Happy Birthday Bang Chan: The boy who gave a start to 4th Gen powerhouse Stray Kids

Christopher Bang, fondly known by his stage name Bang Chan, has shot to massive fame in the past years. The Australia-raised leader of K-pop group Stray Kids has spent most of time in the studio wondering how far he along with his band's two main songwriters - HAN and Changbin, can push their horizons and hold a place in their fans' hearts. The journey to the glamorous world was not a cake walk as they came across incomprehensible hurdles. The result, however, has been one for the film that the boy has earned himself a title of one of the most sought-after artists in the South Korean music industry. 

Bang Chan's journey to become one of the most sought-after artists in the K-pop world

Bang Chan was just a teenager when one of the South Korea's biggest and long-established idol agencies, JYP Entertainment, gave him the huge opportunity to form Stray Kids from the company's trainees. After passing the audition in Sydney, Chan packed his bags to move houses to Seoul, South Korea, where he was born on October 3, 1997. 

As his fellow trainees debuted in now-popular groups of DAY6, TWICE and GOT7, Chan began producing small by writing, composing and producing his own music. It was in 2016 when he formed a unit with fellow trainees at JYPE, J.ONE (Han), and SPEARB (Changbin) to form 3RACHA as he took on the name CB97. 

They doubled down on the autonomy by handing the job of producing the South Korean group's music to him along with HAN and Changbin, who teamed up and quietly started out by uploading demo videos on Soudcloud under the name of 3RACHA. They went on to release three extended plays and several other songs on non-profitable music platforms as a trio. CB97 majorly covered ground with Chan's low tone rap and unique beats as he waited to become a part of another group and make his official debut. 

Later, the survival show, Stray Kids was announced where Chan led his fellow eight members. He often sacrificed his own screen time and lines to emphasize the importance of each team members. His music, finally, found its way to the heart of his listeners after he madde a debut as a part of Stray Kids starting with the pre-release EDM song, Hellevator. The singer has contributed hugely to music with a myriad of genres, singles, albums and others. 

The 24-year-old artist who rarely goes any interviews without his fellow members- I.N, Hyunjin, Seungmin, HAN, Changbin, Lee Know, and Felix, a fellow Australian. Speaking to Zoom, Chan, while sporting rosy pink hair, once stated, "I've never really gone in-depth into my life before. The K-pop idol is quite fluent in Korean with a broad Australian accent that still holds on. His Australian accent is loved by the Stray Kids' fans and followers (also known as STAY). Today, the man of many words and talents rings his 24th birthday.

Image: Instagram/@bangchan