Meet NCT, A Group Full Of Unlimited Visuals And Talents
Annyeong Chingu-deul!
Who has never heard about NCT? It’s a really big group that was formed by Lee So-Man, as the producer and the founder of SM Entertainment. NCT (엔시티), itself, stands for “Neo Culture Technology”. The name describes the group’s concept: that it will have an unlimited number of members. NCT consists of 21 members as of January 2019, and is divided into several sub-unit based on the concept, their ages, and their origins. NCT’s sub-units consist of NCT U, NCT 127, NCT Dream, and the latest one is WayV.
Before their official debut, they were already known as part of SM Rookies, and everyone had been waiting and very much anticipating their debut as NCT. But from their debut until now, many people are still confused about their concept and their member’s distribution. So now, Channel-Korea will discuss the overall picture of NCT.
Stay tuned, and let’s get started!
SR15B (SM Rookies 2015 Boys)
SM Rookies (에스엠루키즈) is a pre-debut training team created by South Korean entertainment agency SM Entertainment in 2013. It comprises young trainees who have yet to debut in an idol group. SR15B which means SM Rookies 2015 Boys is prepared to debut with NCT.
SR15B consists of 12 members, 11 of them successfully debuted with NCT while the last one, Hansol, made his debut with Newkidd under UNB Entertainment.
Here are some of their (SM Rookies) TV shows, songs recorded, and their short discography!
Songs recorded
Names in italics indicate other participated trainees at the time of the event.
| Song | Members | Year | Other performers | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| “Be Natural” | Irene, Seulgi, Wendy | 2014 | Joy | Sung originally by S.E.S., later released as a single and credited under the name Red Velvet. |
| “Open the Door” | Taeyong | |||
| “Bora-bit Hyanggi (Violet Fragrance)” | Yeri, Koeun, Hina, Herin, Jeesu, Winny (SM Town version) Koeun, Hina, Herin, Lami (Mickey Mouse Club version) |
2014 2015 |
Sung originally by Kang Su-ji, performed in SM Town Live World Tour IV (2014–15) and on the TV program Mickey Mouse Club (2015). | |
| “No No No No No” | Yeri, Koeun, Hina, Herin, Jeesu, Winny (SM Town version) Koeun, Hina, Lami (Mickey Mouse Club version) |
Sung originally by Ha Su-bin, performed in SM Town Live World Tour IV (2014–15) and on the TV program Mickey Mouse Club (2015). | ||
| “Hope” | Doyoung, Jaehyun, Johnny | 2014 | Chen (EXO) | Sung originally by H.O.T., cover song for the TV program Exo 90:2014 (2014), SM Town band instrumental version. |
| “I’m Your Girl” | Yeri, Koeun, Hina, Jeesu, Winny, Herin, Mark, Haechan | 2014 | Sung originally by S.E.S., cover song for the TV program Exo 90:2014 (2014) | |
| “Majimak Seungbu (The Last Game)” | Taeil | Sung originally by Kim Min-gyo, cover song for the TV program Exo 90:2014 (2014) | ||
| “Yeoreum An-eseo (In Summer)” | Koeun | 2014 | Seulgi (Red Velvet) | Sung originally by Deux, cover song for the TV program Exo 90:2014 (2014) |
| “Under the Sea” | Doyoung, Jaehyun, Yuta, Ten, Mark, Haechan, Jaemin, Jeno, Jisung (SM Rookies Show version) Koeun, Hina, Lami, Herin, Mark, Haechan, Jaemin, Jeno, Jisung (Mickey Mouse Club version) |
2015 2016 |
Korean version sung originally by The Grace, Super Junior, and Zhang Liyin; performed in the SM Rookies Show (2015–16) and Mickey Mouse Club (2015) | |
| “Shining Star” | Koeun, Hina, Ningning | 2017 | Song for the TV program Shining Star (2017) | |
| “Dream Dream Dream” | Koeun, Hina (Korean version), Yiyang (Chinese version), Ningning | |||
| “Checkmate” | Sung originally by Girls’ Generation-TTS, cover song for the TV program Shining Star (2017) | |||
| “Into the New World” | Sung originally by Girls’ Generation, cover song for the TV program Shining Star (2017) | |||
| “Ice Cream” | Sung originally by f(x), cover song for the TV program Shining Star (2017) | |||
| “Run & Run” | Song for the TV program Shining Star (2017) | |||
| “Someday” | 2018 | Song for the TV program Shining Star (2018) |
Television shows
| Year | Title | TV Network | Member(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Exo 90:2014 | Mnet | Hansol, Johnny, Taeyong, Yuta, Ten, Jaehyun, Mark, Haechan, Jeno, Jaemin, Jisung |
| 2015 | Show Champion | MBC Music | Doyoung and Jaehyun |
| Non-Summit | JTBC | Yuta | |
| Mickey Mouse Club | Disney Channel Korea | Ko-eun, Mark, Hina, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, Jisung, Herin, Lami Doyoung, Jaehyun (guest performers) |
|
| 2016 | NCT Life | Naver TV | Hansol (Season 1), Kun, Winwin (Season 2) |
| My SMT | Youku | Johnny (Regular MC from Episode 5) Yiyang, Koeun, Hina, Ningning (Who’s The Best? corner) |
Discography
| Title | Recorded by | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| “Because I Love You” | Wendy | 2014 | Mimi OST |
| “Butterfly” | Henry featuring Seulgi | Fantastic | |
| “Be Natural” | Red Velvet featuring Taeyong | Non-album release | |
| “Because of You” | Tae-il | 2015 | The Merchant: Gaekju 2015 OST |
| “Without You” (Chinese version) | NCT U with Kun | 2016 | NCT 2018 Empathy |
| “Switch” | NCT 127 featuring SR15B | NCT #127 |
NCT 127 (엔시티 127)
NCT 127 is the second sub-unit formed after NCT U. NCT 127 is a combination of Neo Culture Technology (which is their acronym and means that the members are unlimited) and the number 127, representing the longitudinal coordinates of Seoul, as this sub-unit is a Seoul-based unit of NCT.
NCT 127 was officially announced on July 1 with seven members (Taeyong, Taeil, Yuta, Jaehyun, Winwin, Mark, and Haechan), and made their debut on July 7, 2016, by appearing on the music program M Countdown performing their debut single “Fire Truck” and “Once Again”. The EP, itself, was titled “NCT #127”.
Shortly after that, on December 6, 2016, five members of NCT 127 (Taeyong, Yuta, Jaehyun, Mark, and Winwin) released a special dance music video, “Good Thing”, which was a collaboration with W Korea.
On December 20, 2016, NCT 127 released the music video for “Switch”. The single was previously issued as a bonus track on “NCT #127” and features the SM trainee group SR15B.
On December 27, 2016, NCT 127 announced they would be making a comeback with the addition of two members (Doyoung and Johnny).
On January 5, 2017, NCT 127 officially came back with the release of two music videos for “Limitless”, and performed the song on M Countdown.
On June 14, 2017, NCT 127 released their third EP, “Cherry Bomb”. They returned to the stage on M Countdown, performing the new songs “Cherry Bomb” and “0 Mile”.
On March 14, 2018, NCT 127 released the single “Touch” as part of NCT 2018 “Empathy”, a full-length studio album that brought together all the active units of NCT, and grouped them under the collective name NCT 2018.
On May 23, NCT 127 released their Japanese debut EP, “Chain”, via Avex Trax.
On October 12, the sub-unit released their first full-length album, “Regular-Irregular”, with the lead single, “Regular”. With the addition of Jungwoo, the group was officially expanded to 10 members.
On November 23, NCT 127 released the repackaged edition of “Regular-Irregular”, titled “Regulate”, along with the lead single, “Simon Says”. It was announced that Winwin would not be participating in the comeback activities, in order to prepare for his debut with WayV.
On January 26, 2019, they did their first concert tour, Neo City – The Origin, with tour dates in Korea, Japan, North America, and Europe. While on the tour, they also released the new single, “Wakey-Wakey” on March 18, 2019, that was included on their first Japanese full studio album, “Awaken”, which was released on April 17,2019.
Ahead of their tour in North America, on April 18, 2019, NCT 127 made their appearances on “Good Morning America and Strahan and Sara”. In the same month, they announced their fourth EP, “We Are Superhuman”, which was released on May 24, 2019, with only nine members, as Winwin is currently promoting with WayV.
They also performed the song during an appearance on “The Late Late Show with James Corden” on May 14, 2019.
While on July 18, 2019, they released an English version of “Highway to Heaven” as the EP’s second single.
NCT 127 performed as special guests at the 2019 “Global Citizen Festival” in New York in September 2019, performing “Highway to Heaven” and “Superhuman”.
They also performed at the “2019 MTV Europe Music Awards” in Seville, Spain, on November 3, 2019, becoming the first K-pop group to perform at the event.
NCT 127 will also perform at the “2019 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade” in New York on November 28, 2019.
Here are the short profiles of each of NCT 127’s members:
Taeyong
Birth Name: Lee Tae Yong (이태용)
Stage Name: Taeyong (태용)
Position: Leader, Main Rapper, Main Dancer, Vocalist, Visual, Center
Place of Birth: Seoul, South Korea
Birthday: July 1, 1995
Zodiac Sign: Cancer
Height: 175 cm (5’9″)
Weight: 58 kg (128 lbs)
Blood Type: O
Education: School of Performing Arts Seoul
Specialty: Rap
Shoe size: 265 mm
Sub-Unit: NCT U, NCT 127
Taeyong’s ideal type: Someone who can teach me, lead me, and make up for my flaws.
Taeil
Birth Name: Moon Tae Il (문태일)
Stage Name: Taeil (태일)
Position: Main Vocalist
Place of Birth: Seoul, South Korea
Birthday: June 14, 1994
Zodiac Sign: Gemini
Blood Type: O
Height: 171 cm (5’7″)
Weight: 60 kg (132 lbs)
Education: Seo Seoul Life Science High School (서서울생활과학고등학교), majoring in the practical music department (실용음악과), Hanyang University (한양대학교), practical music department (drop-out)
Shoe size: 250 mm
Sub-Unit: NCT U, NCT 127
Specialty: Guitar
Taeil’s ideal type: Someone cute. He prefers a short bob hairstyle.
Johnny
Korean Name: Seo Young Ho (서영호)
English Name: John Suh
Stage Name: Johnny (쟈니)
Position: Lead Rapper, Lead Dancer, Vocalist
Place of Birth: Chicago, Illinois
Birthday: February 9, 1995
Zodiac Sign: Aquarius
Blood Type: B
Height: 184 cm (6’0″)
Weight: 68 kg (149 lbs)
Education: Maple School, School of Performing Arts Seoul (서울공연예술고등학교), practical dance department (실용무용과) [transferred], Glenbrook North High School (graduated)
Shoe size: 280 mm
Sub-Unit: NCT 127
Specialty: Rapping, dancing, playing the piano
Johnny’s ideal type: Someone who smiles at him a lot; a girl like Yoona (SNSD)
Yuta
Birth Name: Nakamoto Yuta (中本悠太)
Stage Name: Yuta (유타)
Position: Lead Dancer, Rapper, Vocalist
Place of Birth: Osaka, Japan
Birthday: October 26, 1995
Zodiac Sign: Scorpio
Blood Type: A
Height: 176 cm (5’9″)
Weight: 60 kg (132 lbs)
Education: Yashima Gakuen High School
Shoe size: 265 mm
Sub-Unit: NCT 127
Specialty: Dance, Football
Yuta’s ideal type: A girl who has short hair, is 15 cm shorter than him, has empathy towards people, and does not “act pretty”
Doyoung
Birth Name: Kim Dong Young (김동영)
Stage Name: Doyoung (도영)
Position: Main Vocalist
Place of Birth: Guri, Gyeonggi, South Korea.
Birthday: February 1, 1996
Zodiac Sign: Aquarius
Blood Type: B
Height: 178 cm (5’10″)
Weight: 60 kg (132 lbs)
Education: Topyeong High School
Shoe size: 265 mm
Sub-Unit: NCT U, NCT 127
Specialty: Flute
Doyoung’s ideal type: Someone who is polite.
Jaehyun
Birth Name: Jung Jae-hyun, but he legalized it to Jung Yoon Oh (정윤오)
Stage Name: Jaehyun (재현)
Position: Lead Vocalist, Lead Dancer, Rapper, Visual
Place of Birth: Seoul, South Korea
Birthday: February 14, 1997
Zodiac Sign: Aquarius
Blood Type: A
Height: 180 cm (5’11″)
Weight: 63 kg (138 lbs)
Education: Seoul School of Performing Arts.
Shoe size: 275 mm
Sub-Unit: NCT U, NCT 127
Specialty: Rap, Piano, Basketball
Jaehyun’s ideal type: Women with straight, long hair. Someone who can communicate well with him. Someone who is kind. Someone he can depend on. Someone healthy and into sports. Someone who is usually calm but can also be cute. He doesn’t care if that person is older or younger.
Win Win
Birth Name: Dong Si Cheng (董思成)
Korean Name: Dong Sa Sung (동사성)
Stage Name: Win-Win (윈윈)
Position: Lead Dancer, Vocalist
Place of Birth: Wenzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China
Birthday: October 28, 1997
Zodiac Sign: Scorpio
Blood Type: B
Height: 178 cm (5’10″)
Weight: 60 kg (132 lbs)
Education: The Central Academy Of Drama
Shoe size: 270 mm
Sub-Unit: NCT U, NCT 127, WayV
Specialty: Traditional Chinese Dance
WinWin’s ideal type: Someone who has long, black hair.
Jungwoo
Real Name: Kim Jung-woo (김정우)
Chinese Name: Jin Ting You (金廷祐)
Stage Name: Jungwoo (정우)
Position: Lead Vocalist, Lead Dancer
Place of Birth: Sanbon-dong, Gunpo, South Korea
Birthday: February 19, 1998
Zodiac Sign: Pisces
Blood Type: AB
Height: 180 cm (5’11″)
Weight: 58 kg (128 lbs)
Education: Gimpo Jeil Technical High School (graduated)
Shoe size: 260 mm
Sub-Unit: NCT U
Mark
Birth Name: Mark Lee
Korean Name: Lee Min Hyung (이민형)
Stage Name: Mark (마크)
Position: Main Rapper, Main Dancer, Vocalist
Place of Birth: Toronto, Canada
Birthday: August 2, 1999
Zodiac Sign: Leo
Blood Type: A
Height: 174 cm (5’9″)
Weight: 60 kg (132 lbs)
Education: Eonju Middle School; School of Performing Arts Seoul (graduated on February 7, 2018)
Sub-Unit: NCT U, NCT 127, NCT Dream (Graduated Member)
Specialty: Rap, Guitar
Mark’s ideal type: Someone who has long, black hair.
Haechan
Birth Name: Lee Dong Hyuck (이동혁)
Stage Name: Haechan (해찬)
Position: Lead Vocalist, Sub-Rapper, Maknae
Place of Birth: Seoul, South Korea
Birthday: June 6, 2000
Zodiac Sign: Gemini
Blood Type: AB
Height: 174 cm (5’9″)
Weight: 57 kg (126 lbs)
Education: Seoul School of Performing Arts
Shoe size: 270 mm
Sub-Unit: NCT 127, NCT Dream
Specialty: Dance and playing football
Haechan’s ideal type: Someone with good vocals. Someone with an easy-to-listen-to voice. He prefers short hair.
