Stray Kids take home their first Daesang with Performance of the Year at 2021 AAA

The “noisy” Stray Kids made history as a fourth-generation K-pop group once again. On December 2, 2021, the self-producing idol group Stray Kids became the first fourth-generation boy group to win a daesang (grand prize). They earned recognition and the coveted trophy at 2021 AAA (Asia Artist Awards).

JYP Entertainment’s Stray Kids recently made their highly-successful comeback with NOEASY - a play on the criticism the group’s experimental music is mainly labeled as. The full-length album was a subtle slap to haters' as the album was a mix of genres, along with sub-unit 3RACHA (made of leader Bang Chan, Changbin and Han) participating in its creation.

Stray Kids become the first 4th gen boy group to win Daesang

STAYs (Stray Kids’ fandom) has turned every social media into a celebration as the eight-member group was announced for the Daesang at 2021 AAAs. Stray Kids won Performance of the Year for their exemplary stage presence, power, and creative choreography for their stages released in 2021.

After winning the group competition show Kingdom: Legendary War, Stray Kids released their full-length album NOEASY. The group became the first fourth-generation K-pop group to achieve one million sales from a single album. With multiple firsts already under their belt, the group made history again during the 2021 AAA as it became the first fourth-generation K-pop boy group to win a Daesang.

Stray Kids’ first grand prize also became memorable as the group achieved it after evaluating the success of their comeback NOEASY. After hits such as God’s Menu and Back Door, it would have been tough to live up to the expectations. But the group did it with their title track Thunderous (or Sorikkun). It was both a diss and a powerful motivational track with multiple key performance points.

Thunderous blended traditional instruments with powerful, catchy music and never became monotonous. The choreography too physically represented dissing the haters, when they either spit in their hands for the chorus “ptui ptui ptui” or create blabbering mouths with their hands folded nearing the second chorus. Another memorable part is Changbin and Hyunjin climbing on Bang Chan and Han’s backs, performing as if the Kings were sitting on a throne.

The group's playful performance at the 2021 AAAs also showed enough reasons why the group earned the Performance of the Year daesang.

Even though Stray Kids took home just one award at the 2021 AAAs, it was a memorable one for them and their fans.

Meanwhile, the group will end 2021 on a great note with their comeback of the year, a Christmas special album titled Christmas EveL.

About the author

Afreen has been a K-Pop Content Specialist at Sportskeeda since 2021. She holds a Bachelor's degree in English Literature, along with a Post-Graduate Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication. Afreen has over 4+ years of working in various positions including being an entertainment content writer with Pinkvilla’s K-pop division Hallyutalk and CineDope, and as a copywriter at Flying Cursor.

As per Afreen, she loves her work because she gets to write about the things she is obsessed with. Her thorough research and following the two-genuine-source rule of journalism helps her produce the most accurate content, along with helping her be up-to-date with the industry.

Afreen has had the privilege to interview The Rose's frontrunner, WOOSUNG, and LIONESSES, K-pop's first openly LGBTQ+ group. She is a big fan of SEVENTEEN, Stray Kids, BTS, and The Rose for their hard work, sincerity, and the comic relief their shows provide.

When she is off her shift, Afreen explores the streets of Nottingham in the UK, cooks, and listens to new music.

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