Bang Chan can do it all! One of the most famous K-pop idols out there, the Australian idol is known for being the leader of Stray Kids, his musical production and songwriting skills, and pretty much handpicking his very own group. Keep reading for details on the K-pop star and his life story.
Who Is Bang Chan?
The K-pop leader, whose birth name is Christopher Bahng, was born in South Korea, but grew up in Sydney, Australia, after moving down under when he was pretty young — so he speaks both Korean and English.
He’s a Libra, as he was born on October 3, 1997, and moved to South Korea to train as a K-pop star under JYP in 2011. There, Bang Chan trained for seven years before finally debuting with Stray Kids in 2018.
Fun fact: Bang Chan’s little sister, Hannah Bahng, has a successful YouTube account and launched a singing career in 2023. We guess talent runs in the Bahng family!
The Australian native has opened up a few times about what the trainee process was like during those seven years. During Stray Kids’ appearance on the Zach Sang Show in February 2020, he revealed he could still remember the pressures he was feeling at the time, with the biggest being if he could “make it or not.”
“Seven years [of training] is quite a long time,” he said during a 2018 showcase for their debut album I am NOT. “The hardest thing about it was when the other trainees who were with me would leave the agency. The most painful moments were when I ended up alone. Of those people who left, some have gone on to debut under other labels and others have changed career paths.”
He added, “However, I met the other members of Stray Kids and happy moments began filling that loneliness. I never knew I’d be able to make my debut with the people I wanted to be with. I’m so happy right now.”
Along with everything else he does, Bang Chan also produces nearly all of the music for Stray Kids under the group 3RACHA, which includes two different SKZ members, Changbin and Han Jisung. Formed in 2016, the trio released their first mixtape in 2017.
How Was Stray Kids Formed?
ICYMI, Stray Kids was formed through a reality show competition of the same name in 2017. There, nine JYP Entertainment trainees worked together to solidify their spots in the music company’s next boy group. However, the company did something that was pretty unique: as the oldest and longest-trained JYP trainee, Bang Chan was able to hand pick which members he wanted to debut with him.
All nine trainees ended up debuting in Stray Kids (even though two members were thought to be eliminated), which included Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han Jisung, Felix, Seungmin, I.N. and former member Woojin.
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