Tag: Stray Kids

ICYMI – Stray Kids’ latest mixtape, Do It, features double title tracks. The first shares the same name as the mixtape and I have already reviewed it. The second is titled DIVINE, which will be the focus of this post. A music video for DIVINE was finally unveiled at the end of last week and was later performed for the first time at the 2025 MAMA Awards, where the group clinched onto the Album of the Year award for KARMA (led by CEREMONY).

DIVINE was an instant favourite of mine when Do It first dropped. Opening the track up was impressive vocals from SEUNGMIN, which I cannot help replaying constantly. My bias could be peeking through, but objectively, I found it to be a memorable and powerful opening. Similarly, the ending sees BANGCHAN come into the song for the first time with a really sleek and nice ‘Ooh-Woah‘ ad-lib. It would have been nicer with less autotune, but definitely ends DIVINE in a pleasant manner. In between the opening and ending is a hip-hop motif that I really enjoyed. There was a really strong yet simple rhythm and beat to the chorus that was appealing, and I liked the addition of the traditional Korean instrument to the mix. The combination of folksy and modern always comes off as unique to me. All of the hooks to DIVINE were super catchy, especially the traditional Korean chant that Stray Kids infuses effortlessly in this hip-hop influenced song. The rapping in the verses follows a similar straight forward, yet lowkey, beat and rhythm. I did make a side comment about autotune earlier, but I really liked its presence, and the descending melody, in the pre-choruses. It is such an interesting effect that helps boosts the song in the memorability department. Overall, DIVINE is quite charming and continues Stray Kids’ consistent high-quality title track output.

In the DIVINE‘s lyrics, the members rap and sing about creating a new world with their music. For the music video, we see Stray Kids co-exist in ancient Korean times, seeking to trap an evil spirit in a bottle to reinstall order in the world. While Stray Kids have used the traditional concept before through their Thunderous comeback, DIVINE‘s music video leans quite heavily into the concept. And I quite liked how all of the traditional elements were presented in the music video. My biggest problem with the music video is the screen time of some of the members. It appears each member only appeared during their parts of the song, which does make sense to a degree. But I think each member deserved a more substantial presence – maybe they could have featured another member in the background of some solo shots to boost each members’ presence in the video. This would also fit some of Stray Kids’ music video aesthetics.

The only performance of the DIVINE so far is at the MAMA awards. You can really see the hip-hop influence, as well as their stage, presence in action. Though part of me thinks the performance only has this grandness to it because of the many dancers that were on stage. However I must give mad props to both LEE KNOW and SEUNGMIN who performed despite being injured. If you really pay attention to LEE KNOW during the DIVINE segment, you can see how much pain he was in and how he pushed through the entire performance.

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 9.3/10

As mentioned in yesterday’s review, Stray Kids is officially back with their second mixtape, Do It, led by the single of the same name and Divine. The group has yet to release the music video for Divine, so the focus of this post will be on Do It. This is the group’s third release of the year, following the Mixtape: dominATE single album and their fourth studio album KARMA (led by CEREMONY).

It appears to be a good week for KPOP releases, with each appealing to me within the first listen. It is the same story for Do It, though there are moments where I wish there were a bit more to what we got. Do It features a reggaeton-influenced pop instrumental, with the Latin-influenced chorus serving as a strong centrepiece, revisiting the repetitive hook motif they have employed in many of their recent title tracks. Personally, I would have liked the chorus to be a bit more explosive by amping up both synths and bass. But I like the spoken nature of their “Do It” hook, which is catchy thanks to its repetition, but also because it helps bring forth a mature, sensual vibe to the song. This hook, paired with the instrumental that we did get, was a memorable combination in my book. As for their vocals, I liked the fresh bite the vocalists brought to Do It. And I enjoyed the dynamic the rappers brought to the song (though I do miss the more in-your-face execution they’ve been aiming for in their more recent releases). Overall, Do It is another strong Stray Kids release – though after checking out the mixtape, I have my eyes and ears out for Divine.

While I am sure there is a better interpretation storyline for the music video that might connect with the Divine music video, here is my stab at making sense of what we see in isolation. At the start, we see the members touch down (on a motorised broomstick, which is a bit of a trendy element) in a run-down place in their universe (or maybe it is the future, and their universe is run-down for whatever reason). The aesthetic, with the people standing around, reminds me of their past music videos, which is why I think it is in their same universe. Do It (the song) encourages listeners to take control and do whatever they want, and so we see the members sing and dance to help the inhabitants of this run-down place to ‘do it’. Eventually, we see the inhabitants join in with Stray Kids. I like how, in the initial and second choruses, they got the dancers to join in and then stand still in the next moment, showing us their desire to join Stray Kids. Unsure if it is editing, or just a clever use of lighting and having the dancers joining in and then pausing, but that aspect of the music video looked really cool to me.

As mentioned earlier, the song’s centrepiece brought forward mature, sensual vibes. And you see that come through the accompanying routine, with the members doing subtle yet noticeable body waves during that segment. I also liked how commanding the rest of the routine was for the chorus.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.5/10