| ISTJ | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 17, 2023 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 33:04 | |||
| Language | Korean | |||
| Label | ||||
| NCT Dream chronology | ||||
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| NCT chronology | ||||
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| Singles from ISTJ | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| NME |   [3] |
ISTJ is the third studio album by South Korean boy band NCT Dream. Released on July 17,2023,by SM Entertainment through Kakao Entertainment,the album consists of 10 tracks and is supported by the singles "Broken Melodies" and "ISTJ".
On June 13,2023,SM Entertainment announced that NCT Dream would be making a comeback with a new studio album,ISTJ,on July 17,seven months after their previous release, Candy . The album also follows the conclusion of the group's The Dream Show 2:In A Dream concert tour. [1] ISTJ was confirmed to have 10 tracks,including the lead single "Broken Melodies",which was released on June 19. [4] NCT Dream began promotions for ISTJ with performances of "Broken Melodies" on music programs such as M Countdown , Music Bank , Show! Music Core ,and Inkigayo . [5] A preview and track video of the song "Poison" was released on July 7. [6] The title track,"ISTJ",served as the second single,was released on the same day as the album. [7] The song was accompanied by a colorful music video,which features the group members being transported to "MBTI World". [8]
The name of the album refers to one of the 16 Myers–Briggs Type Indicators,a personality type characterized by introversion,sensing,thinking and judging. [9]
The opening and title track,"ISTJ" is a hip hop dance song,expressing desire to deviate from the stereotypes of MBTI personality types. [10] Specifically,the song is written from the perspective of an ENFP individual and directed towards an opposite-personality ISTJ individual. [11] The second track,and the lead single,"Broken Melodies" is a solemn pop song,with the accompanying music video featuring calls at a phone booth and depicting the struggles of a long-term relationship. [12] [13] "Yogurt Shake" is a sweet melodic song characterized by harmonic vocals. [3] The fifth track,"Blue Wave",is a bright and rhythmic pop song,acting as a sequel to "Dive into You",a song from a previous album,Hot Sauce. [10] It also features sounds of a pan flute and fast-paced lyrics. [14] "Poison" is a sensual R&B song,conveying contradictory feelings of love, [6] while "SOS" is a powerful hip hop dance song characterized by synth sounds. [10] "Pretzel" is a futuristic hip hop song,featuring electronic synths,while "Starry Night" features sounds of an acoustic guitar and trap beats. [3] The final song of the album,"Like We Just Met" is a slow ballad written by all members of the group and expresses the group's desire to stay with their fans forever. [3] [10]
On July 17,the album's preorders surpassed 4.2 million copies,a new record for NCT Dream. [15] [14] In the first week of release,the album sold over 3.65 million copies,becoming the third highest selling album in its first-week in South Korea. [16] It also marked the third-largest sales week for albums in South Korea,according to the sales numbers on the Hanteo Chart. [17] In the United States,"Blue Wave" became NCT Dream's first number one on Billboard's Hot Trending Songs. [18]
According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI)'s Global Music Report for 2023,ISTJ was the sixth most-consumed album across all formats,and the third best-selling album worldwide,having sold 4.6 million units. [upper-alpha 1] [19] [20]
| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Circle Chart Music Awards | 2024 | Artist of the Year –Album | Won | [21] |
| Digital Album of the Year | Won | |||
| Golden Disc Awards | 2024 | Album Bonsang | Won | [22] |
| MAMA Awards | 2023 | Album of the Year | Nominated | [23] |
| Melon Music Awards | 2023 | Album of the Year | Nominated | [24] |
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Arrangement | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "ISTJ" | Kenzie |
|
| 3:05 |
| 2. | "Broken Melodies" |
|
| 3:46 | |
| 3. | "Yogurt Shake" | Wutan |
| Bullock | 3:17 |
| 4. | "Skateboard" | Suan (153/Joombas) |
| S. Thott | 3:06 |
| 5. | "Blue Wave" (파랑; Palang [lit. 'Blue']) | Jo Yoon-kyung |
| Arreaga | 3:10 |
| 6. | "Poison" (모래성; Molaeseong [lit. 'Sand Castle']) | Jang Jung-won (Jam Factory) |
| Moonshine | 3:32 |
| 7. | "SOS" | Rick Bridges |
| 1-800-Rudeboy | 2:59 |
| 8. | "Pretzel (♡)" | Jang |
|
| 3:25 |
| 9. | "Starry Night" (제자리 걸음; Jejali Geol-eum [lit. 'Walking in Place']) | Jang Eun-jung |
| HRDR | 3:10 |
| 10. | "Like We Just Met" |
| Allegro | 3:29 |
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Arrangement | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Broken Melodies" (with Jvke) |
|
| 3:46 | |
| Total length: | 36:53 | ||||
AlbumWeekly charts
| Monthly charts
Year-end charts
|
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Global 200 ( Billboard ) [47] | 179 |
| Hungary (Single Top 40) [48] | 28 |
| Indonesia ( Billboard ) [49] | 16 |
| Japan (Japan Hot 100) [50] | 83 |
| South Korea (Circle) [51] | 28 |
| UK Singles Downloads (OCC) [52] | 12 |
| UK Singles Sales (OCC) [53] | 13 |
| US World Digital Song Sales ( Billboard ) [54] | 8 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Japan (RIAJ) [55] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| South Korea (KMCA) [56] | 3× Million | 3,000,000^ |
| South Korea (KMCA) [57] Nemo version | 2× Platinum | 500,000^ |
| South Korea (KMCA) [58] SMC version | Platinum | 250,000^ |
| Summaries | ||
| Worldwide (IFPI) | — | 4,600,000 [20] |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | July 17, 2023 | ||
| Various | |||
| United States | August 18, 2023 | CD | SM |
| Europe | |||
| Latin America | |||
| Australia | |||
| New Zealand | |||
| United Kingdom | September 15, 2023 |
The discography of the South Korean boy group NCT consists of four studio albums and thirteen singles. The multi-national boy group was formed by SM Entertainment in 2016 and comprises multiple sub-units that occasionally reunite to release new music as NCT and NCT U. In 2018, the group released their first studio album, NCT 2018 Empathy, which peaked at number two on South Korea's Circle Album Chart and received a 2× platinum certification, awarded by the Korea Music Content Association (KMCA). Their next album, NCT 2020 Resonance, was released in two parts, which topped the Circle Album Chart, earning NCT their first number-one in the country. Both parts sold over 1.5 million copies and were certified Million by the KMCA. The album became NCT's first entry on national charts in Canada, Hungary, the Flanders and the United States. One of its lead singles, "Make a Wish", reached number 14 on the Circle Digital Chart, becoming NCT's first top 15 hit in South Korea, and peaked at number 126 the Billboard 200, becoming NCT's first song to enter the chart. In 2021, the group released Universe, which became their third number-one album in South Korea and first number-one album in Japan. NCT released their fourth studio album, Golden Age, in 2023.
NCT Dream is the third sub-unit of the South Korean boy band NCT, formed by SM Entertainment in 2016. They were initially intended to be the teenaged unit of NCT with an admission-and-graduation system, in which members would leave after reaching age of majority, prior to re-branding in 2020. The sub-unit debuted on August 25, 2016, with the single "Chewing Gum" and a lineup of seven members—Mark, Renjun, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, Chenle, and Jisung—whose average age was 15.6 years old. In late 2018, the group's leader, Mark, graduated from NCT Dream but returned in 2020 when the group began promoting as a fixed seven-member group.
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). He made his solo debut in February 2024 with his eponymous extended play.
South Korean boy band NCT 127 have released five studio albums, four reissues, three live albums, one single album, seven extended plays, and nineteen singles. To date, NCT 127 have earned ten number-one albums and two number-one singles in South Korea.
South Korean girl group (G)I-dle have released two studio albums, nine extended plays, one single album and fourteen digital singles. They have also participated in six collaboration songs and two soundtrack contributions.
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We Boom is the third extended play of South Korean–Chinese boy band NCT Dream, the third and teen-aged sub-unit of the South Korean boy band NCT. Released by SM Entertainment and Dreamus digitally on July 26, 2019, and later physically three days later, the EP consists of six tracks, and is the first release of the unit to not contain any Mandarin version for the lead single. SM founder Lee Soo-man continued as the release's executive producer, while several songwriters and producers, such as Ryan S. Jhun, Yoo Young-jin, Sonny J Mason, Deez, Moonshine, Cazzi Opeia, Benjamin Ingrosso, Livvi Franc, Louis Schoorl, Bobii Lewis, Jamil `Digi` Christmas, MZMC, and others, contributed both lyrics and production to the extended play. It was the unit's first major release as a sextet, following the graduation of member Mark in December 2018.
Lee Tae-yong, known mononymously as Taeyong, is a South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter, and dancer. He is a member and leader of South Korean boy band NCT under SM Entertainment, having debuted in the group's first sub-unit, NCT U, in 2016 and becoming the leader of its second sub-unit, NCT 127, later that year. In 2019, he debuted as a member of the South Korean supergroup SuperM, a joint project under SM Entertainment and Capitol Records. As a songwriter, Taeyong has participated in writing over 40 songs in four languages, released mostly by NCT's various units and himself as a soloist. He made his official solo debut in June 2023 with his EP Shalala, making him the first soloist from NCT.
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| EPs | |
| Singles | |
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| One-off concerts | |
| Related articles | |
