“Hollow” – Stray Kids Explores Loneliness in new Japanese single
Photos: JYP Entertainment
On June 18, 2025, Stray Kids released their new track “Hollow.” Driven by rock-electronic sounds and a dark and poetic visual aesthetic, this track, sung in Japanese, captivates with its heavy and nostalgic atmosphere. This track is part of their third Japanese mini-album, Hollow.
TRACKLIST – Hollow ＜収録曲＞
1. “Hollow”
2. “Parade”
3. “Never Alone”
4. “just a little”
5. “宿命”
6. “Hollow (Instrumental) ※FC限定盤のみ収録”
HOLLOW, AN EMOTIONAL DIVE
"Hollow" – which means "empty" or "hollow" – is a plunge into a state of profound loneliness. The lyrics don't primarily speak of a romantic void, but rather an existential and emotional void, most likely linked to the life experience of an idol or individual in an oppressive system. It's about a lack of authentic connection, hidden behind the glare of fame.
In the music video, Stray Kids move in an austere and dark setting, as if everything is happening "behind the curtain." We discover a cold and impersonal room, similar to a graduation or awards ceremony, where hooded figures embody anonymous authority. Instead of a diploma, the members receive a luminous jewel that is placed around their necks: dazzling and blinding, this jewel symbolizes a distinction, like military or royal orders.
This stage effect is a choice; this jewel blinds the viewer, it dazzles and plays on the contrast between the dazzling light and the control it conceals. This jewel is a symbolic chain rather than an honor, a sign of belonging, of hidden possession.
In “Hollow,” the lyrics express a deep unease and a feeling of being manipulated, emptied, and controlled. The visual elements do not glorify social success, but criticize it by giving the illusion of recognition (diploma, jewel) while the members are manipulated like puppets, lost, and internally dying.
The ceremony in “Hollow” functions as an allegory for an oppressive system: it transforms a moment meant to represent success or honor into a symbol of conformity, emptiness, and loss of self. A subtle but powerful critique of social pressure, the molding of individuals, and the way in which we often sacrifice our own voice to fit into an externally valued mold.
LOSS OF ENERGY: DEHUMANIZATION
One of the most powerful moments in “Hollow's” music video takes place in a stylized urban setting: the Stray Kids members wander among signs, metal buckets, and spheres. These luminous spheres are eagerly collected by the members and placed in buckets, as if they were being collected, standardized, or even commercialized.
At the center of this sequence: Lee Know reaches into Han's chest to extract his luminous sphere. This symbolic gesture evokes the idea of removing something essential – the soul, the heart, sincerity, or life energy. Once this light is removed, Han becomes an empty shell: his movements are mechanical, and he eventually collapses. This suggests a critical reading of the system surrounding idols, or individuals in general: their light, their creativity, their emotion are harvested until nothing remains, as if they were monetizable resources.
This scene illustrates a critique of the system surrounding idols, or more broadly, of the society that extracts creativity, emotion, and energy from individuals until they are drained, as if they were monetizable resources. This sequence is a powerful metaphor for burnout, dehumanization, and modern society's demand to give oneself entirely until one has nothing left to offer.
I.N’S FALL: AWAKENING
Towards the end of the video, I.N. falls abruptly to the ground with what appears to be a parachute that hasn't opened. Instead of saving him, the ropes have become tangled around his neck, preventing him from breathing and strangling him. This parachute never opened: it didn't slow his fall.
On the ground, I.N. crawls in a desperate effort and tries to pick up one of these luminous spheres, a symbol of soul or energy. But instead of light, the sphere shatters in his hands, leaving only a trail of blood. This moment marks the realization that what he is seeking to recover – his strength, his light, his heart – is lost or irreparably damaged. The blood here embodies a tangible and profound pain.
BEHIND THE CURTAIN
At the very end of the music video, after the music stops, we see the members of Stray Kids return to the other side of the curtain, leaving the dark and symbolic area where most of the video takes place. This curtain, very visually present, represents the separation between backstage and the stage, between what is shown to the audience (the idol, the performance) and what is experienced in silence (loneliness, emptiness). The entire video takes place backstage – in other words, in the invisible, the mental or emotional space hidden behind the perfect image.
As everyone returns to the front of the stage, Felix stops, turns around, and picks up some spheres lying on the floor, dull and lackluster. At that moment, a beam of light pierces the curtain. When he brings the spheres closer to this light, they begin to shine brightly again. This detail suggests that these spheres – symbols of their identity, their inner light – only truly illuminate when exposed to the spotlight, under the gaze of the audience. Backstage, when they are alone with themselves, far from the stage, these spheres are turned off.
The video ends with Felix's serious gaze, staring at the viewer. This gaze doesn't provide an answer, but invites us to question the deeper meaning of this light and the message hidden behind the curtain.
Edited by Cara Musashi