Stray Kids Make History at Japan's Gold Disc Awards, Sweeping Four Trophies — a Record for Any Foreign Act
No overseas artist had ever won four awards in a single year at Japan's Gold Disc Awards. On March 11, Stray Kids became the first.
The Recording Industry Association of Japan announced winners for the 40th Japan Gold Disc Award, and the K-pop group dominated the Asian division. They took Best Asian Artist - given to the top-selling Asian act in Japan across the calendar year - and added Album of the Year (Asia) and Best 3 Albums (Asia) for their third Japanese mini-album Hollow, released in June 2025. A fourth trophy came in the Music Video of the Year (Asia) category for the Blu-ray of their 2024 fan event Stray Kids Fan Connecting 2024 "SKZ TOY WORLD." The awards are based on net physical sales and streaming data from January 1 through December 31, 2025.
It was a fitting close to a year that redrew the boundaries of what a K-pop act could accomplish commercially. In November, DO IT debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, making Stray Kids the first act in the chart's nearly 70-year history to open all eight of their entries at the top spot. The streak dates to Oddinary in 2022 and runs through Maxident, 5-Star, Rock-Star, ATE, HOP, KARMA, and DO IT - eight consecutive chart-toppers, a record no other group has matched.
The IFPI's 2025 annual rankings reinforced the same picture. Their fourth studio album KARMA finished No. 2 on the Global Album Sales Chart with 3.49 million units sold, the highest position ever reached by a K-pop album. Only Taylor Swift's The Life of a Showgirl sold more. On the Global Artist Chart, Stray Kids ranked No. 2 overall - the only K-pop act in the top 10 - and KARMA placed No. 6 on the streaming-inclusive Global Album Chart.
The group has a packed schedule ahead. They'll hold their sixth official fan meeting, STAY in Our Little House, at Inspire Arena in Incheon across four dates: March 28-29 and April 4-5. Festival appearances follow in June at The Governors Ball in New York and in September at Rock in Rio in Brazil.
