5-Star (Stray Kids album)

Stray Kids' follow-up Korean-language album to Maxident was first mentioned in an interview with the news outlet The Fact in October 2022, after the group won the Artist of the Year (Bonsang) and Fan N Star Four Star Award at the 2022 The Fact Music Awards. Member Seungmin stated that they would come back with an "amazing" album the next year, possibly including new sub-unit combinations and exploring new music genres.[1] On New Year's Day in 2023, the group uploaded the video "Step Out 2023" to their social media, outlining their accomplishments in 2022 and plans for the new year, including two album releases.[2]

In early March 2023, Hankook Ilbo first reported that Stray Kids had already finished filming a music video for the new album's lead single and that it was scheduled for release in April.[3] JYP Entertainment subsequently confirmed the music video filming, although not the release date.[4] Financial analysts and researchers also estimated that the group's new album would come in the second quarter of 2023.[5][6][7] In late April, after the group concluded their Maniac World Tour, SpoTV News reported that the group would release a new album in early June.[8] JYP Entertainment confirmed the news.[9] Titled 5-Star, the album was formally announced via a trailer on April 28, set to be released on June 2.[10]

Tiger JK (pictured in 2018) features on the fifth track "Topline".

5-Star consists of twelve tracks, running for 36 minutes and 35 seconds. 3Racha—an in-house production team of Stray Kids members Bang Chan, Changbin, and Han—wrote and produced all songs on the album. Other contributors include Versachoi, Zack Djurich, Millionboy, Trippy, Nickko Young, Kyle Reynolds, Chris LaRocca, and Jun2, as well as Chae Kang-hae, and Restart. Member Felix participated in writing two tracks "Super Bowl" and "FNF". Korean-American rapper Tiger JK, who previously performed with 3Racha and Jung Jae-il at the 2022 MAMA Awards, featured in and co-wrote the track "Topline".[11] The sixth track "DLC", standing for "Dance like Crazy", is a moombahton song with a feeling of "let's dance like crazy without any worries".[12] A tribute to 2019–20 Australian bushfire season, "FNF" conveys feelings of regret and longing felt by seeing animals and plants lost their lives due to the wildfire.[13]

On April 28, 2023, Stray Kids uploaded a three-minute-long trailer to announce their upcoming third studio album, 5-Star.[14] Based on Korean game I Am Ground, the trailer sees the members each introducing themselves with their chosen nickname in individual shots before uniting in the same scene.[15][16] Album pre-orders opened on the same day as the trailer's release, being made available in five versions with 12 different covers: limited, A, B, C, and eight digipacks.[17] The album's Solar System-styled track listing, constellation-styled scheduler, and digital cover artwork were posted to social media on April 30. The track listing confirmed "S-Class" as the lead single, and included and the Korean version of "The Sound", originally from their Japanese album of the same name and the 2022 single "Mixtape: Time Out" from the Mixtape Project as part of the album. The scheduler specified a mysterious "What's Next" text for July 1 and 2.[18]

Prior the release, Stray Kids tease snippets of tracks via the series "Unveil: Track" of "DLC",[19] "FNF",[20] and "Get Lit",[21] and "Topline" so far.[22] The teaser photos would come in three sets. The first depicts the group's "determination to express their unique personality and taste to their heart", showing the members wearing colorful outfits and posing with 1980s-styled backgrounds harmonized between Korean traditional arts (tiger dolls, nacre tables, white porcelain celadons, and folding fans, etc.) and everyday life items (puffed rice cakes, supermarket flyers, and convenience store chairs, etc.)[23][24] The second, alongside the mood film, shows the members with melancholy eyes, wearing "mix-and-matched" outfits, posting on the street at night where the city lights illuminating the darkness in a faint atmosphere.[25][26]