Artist Highlight: NCT’s Ten
NCT and WayV’s passionate main dancer, Ten.
Pre-debut
Ten, born Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul, began dancing at a young age and competed in dance competitions in his home country, Thailand. At only 15 years old, Ten won the competition program Teen Superstar, winning a chance to sign a contract with the South Korean company Starship Entertainment. In the previous year, he also passed his auditions with YG Entertainment, but waived both opportunities as his family did not approve of him going to Korea at such a young age. After passing the 2013 SM Entertainment Thailand auditions at the age of 17, Ten became a member of SM Entertainment’s SM Rookies on December 24, 2013. Alongside Ten, a few current NCT members were also introduced to the SM Rookies team including: Jeno, Taeyong, Jaehyun, Mark, Jisung, Johnny, and Yuta.
While in SM Rookies, Ten participated in numerous activities and public appearances including the Hope Basketball All-Star charity event, covers that showcased his vocals and dance skills, and a brief promotion in the short-lived unit SR15B, that was composed of six SM Rookies members. While his activities were limited, his time in SM Rookies allowed him to garner fans from all around the world and gain exposure and experience as an artist.
NCT
NCT’s first unit NCT U was announced in April 2016. The unit consisted of: Ten, Taeyong, Doyoung, Jaehyun, and Mark. The unit made their official debut on April 9, 2016 with the single “일곱 번째 감각 (The 7th Sense).”
Ten later went on to compete in dance competition shows and release solo SM Station songs. He took some time off in 2017 to undergo surgery to correct a knee injury he previously sustained while dancing. He made his second NCT debut on January 17, 2019 as the main dancer and main vocalist of the Chinese sub-unit WayV. The group debuted with the EP The Vision which consisted of three tracks: “Regular,” “Come Back,” and “Dream Launch.” All three songs charted in the top 10 on the Billboard World Digital Songs Chart. WayV’s recent release, the groups second album, On My Youth, went platinum with over 250,000 sales and peaked at No. 4 on the Circle Album Chart.
Solo
Aside from his SM Station work, Ten officially debuted as a solo artist with his self-titled EP TEN. Through his singles “Dream In a Dream,” “New Heroes,” “Paint Me Naked,” and “Birthday” Ten has gained many fans that had been eagerly awaiting his solo EP. The EP, TEN, consists of six tracks. Throughout the EP, Ten showcases a range of styles and genres, leaving fans excited for what's next.
Edited by Lacey Diluvio