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Stray Kids released the teaser for their upcoming album 5-STAR's B-side track DLC (Dance Like Crazy) on May 8, 2023. Fans were overjoyed to see the trailer for the track and enjoyed the one-plus-minute-long teaser. However, they were even more excited when they found out that Stray Kids' new video was directed by renowned openly gay director Novvkim. The director is known for his many works that take the queer lens.
The director, also known as Kim Hyun-jae, is quite popular in the industry for various collaborations with groups like STAYC, SUPERKIND, and also some Stray Kids' music videos.
While STAYs were excited about the teaser, many of them pointed out that several aspects and parts of the teaser hinted at LGBTQ+ relationships. They said that they could also see the shots from the teaser resembling images from a famous LGBTQ+-inspired movie, Billy Elliot.
As they continued to ponder over the song's theories, fans were filled with pride when they learned about the inclusive edge that the group will be taking with this comeback. One fan even said that to them it seemed like the song DLC was "officially for the gays."
STAYs find references to Billy Elliot, love Stray Kids' DLC music video giving off LGBTQ+ "vibes"
One of the factors that cemented STAYs' belief that Stray Kids' DLC could be LGBTQ+-inspired is discovering that the music video was filmed by Novvkim. The director is quite famous in the K-pop and Korean entertainment industry and has shot several pieces that took an LGBTQ+ angle.
Novvkim has previously worked with Stray Kids for many music videos like Bang Chan and Hyunjin's sub-unit song, Red Lights. This was another track that was speculated to be an LGBTQ+-inspired song. The director, originally known as Kim Hyun-jae, has put forth several works that dealt with exposing the queer lens and narrative.
Soon after the much-anticipated release of Stray Kids' DLC music video teaser, fans swarmed in to watch the same. They were excited as the album is the group's full-fledged comeback after almost two years.
However, upon viewing the teaser, their expectations for the album only rose several notches. While fans were impressed by the song and its music video's vibe in general, their analysis of the same only deepened their respect for the group.
Throughout DLC's teaser, there were hints that the song was most likely LGBTQ+-inspired. One of the scenes that fans particularly pointed out was the one where Bang Chan and Chang Bin are sitting at a cafe across from each other. Another scene fans analyzed was the one that had Han and Seungmin hanging on to one another, and yet another one was that of two hands grazing against each other.
As more fans started to spot the same, one even pointed out there were many references to the movie Billy Elliot. The boxing arena and the ballet dancers come as a direct reference to the movie. The film revolves around a young boy who wants to become a ballet dancer but his father and brother insist that he pick up boxing professionally.
Given how some fans believe that the song is inspired by the film, they expect DLC to adopt a similar concept.
With its long list of attractive factors, DLC naturally garnered much attention from not just STAYs but the K-pop fandom in general. The teaser now stands at an impressive view count of 1M and received over 481.2K likes. Fans have been quite excited about the official release of the music video and eagerly look forward to the same.
