History of K-Pop: NCT 127

It’s been interesting to watch the inception of the concept of NCT and how it has evolved over the last six years. As the concept of the group has begun to solidify through the years, going back to the beginning really highlights just how new and experimental the idea of a rotating roster has been in K-Pop. Strap in for the ride as we go back and take a look at the first official “fixed” unit, NCT 127. 

While NCT’s overall debut came in the form of NCT U in April of 2016, NCT 127 would make their unit debut just three months later in July. Initially, 127 was meant to be the Seoul-based portion of NCT, with “127” representing the longitude coordinate of the city. It was also initially understood that this unit would be fixed, unlike NCT U which was far more fluid. NCT 127 debuted with “소방차 (Fire Truck),” the members then consisting of Taeyong, Taeil, Jaehyun, Mark, WinWin, Yuta, and Haechan. The self-titled debut mini-album did decently well on the Gaon Weekly Album Chart upon release, and there was a lot of talk going on about title track “소방차 (Fire Truck)” for being experimental in sound as well as visuals, with a particularly peculiar music video concept. Looking back, it seems to mark the early beginnings of the popularity of noise music.

For the first comeback, NCT #127 LIMITLESS in January 2017, Johnny and Doyoung were added to the group lineup. The album was a commercial success, and the first of the group to top Billboard’s World Albums Chart.

The following comeback, “Cherry Bomb,” would be the real big break for the unit on par with NCT U’s first song. The June release flourished despite being labeled as unfit for broadcast by KBS and became a staple release from the group, showcasing their specifically unique brand in a perfect way. For one, the song includes lyrics from the children’s song “If You’re Happy and You Know It,” which upon first listen seems incredibly bizarre, especially in a hip-hop-influenced track. There was a lot of buzz generated about the choreography as well, particularly Taeyong’s back-breaking move at center stage in the final dance break. This comeback would mark both the group’s first music show win, as well as their first performances overseas for KCON.

It would be awhile before the next full 127 comeback. With members being wrapped up in the NCT 2018 project, NCT U releases and Japanese promotions, it wouldn’t be until October 2018 that a new 127 album would be released. The first full album NCT #127 Regular-Irregular was released on October 12, with Jungwoo being added to the 127 lineup for the album. Title track “Regular” would have both a Korean and English version released. The album would be the group’s first entry onto the Billboard 200 at No. 86. The success also led to promotions in the United States, with a performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! As K-Pop groups began to gain more mainstream popularity in the U.S., NCT 127 became one of the bigger names to promote stateside. A repackage of the album, NCT #127 Regulate, released in November.

From this point, the focus for 127 seemed to shift to promotions in the U.S., with the majority of 2019 focused on touring and collaborations on the western side of the globe. In May 2019, the group released their fourth EP NCT #127 WE ARE SUPERHUMAN, this time as nine since WinWin was on hiatus from the group to focus on WayV (at least as it is officially stated). Title track “Superhuman” debuted on American television, performed first on Good Morning America in April before the album release.

While the pandemic in 2020 threw a wrench in pretty much everything on the globe, NCT 127 was still able to get out an album and do a few promotions before the U.S. shut down. Second full album NCT #127 Neo Zone was released in March 2020 with lead single “Kick It.” The album sold over 700,000 copies in the first month in the U.S and also had a repackage album NCT #127 Neo Zone: The Final Round two months later. Though the world tour planned for the year was postponed indefinitely due to the pandemic, this album release saw great success for the group and became their first million seller.

In September 2021 the group’s third full album Sticker was released. There was a lot of discussion online about this one, especially considering how polarizing of a song the title track of the same name was. Despite any critique of the title in particular, the album achieved over 2.2 million presales and 2.4 million sales within a week of release. “Sticker” itself was a very bold statement in the direction of NCT 127’s music. While the group has historically been trendsetting and atypical in sound and style, it seems to have peaked in polarization with this release. Speaking as someone who was a fan of the group upon debut but has fallen off the wagon in later releases, it seems particularly obvious that SM is pushing western popularity over all else with this group, and aims to make them as unconventional as possible. It certainly is a tactic to create buzz around them, but in my opinion it appears over-the-top.

The repackage Favorite seemed to soothe some of the more vocal criticisms of its predecessor. “Favorite (Vampire)” had a more classic NCT 127 sound and was much less polarizing in experimentation. Even with less sales than Sticker, combined these two albums created a total of nearly 3.6 million sales, which marked the era as the best-selling album of all time for an SM artist.

This month, the group made their first comeback of 2022 with 2 Baddies, along with a continuation of the world tour that had been postponed two years prior. Currently the album has over a million sales in Korea.

And that brings us to the present, with 127 preparing to embark on their North American leg of the tour. Many are disappointed that the tour only includes stops in Los Angeles and Newark, rather than the previous postponed tour that had more stops in different cities in the country. 

While traveling back to the inception of the group, it’s easy to see how NCT has become a trendsetting group in K-Pop. As they continue to push the envelope in their career, the changes have caused somewhat of a rift for casual listeners (such as myself) with the change in direction. While 127 was originally supposed to be the Seoul-focused unit, they’ve shifted to being the face of NCT in the west, and, as such, they’ve put out title tracks that are geared towards mass success in the western market.

That being said, even with critique of recent title tracks, there is no denying the solid foundation of talent in the B-sides and other tracks on their album releases. Many who criticized “Sticker” conceded that the rest of the album was actually stellar. Their music is good, but for some, putting the most divisive tracks at the forefront is distasteful. For others, it is innovative. 

No matter what side of the discussion you fall on, it is clear that NCT 127 will always have a major place in the history and expansion of K-Pop from now and for years to come.

Edited by Omani