Career
2012–2016:Pre-debut
In 2012,Mark joined SM Entertainment as a trainee after passing the SM Global Audition in Vancouver,Canada. On December 16,2013,he was introduced as a member of SM Rookies,a pre-debut team of trainees under SM Entertainment. [4] As a part of the SM Rookies program,in October 2014,he and several of his co-members appeared on the Mnet-produced Exo 90:2014 ,a show starring labelmates Exo –where they perform dances to K-pop songs from the 1990s. [5]
In 2015,Mark and other SM Rookies members starred as Mouseketeers in a Korean revival of The Mickey Mouse Club ,which aired on Disney Channel Korea. The show included musical performances,games,and skits,similar to the original American show. [6] It aired from July 23 to December 17,2015,hosted by Leeteuk of Super Junior. [7]
2016–2018:NCT and solo endeavors
In April 2016,SM Entertainment confirmed that Mark and four other members of SM Rookies—Taeyong,Doyoung,Ten and Jaehyun—would debut as members of NCT's first sub-unit,NCT U. They released their first digital single on April 9,titled "The 7th Sense",in which he and Taeyong participated in songwriting. [8] Three months later,SM Entertainment announced that Mark would become a member of NCT's second sub-unit,NCT 127,along with Taeyong,Taeil,Yuta,Jaehyun,Winwin and Haechan. NCT 127 made their official debut with the extended play NCT #127 and title track "Fire Truck" on July 10,2016. [9]
Mark also joined NCT's third sub-unit,NCT Dream,which consisted of members Renjun,Jeno,Haechan,Jaemin,Chenle and Jisung. The group officially debuted on August 24,2016,with the single "Chewing Gum". The following month,Mark featured on Henry Lau's "Going Through Your Heart",an original soundtrack for the KBS drama, Sweet Stranger and Me . [10] This marked his first solo endeavour since his debut in NCT.
In January 2017,Mark joined High School Rapper ,a survival hip hop reality TV show that aired on Mnet. [11] He advanced to the finals and performed an original song,"Drop" featuring labelmate Seulgi of Red Velvet,and placed seventh overall. [12] In July 2017,Mark collaborated with Exo's Xiumin on single "Young &Free". It was released through Season 2 of SM Entertainment's digital music project SM Station. [13] The same month,Mark appeared in the first season of the music variety show Snowball Project. He teamed up with Parc Jae-jung to release "Lemonade Love" on July 21,also through SM Station,which was produced by former labelmate Henry Lau and Yoon Jong-shin. [14]
Beginning in February 2018,Mark served as one of the main hosts of the music program Show! Music Core ,leaving in January 2019 to focus on his activities with NCT 127. [15] In May 2018,he became a regular cast member on the MBC reality TV show It's Dangerous Beyond The Blankets . [16] In October 2018,Mark released the song "Dream Me" with Red Velvet's Joy for the soundtrack of the KBS drama The Ghost Detective. Mark was the first member to officially graduate from NCT Dream on December 31,2018. [17]
2019–present:SuperM and rejoining NCT Dream
On August 7,2019,Mark was confirmed as a member of SuperM –a supergroup created by SM Entertainment in collaboration with Capitol Records. The group began promoting in October of that year in the American music market. [18] [19] SuperM's self-titled debut EP was released on October 4,2019,led by the single "Jopping". [20] Mark continued to promote with SuperM throughout 2020,through the release the group's first studio album, Super One . On April 14,SM Entertainment announced through an official statement that Mark would be rejoining NCT Dream,thus abolishing their original age-based graduation system. [21] [22] [23] His return was affirmed through his participation in the NCT Dream song "DéjàVu" on the group-wide studio album NCT 2020 Resonance . [24]
On January 28,2022,it was announced that Mark would release his first single,"Child". Specifically,it was set to be released on February 4,as part of NCT Lab . [25] "Child",described as an emotional hip-hop track,was commended for its lyrics. [26]
On March 30,2023,it was announced that Mark would release his new solo song and second single,"Golden Hour",on April 7,as part of NCT Lab. [27] "Golden Hour" described as a hip-hop genre song that combines impactful guitar and drum sounds and flashy rapping and also a self-produced song. The song featured lyrics referencing a highly memed Twitter review from the celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay for fried eggs he made on It's Dangerous Beyond the Blanket. [28]
On May 16,2024,Mark announced the start of his solo album,set to be released in February 2025,with a digital single titled "200." The new song "200" is a drum &bass track based on rock sounds,featuring a captivating blend of early 2000s electric guitar sounds and lyrical melodies. The lyrics convey the meaning of love,describing how two people make each other shine brighter and how their relationship becomes more perfect when they are together. [29]
On December 11,2024,it was confirmed that Mark would release his new single,"Fraktsiya",featuring Lee Young-ji,along with a music video. The single "Fraktsiya" is a hip-hop track defined by its powerful 808 bass and highly repetitive synthesizer sounds over a house-style chord progression. 'Fraktsiya,' which means 'spy' in Russian,is referenced in the lyrics to describe Mark and Lee Young-ji's experiences navigating between K-pop and hip-hop. The comparison highlights their ability to move between the two genres like 'spies,' showcasing their confidence and skill in delivering impressive performances across both fields. [30] Subsequently,the release of his solo album,originally scheduled for February 2025,was postponed to April 2025,with SM Entertainment stating that the delay was to 'ensure better quality'. [31]
Mark's debut studio album,The Firstfruit,was released on April 7,2025. [32] The album featured the lead single titled "1999". [33]
