NCT will now have 6 soloists on their roster—5 of them from NCT 127.
NCT’s group concept has always been a hallmark of the K-pop industry. 26 members, 5 fixed sub-units (127, DREAM, WayV, DoJaeJung, WISH), and 1 rotational unit (NCT U). Now, their members are now branching out to solo careers that go beyond their NCT name.
With the Korean members of NCT, specifically from NCT 127, slowly beginning their mandatory military services, there had been talks of how the sub-unit would continue their career. However, despite all this negative lip service from different angles, NCT 127 has surprised the media (and the K-pop community) by continuing their activities with some members debuting as solo artists.
The first member of NCT (and NCT 127) to ever debut solo was Taeyong, who debuted in June 2023 with the EP, “Shalala”. He released his second EP “Tap” in February 2024, two months before he began his military service in the Navy as an active-duty soldier.
Doyoung was the second member of NCT 127 to debut, releasing his first studio album “Youth” in April 2024. He is currently on his solo concert tour titled “Dear Youth”, which began on May 25 to 27, 2024 in Seoul.
Despite not formally putting out his own studio album yet, Mark is the sub-unit’s next soloist. He released his pre-release digital single “200” in May 2024, and says that he plans on releasing his first solo album in February 2025. Mark has also previously released singles under the “NCT Lab” project, with “Child” being his first, released in February 2022, and “Golden Hour” released in April 2023.
Following the three previously mentioned soloists from NCT 127, SM Entertainment recently announced that Yuta and Jaehyun will make their solo debuts soon.
Yuta, NCT 127’s Japanese member, is set to debut in Japan in the second half of the year. Yuta will go on a showcase tour titled “HOPE” starting in October 2024. The tour will have nine shows in five cities in Japan: Fukuoka, Hyogo, Aichi, Tokyo, and Osaka.
Jaehyun, whose solo debut has been highly anticipated since his “NCT Lab” releases, “Forever Only” in August 2022, and “Horizon” a year later, is already building in the suspense for his solo debut on August 26, 2024. His first studio album “J,” is already hinted to be an R&B-heavy record, with some of his songs produced by Babyface, J.Que Smith, and Antonio Dixon.
South Korean media has already praised all of the members that already debuted solo for displaying a different color from their group’s image, adding to their already large appeal to the public.
With NCT 127 known for the kind of music they produce, the anticipation for their members’ solo debuts has also been quite high. It’s no surprise that the members themselves are excited to show off their talents and individuality in their own solo releases.
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