Stray Kids is making waves once again! For the second year in a row, the K-pop powerhouse has been nominated at the prestigious 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards, further solidifying their global influence.

On January 22, 2025, iHeartRadio announced that Stray Kids has been nominated in the "K-pop Song of the Year" category for their track "Chk Chk Boom" from their mini album ATE, which dropped in July 2024.

This marks their second consecutive nomination at the awards, after winning "K-pop Album of the Year" at last year’s event with their album ★★★★★ (5-STAR). Now, with "Chk Chk Boom" up for "K-pop Song of the Year," Stray Kids continues to prove their massive global popularity and impact.

The iHeartRadio Music Awards have been recognizing the top artists and songs since 2014, based on how much they've been played across iHeartRadio's vast network. The 2025 ceremony will take place on March 17, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, U.S.

Stray Kids’ year was full of groundbreaking achievements. In December 2024, they made history with SKZHOP HIPTAPE '合 (HOP)' debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart—making it the first time they debuted at the top spot. Not only that, but they’ve now placed six albums consecutively at No. 1 on the chart. Plus, with over 30 million copies shipped across their albums in Korea and Japan, they continue to break records globally.

Both ATE and 合 (HOP) also ranked in the top 10 of U.S. Top CD Album Sales in Luminate's 2024 Year-End Music Report, marking the third consecutive year Stray Kids has had two albums in this category.

Looking ahead, Stray Kids shows no signs of slowing down! After kicking off their world tour in Hong Kong this January, they’ll head to Latin America, North America, and Europe for a stadium tour starting in March. Before that, they’ll hold their fifth official fan meeting, SKZ 5'CLOCK, in Incheon, Korea, from February 14-16.

Stray Kids is on fire, and 2025 is shaping up to be another huge year for them.

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IU recently revealed that she watched her own concert film in a public theater, but shockingly, no one recognized her—even when she dropped a hint!

On February 27, a new video featuring IU was released, showing her inside a car on her way to Daejeon.

She excitedly shared, “This is a surprise stage greeting for UAENA! I picked this location through a ladder game when I did stage greetings.”

Previously, IU had let fate decide which city she would visit after her stage greetings. She happily said, “There are UAENAs everywhere I go. Wherever I go, it's a flowery path.” The game ultimately led her to Daejeon.

IU originally hoped to explore the city, saying, “I wanted to visit Daejeon's pride, Sung Sim Dang, and walk around, but my team said it wouldn’t be possible. The lines are too long, and it’s freezing outside.” She sighed, adding, “So, things turned out this way.”

Dressed up for the occasion, IU smiled, saying, “I don’t get to meet UAENAs in Daejeon often, so I wanted to make a surprise appearance looking my best.”

She also joked about enjoying surprise events, adding, “As long as Hanteo oppa drives me safely, I’m happy.”

But what really caught fans' attention was IU’s unexpected confession—she had secretly watched her concert film in a theater, but no one noticed her! “No one recognized me at all. There weren’t that many people, and it was a weekday… but still! I even gave a hint!” she said, sounding both amused and surprised.

Later, when IU finally appeared at the theater, her fans were overwhelmed with emotion. Some even burst into tears, prompting her to gently say, “You really didn’t expect me to come, right?”

After wrapping up her stage greeting, IU laughed at herself, saying, “Wait, did I just do a 40-minute one-woman show? I must have talked so much.”

On her way back to Seoul, IU reflected on the day, sharing, “It was so cold today. I shook hands with all the UAENAs. My hands are usually cold, and since the weather was freezing, I think I made a lot of people’s hands cold, too. But after touching so many warm hands, mine became warm, too. I still haven’t washed them.”

Her love for her fans truly knows no bounds!

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