ULTRA – Click here for my full review of CHANGBIN’s ULTRA. (8/10)

11. Hold my hand – Click here for my full review of HAN’s Hold my hand. (10/10)

12. As we are (그렇게, 천천히, 우리) – Click here for my full review of SEUNGMIN’s As we are. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.5/10

Stray Kids’ teaser image for HOP.

[Review] Youth – Lee Know (Stray Kids)

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Stray Kids recently made their comeback with their fourth studio album, KARMA, led by the title track CEREMONY. However, I still have a backlog of song reviews related to Stray Kids that I have yet to post, including the solo tracks from their Hop mixtape and the unit tracks from their Mixtape: Dominate album. I have already made a start on this backlog, with Lee Know’s solo single from Hop, Youth, up next. For the other reviews of Stray Kids’ solo songs from the Hop mixtape, see the links below the music video.

Lee Know’s Youth goes down the dance pop side of KPOP with a funky disco instrumentation. It is straightforwardly fun and upbeat, just as you would have expected with such an instrumental. In addition to the music, Lee Know’s vocals, right off the bat, fit in perfectly. He shines throughout the single with his fresh and pleasant tone, whilst also adding to the song’s brightness and energy. The pre-chorus was probably my favourite part as it offers the best that Lee Know has to offer as a singer. And Youth’s pre-choruses are just so repeatable. The chorus had a fun and catchy hook, and I enjoyed the bubbly pop nature of Youth’s centrepiece overall. I do wish Youth had some grit (in some shape or form), just to break up that consistent pleasantness. I think this would have done wonders for Youth, giving it dimension and more layers to enjoy. But overall, Youth is a nice solo single nonetheless.

The music video starts off in the midst of a bingo game, where an old lady cheats by pulling out a completed bingo card. However, the actual bingo card is missing the final letter ‘U’, hence why this raises suspicions with other players and management (which Lee Know is part of). While the rest of the management is made to play along with the situation, Lee Know breaks ranks, tells management that they should accept the win, as he will search for the missing ‘U’. He catches the ‘U’, which cues celebrations and allows the old lady to win the game. Obviously, the reference to the letter ‘U’ isn’t just the letter, but also the person who is willing to stand alone and be themselves (per the lyrics).

The choreography for Youth is cute and bubbly, complementing the song well. The jumps and energy that both Lee Know and the dancers put into the routine, and that we get out of the routine, are ideal for such an upbeat song. I like how the routine keeps things fun and lighthearted, especially the part where the dancers had to copy Lee Know’s surprise move(s) at the end of the routine.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8/10

I.N’s HALLUCINATION | SEUNGMIN’s As We Are | FELIX’s Unfair | HAN’s Hold My Hand
HYUNJIN’s So Good | CHANGBIN’s ULTRA | LEE KNOW’s YOUTH | BANG CHAN’s Railway

[Review] Surfin’ – Lee Know, Changbin & Felix (Stray Kids)

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Next up on my way to review Stray Kids’ second studio album is Surfin’. This side track is performed by members Lee Know, Changbin and Felix, and is the second unit track from the studio album.

Fun, light-heart and care-free are the words that I would use to describe Surfin’. Once again, it is a different dynamic to the other tracks on the album, But this time around, it isn’t necessarily new territory for the group overall. This doesn’t harm the song, as Surfin’ does have some charm. But unlike the other side tracks, I am not drawn to Surfin’ as much as the other side tracks I have/will be looking at. The song’s upbeat nature definitely suits the Summery season, and definitely has this undeniable bright energy within it that I feel would fit the group’s overall personality. But apart from that, I don’t find anything that memorable within the song. The vocal work and rapping felt like it had too much autotune applied to it, which really distracted me. While there is some appeal to it (I assume its main intention is to make the song fun, which kind of came through), I just didn’t like how it was used to style the vocals/rapping in this song. I am usually fine with Stray Kids’ usage of autotune in other songs, but it just doesn’t feel the same in Surfin‘. But Surfin’ still a decent listen, especially if you are looking for something fun in the midst of the loudness that the NOEASY album.

The music video starts off with some spoken vocals, with Lee Know playfully mocking Changbin, who is in turn mocked by Felix. Based on this, you can tell that the video was going to be fun and non-serious. We then get a snippet of them in the dance practice room, before they are magically (by the power of editing) transported to outside. From then on, it all was a pool-side party. It looks fun and feels fitting for the song.

There is a bit of choreography for this release, and I am have opted to review it in a separate paragraph as it felt secondary to the music video. It more so a simple routine that highlights the lightness, brightness and carefree nature of the song.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7/10