[Review] Hold My Hand – HAN (Stray Kids)

Stray Kids recently made their comeback with their fourth studio album, KARMA, led by the title track CEREMONY. But I still have a backlog of song reviews that I have yet to post relating to Stray Kids, namely the solo tracks from their Hop mixtape and the unit tracks from their Mixtape: Dominate album. I have already made a start on this backlog, with HAN’s solo single from Hop, Hold My Hand, up next. For the other reviews of Stray Kids’ solo songs from the Hop mixtape, see the links below the music video.

If I were to pick an all-rounder in KPOP, HAN from Stray Kids is one of the idols I would definitely think of and perhaps even put forward as my ultimate pick. He is definitely known for his rapping, but he boasts a set of vocals that rivals the main vocalist of his group. Hold My Hand showcases both his rapping and singing spectacularly, alongside an explosive rock-based instrumental that is bound to get you out of your seat and just to ‘dance it out’ to. His rapping is energetic and has excellent flow, and adds to the dynamic flair that the electric guitar gives the song during the verses. But HAN really takes the cake with his soaring vocals in the choruses. I liked how you can tell he really pushed himself towards the end of the central piece of Hold My Hand via the way his vocals become raspy. It just gives off a nice texture in the song. Towards the end of Hold My Hand, through the line “‘Cause all I want is you, not your tears“, we hear the two forms of HAN’s delivery merge together as the vocals remind me of his rapping voice. Overall, I think my praise for Hold My Hand speaks to the fact that it is a strong contender for best song on HOP.

The lyrics of Hold My Hand speak to wanting to bring happiness (and not sadness) to the people he cares about, which some fans have theorised to be a continuation of his past SKZ-PLAYER songs – Alien and Human. In the music video (and this is just my theory), we see HAN struggle to place his own song on the jukebox machine, which causes him to feel anxious and as if he is letting down the people who depend on him. But he soon learns that his music doesn’t need to be on the jukebox. Instead, it needs to be expressed in his own way, which leads to him performing the song in the alleyway. It isn’t the easiest way, but it is a sure way to get his music out there.

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 8/10
Overall Rating – 9.2/10

I.N’s HALLUCINATION | SEUNGMIN’s As We Are | FELIX’s Unfair | HAN’s Hold My Hand
HYUNJIN’s So Good | CHANGBIN’s ULTRA | LEE KNOW’s YOUTH | BANG CHAN’s Railway