𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐲 𝐤𝐢𝐝𝐬 𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫

intro: i am you

A/N: Hey guys, so I had a quick question to ask. If I didn't write about the third season of The 9th would it confuse anyone? I wrote about every other season but I just can't think of anything interesting to write for season 3 at the moment. I may write about it in the future, but I'm currently considering leaving it out. I'm just wondering if it would be weird or confusing if I missed out only one season?
Aside from that, we're finally onto the I Am You era!

"Annyeonghaseyo! Our third mini album I Am You has finally been released!" You do a small cheer and clap, before mumbling to yourself with a little giggle, "I guarantee you someone is going to introduce themselves by saying 'I am Groot'." The staff members sitting behind the camera chuckle quietly at your statement, confirming your thoughts.
Chan: "I am Groot!"

You guys began by speaking about what the album means in its entirety.
Byeol: "In this album we are able to find the answer that we've been looking for about our true identities. I Am Not was where we were recognising that we aren't ourselves, while I Am Who was about us trying to figure out who we are."
Changbin: "Now, in I Am You, we have finally found the answer we were looking for about who we really are."

Jisung: "The 'you' we are referring to in this album has many different meanings."
Byeol: "It could be the 'you' we see reflected back at us when we look in the mirror."
Seungmin: "Those who left a good influence on the path of our dreams is 'you'."
Changbin: "It could also be the other people around us who helped us pursue our dreams, and thanks to those people we are able to aim for more ambitious goals and feel encouraged throughout the process. That's the overall message that we wanted to get across though this album."

Chan: "I still don't completely know who I am, and I'm still learning and trying to figure that out, while those who guided me through the process are around me and are also helping me to search for the answer."
Changbin: "I didn't get all this way and come this far by myself. I was only able to get here thanks to the people around me, there's only so much I can really do on my own. But if I'm with somebody who helps and supports me I can overcome the limits and hardships I face and go even higher, and in the process find out more about myself and what type of person I am."

The first song you all spoke about was Get Cool, a song for which you wrote the lyrics for the chorus.
"I love Get Cool, it's such a fun and upbeat song that can really cheer you up. With this song we wanted to reflect the simple situations that could bring a person joy, and it's just a really cute song where we talk about the little things that can bring us happiness. I think it just really teaches you to see the brighter side of things, and to be grateful for what you have. Also, Jeongin oppa starts this song and I think his part is so cute! It's just a song that can bring a smile to your face."

Jeongin: "There's a part where Byeollie and I cheer together, and it was so fun to record."
"They're both so cute," Jisung says and gushes for a few moments.

Chan: "We wanted to have a part of the song where we express our maknaes happiness because that is, after all, what this entire song is all about, and what better than to have our happy viruses doing that part. They're both really cheery so we thought it would be the perfect ad-lib to add to the song, and it just reminds us about how joyful they both are all the time."
Felix: "They're both the stars of this song, definitely."
Byeol: "We really hope you enjoy this song as much as we enjoyed making it, because it's so fun and it puts all of us into a really good mood whenever we hear it."

When the staff members prompt you to talk about your favourite songs of the album, you immediately perk up.
"I loved 0325 and I Am You the most on this album. I just think the lyrics are so meaningful to our group as a whole. We were all thinking of STAY while we recorded I Am You in particular, as though we were singing to someone we love. I think the lyrics can be viewed as quote romantic to be honest, and they're really beautiful in my opinion."
Hyunjin: "Byeol wrote some lyrics for the songs on this album. She wrote the first verse and the chorus of I Am You, and for 0325 she wrote the chorus and the first part of the second verse."
Chan: "0325 refers to the date of our debut, when our lives really started. It's the day that marked the beginning for Stray Kids, and the message we tried to show in this song was that from now on we will keep working hard for our dreams."

Byeol: "Channie oppa created something really cool with this album everyone! Actually, NOT!, WHO?, and YOU. are all one song. 0325 has been ready to use from the beginning, but we all thought it went best with the I Am You concept so we waited until now to release the whole song."
Chan: "We decided to split it into three intro songs, and those actually combine to become 0325. We thought it was a fun idea and a nice way to release a section of the song we were excitedly waiting to show you, so the fans were able to hear all parts of the song before listening to the final one which is 0325. It talks about how this is only the start for us, and we aim to work really hard from now on."
Byeol: "It's a very unique and experimental song so it's a little different from what you might have heard before, but we hope it can surprise you in a good way because it's an amazing song and is one of my favourites on this album."

"We also have our bonus track called Mixtape #3 which is originally a 3RACHA song titled For You, and it was slightly rearranged for this album," you start with a smile, "I loved this song when I first heard it during our pre-debut days, so I was really excited when I found out it would be released as our next mixtape. All nine of us wrote the lyrics for this song."
Chan: "Students are working hard for their college entrance exams at this time of year, so I hope this song can cheer them up and give them a lot of strength."
Byeol: "I love the phrase 'blessings wait for you' because it's saying that good things will come to you if you just have patience and faith in the fact that things will get better and will all work out in the end. We hope STAYs can feel comforted by this song if they're going through a difficult time, and that they can gain a lot of hope and strength from it."

The nine of you were in the practice room stretching individually to prepare yourselves for dance rehearsals. You had been trying to improve your flexibility recently so you were doing the splits on the ground while stretching, before massaging your hand a little and placing your wrist support on after you finished warming up.

You giggled when you stood up and ran over to Minho, who was doing push ups, and leaned onto his back. He remained on the floor, laughing at your excitement.

Minho: I think the choreography for I Am You is really beautiful and it has really cool formations, along with a perfect group dance.
Byeol: "I had a lot of fun learning the dance for this song because I think the moves are really pretty. They're very strong, but at the same time graceful and beautiful," you giggled in embarrassment at the realisation that what you said had made no sense, but continued speaking anyways, "the choreography is a lot more detailed this time, but it was really fun to learn and I think STAY will be pleasantly surprised when they see it. It was difficult to learn this time because there are so many fine details and so many little things to take note of, but once you see it all put together it's really satisfying and definitely worth the effort."

Chan: "The preparations for this album were really difficult and exhausting because we were really busy and had a tight schedule, but we had each other so we were able to get through it. I'm thankful to my members for that, because they were able to keep up and stay calm even during tough situations. We started off with absolutely nothing but now a lot of people listen to our music and tell us that it gives them strength, or that our songs have changed a certain part of their lives."
Byeol: "I think the amazing support we've received for our music is what gives us the motivation to keep going and working hard. It makes us realise that the challenges we face are all worth it, because in the end we are able to make other people happy and give them hope and help them with their struggles through our music. It encourages us to keep going."
Chan: "I'm really grateful to the people who listen to Stray Kids' music, and it's for those people that we have to work harder, and keep enjoying ourselves."

"We just want to thank you all for being the reason we work hard and do what we do, and we hope you continue to follow us on our journey as Stray Kids. Please look forward to our third mini album, I Am You, and the music we hope to release in the future. We love you STAY!"