By Mark Savage

Copyright bbc

In America and Europe, Stray Kids’ DominATE tour set box office and attendance records for a K-pop band, with 1.2m tickets sold and receipts of $182m (£135m).

As a sort of victory lap, Karma went straight to the top of the US charts – making them the first band in history to debut at number one with each of their first seven albums.

But when you ask them about all that success, the octet are suddenly bashful.

“Successful is a really strong word and I honestly do not have the confidence to judge if we are indeed successful or not,” says Bang Chan, the group’s designated leader.

“What I can say is that Stray Kids, including myself, have reached very far but we’re still very hungry to achieve more milestones.”

Conquering the UK is definitely on the bucket list. They’ve already incorporated elements of grime on the 2022 track 3Racha, and say they’d like to collaborate with Coldplay and The 1975.

“I love their musicality, and the way they pour everything into their performances,” says Seungmin. “Listening to their music always makes me feel so emotional and inspires me a lot.”

They’re tight-lipped, however, about larger career goals.

Asked if they’d like to play Glastonbury or the Super Bowl (they literally have a song named after the event), Seungmin reframes the question.

“Short-term goals are great, of course, but our biggest goal is to be a group that stands the test of time and remains in history as one of the longest-lasting groups.”

It’s an ambition they make explicit on Half Time, a boom-bap rap track that references the renewal of their seven-year contract with record label JYP Entertainment last year.

“This game isn’t over, it’s way too vast,” Felix promises. “They don’t know what’s coming next.”

In other words, Stray Kids are only just getting started.