SM Station is a digital music project by South Korean record label SM Entertainment. It undertook to release one digital single every Friday starting from February 3, 2016. The project's first season ended on February 3, 2017, with 52 songs. Its second season began on March 31, 2017, and concluded on April 6, 2018, with a total of 57 songs. In 2022, it introduced NCT Lab, a sub-project dedicated to individual projects for NCT members.
NCT is a South Korean boy band formed and managed by SM Entertainment. Introduced in January 2016, the group currently consists of 20 members and divided into five different sub-units: NCT U, NCT 127, NCT Dream, WayV, and NCT DoJaeJung. They are notable for their versatility in music, vocal and rap abilities, and powerful performances, and have been cited as K-pop's "most experimental boy band" due to their concept of having limitless members. As of May 2023, NCT has recorded more than 32 million album sales across all sub-units, making them the best-selling act under SM Entertainment and one of the best-selling K-pop artists of all-time.
SM Rookies is a pre-debut training team created by South Korean entertainment agency SM Entertainment in 2013, composed of trainees who have yet to join an idol group. From 2013 to 2018, the team officially introduced 30 members, with 27 of them later debuting in the groups: Red Velvet (4), NCT and its first four subunits (19), Aespa (1), Riize (2), and Lami as an actress.
NCT 127 is the first fixed and second overall sub-unit of the South Korean boy band NCT, formed and managed by SM Entertainment. They originally debuted on July 7, 2016, with their debut extended play NCT #127, with an original lineup of seven members: Taeil, Taeyong, Yuta, Jaehyun, Winwin, Mark, and Haechan. Three members Doyoung and Johnny joined the unit in December 2016, ahead of their second EP Limitless, while Jungwoo, the final member, was introduced in September 2018 ahead of their first studio album Regular-Irregular. They are known for their experimental hip hop-based music, which they refer to as "neo music", they are also noted for their vocal and rap abilities, as well as their choreographies and performances.
NCT #127 is the first extended play by NCT 127, the multi-national and Seoul-based sub unit of the unlimited boy band NCT. Following its announcement on July 1, SM Entertainment released it on July 10, 2016, with physical release on July 11, 2016. A heavily hip-hop and EDM influenced release, NCT #127 had the participation of the production team LDN Noise, Tay Jasper, Ylva Dimberg, Chris Wahle, Andreas Öberg, Timothy 'Bos' Bullock, Adrian McKinnon, MZMC, The Colleagues, Double Dragon, and others for both lyrics and production, while SM's founder, Lee Soo-man, was the EP's executive producer. With this release, NCT 127 became the first sub-unit to receive a major release. It was also the first and, currently, the only release of the group as a septet.
Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul, known professionally as Ten, is a Thai singer and dancer based in South Korea and China. He debuted with South Korean boy band NCT in 2016 as part of its first sub-unit, NCT U. Since 2019, he has been active mainly as a member of NCT's China-based unit WayV and the South Korean supergroup SuperM. Ten has also released several solo singles through the SM Station project: "Dream in a Dream" (2017), "New Heroes" (2018), "Paint Me Naked" (2021) and "Birthday" (2022).
Mark Lee, professionally known as Mark, is a Canadian rapper, singer and songwriter based in South Korea. He is a member of the South Korean boy band NCT and its fixed sub-units NCT 127 and NCT Dream, as well as the South Korean supergroup SuperM.
NCT 2018 Empathy is the debut studio album by South Korean Boy band NCT, an unlimited group project under the management of SM Entertainment. Containing a total of fourteen tracks with twelve of which were released as singles from 2016 to 2018, the album marked the first group release with eighteen members from three different units participating at the time, while being the first release to officially introduce three new members Kun, Jungwoo and Lucas. With the group's label founder Lee Soo-man serving as the executive producer, composition and production for the album was contributed by Matt Schwartz, Tommy $trate, The Stereotypes, Timothy 'Bos' Bullock, Deez, Yoo Young-jin, Ryan S. Jhun, MZMC, Adrian McKinnon, Shin Hyuk, Josh Cumbee, Andrew Choi, Sara Forsberg, LDN Noise, and others. It was released on March 14, 2018, by SM Entertainment and iriver Inc along with the album's fourth single "Touch" by the Seoul-based unit NCT 127 and "Black on Black", the first single featuring all eighteen members of the group at that time.
"Touch" is a song recorded by the South Korean, Seoul-based unit NCT 127 for their parental unlimited boy band NCT's first studio album NCT 2018 Empathy (2018). Co-produced by production team LDN Noise, Deez and Adrian McKinnon with lyrics from Jo Yoon-kyung, Kim Min-ji and Shin Jin-hye, the '90s-imbued tropical house track was released digitally on March 14, 2018, as the fourth single from Empathy by SM Entertainment with iRIVER Inc as the distributor. An accompanying music video was premiered a day prior to both the single and the album's scheduled digital release. The song was later re-recorded and released as the first single from the unit's first Japanese studio album Awaken (2019) on September 16, 2018 by Avex Trax.
Neo Zone is the second Korean studio album by the South Korean boy band NCT 127. Preceded by the music video release for "Dreams Come True" on NCT 127 Day, January 27 (1/27), the 13-track album was released through SM Entertainment and Capitol Music Group on March 6, 2020. Neo Zone contains various musical genres from hip hop, R&B, funk, to electro-pop, which aimed to create a soundscape that broadened the group's sonic vision. The repackaged version of the album, titled NCT #127 Neo Zone: The Final Round, was released on May 19, 2020.
"Kick It" is a song recorded by South Korean boy band NCT 127. The song was written by Wutan, Rick Bridges and Danke of Lalala Studio, while the music was composed by Dem Jointz, Deez, Mayila Jones, Rodnae "Chikk" Bell and Ryan S. Jhun, with the arrangement was handled by Jointz, Deez and Yoo Young-jin. Described as a "high-energy" song with "inspirational lyrics" that portrays the group's musical identity, it was released as the lead single from their second studio album Neo Zone on March 6, 2020 by SM Entertainment. An accompanying martial arts-themed music video premiered two days prior.
"The 7th Sense" is the debut single by South Korean boy group NCT U, the first sub-unit of NCT. It was released on April 9, 2016, through SM Entertainment. Musically, "The 7th Sense" was described as a future bass genre based on hip-hop grooves, with heavy bass sounds and dreamy vocals and rap.
Jeong Yun-o, professionally known as Jaehyun, is a South Korean singer, rapper, songwriter, television host, and actor. He is best known as a member of the South Korean boy group NCT and its sub-units NCT 127 and NCT DoJaeJung. Jaehyun is recognized as one of NCT's all-rounders for his unique baritone vocals and skills in rapping and dancing.
"Child" is a song recorded by South Korea-based Canadian singer Mark. It was released with an accompanying music video on February 4, 2022, as a part of NCT Lab. The song was written by Mark, Ron and Jane, who were joined in the composition by Dress. "Child" was described as an emotional hip hop track that expresses candidly Mark's worries throughout the lyrics.
Neo City – The Link was the second concert tour headlined by NCT 127, the Seoul-based sub-unit of South Korean boy group NCT, in support of their third studio album Sticker (2021) and fourth studio album 2 Baddies (2022). The tour ran from December 2021 until January 2023, with a total of 28 shows in 17 cities across Asia, North America, and Latin America. It recorded over 700,000 spectators from stadiums and arenas, making it NCT 127's biggest tour yet. It was the group's first in-person concert tour since Neo City – The Origin, two years prior, following the cancellation of Neo City – The Awards in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tour will be featured in the Disney+ documentary series NCT 127: The Lost Boys (2023).
2 Baddies is the fourth Korean-language studio album by South Korean boy band NCT 127. It was released on September 16, 2022, by SM Entertainment, and contains 12 tracks in a variety of genres, including the lead single of the same name. The album received positive reviews from critics, who praised the versatility of the tracks that range from hip hop to R&B. On January 30, 2023, the group released a repackaged version of 2 Baddies, titled Ay-Yo, which features three new tracks, including the lead single of the same name. The album has sold a total of 3.2 million copies, becoming NCT 127's second triple million-selling album following Sticker (2021).
"Forever Only" is a song recorded by South Korean singer Jaehyun. It was released on August 18, 2022, alongside an accompanying music video, as the fourth single of the NCT Lab project. The song was written by Jaehyun, Dewain Whitmore Jr., Ellie Suh, Micah Premnath, and producer Tido Nguyen. It is described as a guitar-driven R&B and pop track reminiscent of the 2000s. Inspired by the time Jaehyun spent in Milan, the lyrics express one's yearning for the person they love. It charted at number 120 on the Circle Digital Chart in South Korea, and at number 14 on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart in the United States. The song received positive reviews from critics, with praise for its composition and Jaehyun's vocal performance.
"2 Baddies" is a song recorded by South Korean boy band NCT 127. It was released as the lead single from their fourth studio album of the same name on September 16, 2022 by SM Entertainment. It was written by Sokodomo, Haeil, and Xinsayne, while production was handled by Aron Bergerwall, Louise Lindberg, Tony Ferrari, Parker James, Cazzi Opeia, Ellen Berg, and IMLAY. Described as an "intense hip-hop dance song", it features lyrics about achieving success by running towards one's goal regardless of the judgment of others. An accompanying music video was released a day prior.
NCT DoJaeJung is the fifth sub-unit of the South Korean boy band NCT, formed and managed by SM Entertainment. The group is composed of three members: Doyoung, Jaehyun, and Jungwoo. They debuted on April 17, 2023, with their extended play (EP) Perfume. They are recognized for their R&B music and all-vocal performance, which distinguish them from the other sub-units within NCT.
Perfume is the debut extended play (EP) by the South Korean boy band NCT DoJaeJung. It was released on April 17, 2023, by SM Entertainment, alongside its lead single of the same name. It is NCT DoJaeJung's first release, following initial participation as members of NCT and its sub-unit NCT 127. Consisting of six romantic songs, it features participation from multiple songwriters and producers, including MZMC, Styalz Fuego, LDN Noise, and others.
