Hellevator (M/V) by Stray Kids

Stray Kids Hellevator MV

JYP Entertainment has done it again. This amazing 9 member group has blown away the K-pop industry with their pre-debut music video for their song “Hellevator”. On October 6, 2017 the music video was released and now has almost 10 million views on YouTube.
The song as well as the music video has a darker image that the K-pop industry isn’t as used to as
other types of songs. 7 out of 9 of the members are wearing black, where the other 2 are wearing white, to make them stand out. Throughout the music video, they edited it by putting red filters during the chorus and when the members are dancing. When they recorded the music video, it was already a little dark outside and then it turned to night. The message of “Hellevator” itself is a quite deep and emotional message. It states that them going up the social ladder to become an idol in Korea is very difficult, almost impossible, and you must work and dedicate your entire life to become one.

The name of the song contributes to the message and theme because going up the ‘elevator’ to become an idol is like ‘hell’, hence the name “Hellevator”. The melody of the song is almost like a ballad mixed with hip hop and pop, a slow and harder feel.
The choreography of the song displayed in the music video is extremely fitting for the type of song almost perfectly expressing the song. The creator of the choreography is one of the members of Stray Kids named Lee Minho, who was a background dancer for the infamous BTS. The dance is simple, yet masterful at the same time, making many people want to learn the dance for themselves. A really amazing thing about the choreography is that all 9 members are in sync, which many find very satisfying. The choreography is a quick and graceful one that makes people think that they are ‘fallen angels’. The choreography shows how hard the members dedicate to the music industry because it’s obvious that Stray Kids members worked day and night to perfect it.
The lyrics not only come to life with the music, but also contribute to the dark image that 9 16-20 year old men created for themselves. The meaningful lyrics such as “people tell me that this kind of suffering is just a passing storm”, “they say give up your foolish dreams”, and “Although I reach my hand out, no one is there to hold it” all give you a punch in the heart, making you feel emotional when you hear them. When you listen to the lyrics or read the subtitles (as many international K-pop fans do), you start to get a sense of understanding of what the members are having to go through at such a young age. I think that the lyrics are not only representing them, but also the thousands of trainees in Korea working so hard just to debut.
Overall, the song reflects the member’s feelings towards them debuting and what they suffer through. The song has a very dark and extremely charismatic feel to it that so many people have fallen for already. I have a hunch that in the future, they are going to become huge and actually sing about important topics.