The South Korean boy group Stray Kids continues its triumphant march with a noteworthy high point in their career. Their third studio album, '5-STAR', along with its title track 'Special', were released on June 2nd, marking their first comeback in 2023. This followed a nearly two-year hiatus since their second studio album 'NOEASY' in August 2021. Their latest release has achieved record-breaking figures in terms of physical album sales, digital streams, and music video views, setting a new personal best for the group.

'5-STAR' shattered records by selling 2,392,666 copies on the day of its release, according to Hanteo Chart. This achievement earned them the 'Double Million Seller' title within 24 hours of release. This is a significant increase compared to the 1,308,971 copies sold on the first day of their previous mini album 'MAXIDENT' released in October 2022, outpacing the initial week sales of 'MAXIDENT', confirming their explosive popularity. The album also dominated the daily physical album chart of Hanteo Chart, as well as the retail album chart of Circle Chart on June 2nd and 3rd.

Stray Kids made history last month by reaching a record-breaking 4.93 million pre-orders, the most ever for a K-pop album. This figure surged to 5.13 million on June 1st. Since their debut in August 2021, the band achieved their first million seller with 'NOEASY', consecutive million sales with the mini album 'ODDINARY' in March 2022, and triple million sales with 'MAXIDENT' in October 2022. Their consecutive successes, including two consecutive number ones on the Billboard 200, demonstrate Stray Kids' phenomenal growth and the impact of their highly anticipated regular album.

Their new album '5-STAR' topped the iTunes Album Charts in 33 regions, including Japan, Mexico, and Thailand, within four days of its release. The title track 'Special' ranked first in iTunes Song Charts in 43 regions, including Brazil, Indonesia, and Chile. Particularly on Spotify, 'Special' broke their previous record for daily streams, ranked 42nd on the global chart, and achieved a personal best of 89th place on the US chart on June 2nd. In addition, it topped the domestic charts in Korea and Japan, including Bugs Real-time Chart, Vibe's Domestic Rising Chart, Line Music's Daily Top 100 Album Ranking, and Recochoku's Daily Album Ranking.

The music video for 'Special', which encapsulates the unique identity of Stray Kids as 'the most dazzling among the unusual,' has been garnering worldwide popularity with its large-scale and visually stunning presentation. It maintained the top spot on YouTube's trending worldwide music videos for four consecutive days since its release, reaching 20 million views in record time and surpassing 26.4 million views as of the morning of June 5th.

Their latest single 'Special' is a fresh creation from the group's in-house producing team 3RACHA, composed of Bang Chan, Changbin, and Han, who have been behind all of Stray Kids' title tracks since their debut song 'District 9' in 2018. The group kicked off their comeback week with electrifying performances on KBS 2TV's 'Music Bank', MBC's 'Show! Music Core', and SBS' 'Inkigayo'. Their intense sound, distinct choreography, and excellent synergy among the eight members captivated audiences.

Stray Kids will be holding their third official fan meeting, 'Stray Kids 3RD FANMEETING 'PILOT: FOR 5-STAR'' at the KSPO DOME in Songpa-gu, Seoul, from July 1st to 2nd. Making their first appearance at the KSPO DOME for a fan meeting, the group is set to create unforgettable memories with their fans.

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