MEET: NCT 127, the boy group of the future

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As K-pop continues to make its mark in North America, NCT 127 is the latest boy group moving the hearts of millions around the globe.

Under SM Entertainment, one of the top agencies in South Korea, the concept behind NCT 127 is one that has never been done before and takes a little bit to wrap your head around. In the simplest explanation possible: NCT 127 is actually a sub-unit of a bigger, umbrella group called NCT which stands for Neo Culture Technology.

The concept behind the boy group is that they are able to have an unlimited number of members, currently having 21 in total. This would be a shocking premise to most in North America as it is not often that a group has more than 5 members. In Korea, large numbered groups are the norm. There are currently four sub-unit groups under NCT which are NCT U, NCT 127, NCT Dream, and WayV (WayV is NCT’s associated Chinese boy group). Each group follows a different concept, and members can rotate between the groups specifically NCT U.

NCT 127 currently has 10 members – Taeyong, Taeil, Yuta, Jaehyun, Winwin, Mark, Haechan, Johnny, Doyoung, and Jungwoo. The number ‘127’ represents the longitudinal coordinates for Seoul, South Korea.

While the band has 10 members, only 9 of the boys are active on the North American tour.

The group debuted on July 7, 2016 with their first EP titled NCT #127 and the title track ‘Fire Truck’. They originally had debuted with only 7 members – Taeyong, Taeil, Mark and Jaehyun, who had previously debuted with NCT U, and Yuta, Winwin, and Haechan who were newly debuting.

It wasn’t long after that SM Entertainment announced the addition of two new members – Johnny and NCT U’s Doyoung. This announcement was done ahead of their first comeback with the title track ‘Limitless’ on January 5, 2017.

While NCT 127 had garnered a healthy following, it wasn’t until the release of their EP Cherry Bomb with a title track of the same name on June 14, 2017 that the boy group began turning heads. The song garnered them international and domestic praise.

They received their first music show win on June 22, 2017 with ‘Cherry Bomb’ on MCOUNTDOWN as well as 3 New Artist Awards. The song was also hailed by Billboard as one of the best K-pop songs of that year.

In August 2018, it was announced that NCT 127 would participate in the single ‘Let’s Shut Up and Dance’ as a global collaboration tribute to Michael Jackson. The track also featured Jason Derulo and Lay Zhang (who is also under SM Entertainment and a part of boy group EXO).

Two months later in October 2018, NCT released their first full length album ‘Regular-Irregular’ with the addition of member Jungwoo. The album debuted at 82 on the Billboard 200 and included an English version of their title track ‘Regular’ and one of their Apple Music: Up Next Session track ‘Cherry Bomb’.

The release of the album marked their move into North America as they performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live. This was their first time performing on US national television. Later that month, they also attended the 2018 American Music Awards (AMAs).

In January 2019, NCT 127 held their first concert tour, Neo City – The Origin across Asia. The success of the group allowed them to extend the tour to North America and Europe. Ahead of the North American leg of the tour, the group performed on GMA – the third group overall after BTS and BLACKPINK.

Now that you’re caught up with all things NCT 127, it’s time to meet the members!

Taeil (문태일)

Born as Moon Tae Il on June 14, 1994 in Seoul, South Korea this makes Taeil the oldest member in the group. In fact, he is also the oldest member out of all of NCT. He had originally debuted as a part of NCT U on the track ‘Without You’ with Jaehyun and Doyoung showcasing his angelic voice and proving why he is one of the main vocalists in the group. Taeil can also play the guitar and piano.

Johnny (서영호)

Johnny’s birth name is Suh Young Ho and he was born on February 9, 1995 in Chicago, Illinois. As he was born in the US, Johnny is one of the members who is fluent in English. He joined NCT 127 ahead of their first comeback ‘Limitless’. He is noted as one of the group’s rappers and dancers. Johnny also enjoys vlogging and making Youtube videos – you can catch his vlog series Johnny’s Communication Centre below!

Taeyong (이태용)

Taeyong – birth name Lee Tae Yong – was born on July 1, 1995 in Seoul, South Korea. He is the leader of NCT 127 and NCT overall. He is positioned as one of the main rappers and dancers within the group. Taeyong had originally debuted with NCT U on the track ‘7th Sense’ with members Mark, and Jaehyun. He has been highly praised and regarded as a natural performer. Aside from his stage presence, Taeyong is also regarded as one of the best cooks within the group.

Yuta (中本悠太)

Yuta, born Nakamoto Yuta on October 26, 1995 in Osaka, Japan is also one of the group’s rappers and dancers. As he hails from Japan, he is the only Japanese member in all of NCT and is (not surprising) fluent in Japanese. NCT 127 has also recently released a Japanese single titled ‘Wakey-Wakey’. Besides being the only Japanese member in NCT, he’s the only Japanese idol under SM Entertainment currently. Yuta also enjoys football and soccer.

Doyoung (김동영)

Born Kim Dong Young on February 1, 1996 in Seoul, South Korea Doyoung is one of the groups main vocalists. Doyoung originally debuted as a member of NCT U and participated in ‘7th Sense’ (alongside Taeyong, Mark, Jaehyun and Ten) as well as ‘Without You’ and joined NCT 127 ahead of their first comeback ‘Limitless’. He often records and posts covers on their Youtube channel to showcase his vocals. He recently shared a video of him singing Billie Eilish’s ‘wish you were gay‘ and ‘bad guy‘.

Jaehyun (정윤오)

Jaehyun’s birth name is Jung Yoon Oh and he was born on February 14, 1997 in Seoul, South Korea. He is one of the group’s lead vocalists and dancers. He first made his debut with NCT U on both of their tracks ‘7th Sense’ and ‘Without You’. He is also one of the members who is fluent in English as he had spent 4 years living in Connecticut before becoming an idol. Jaehyun has also achieved a black belt in taekwondo.

WINWIN (董思成)

WINWIN’s birth name is Dong Sicheng and he was born on October 28, 1997 in Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China. He is positioned as one of the group’s sub vocalists and lead dancers. He is the only Chinese member of NCT 127 but has recently debuted with the sub-unit group WayV which is NCT’s China based unit. As WayV has just debuted with their song ‘Take Off’, Winwin is unfortunately not participating in the North American tour with NCT 127. He is also trained in traditional Chinese dance.

Jungwoo (김정우)

Jungwoo – birth name is Kim Jung Woo – was born on February 19, 1998 in Sanbon-dong, Gunpo, South Korea. He is one of the vocalists of the group. Jungwoo had originally debuted with NCT U on the track ‘Boss’ and was the latest addition to NCT 127 where he joined ahead of the release of ‘Regular’. He is also fluent in Chinese.

Mark (이민형)

Born as Mark Lee Min Hyung on August 2, 1999 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada While he was born in Toronto, Mark moved to live in Vancouver, British Columbia at a young age. Mark is one of the main rappers of the group and one of the members fluent in English. Mark originally debuted on NCT U’s track ‘7th Sense’. He was also the only member of NCT to be apart of all sub-groups (NCT U, NCT Dream, NCT 127) before the debut of WayV.

Haechan (이동혁)

Haechan’s birth name is Lee Dong Hyuck, and he was born on June 6, 2000 in Seoul, South Korea but lived in Jeju, South Korea from the ages of 7 to 12. This makes Haechan the youngest member within in NCT 127. He is positioned as one of the lead vocalists and dancers within the group. Haechan originally debuted with NCT 127 but is also a part of the sub-unit group NCT Dream. The members often regard him as the noisiest member of the group.

NCT is currently on their North American Tour, Neo City – the Origin with stops in Toronto and Vancouver. They are set to comeback on May 24 with their new EP entitled We Are Superhuman!

Who is your favourite member of NCT 127 – let us know on Twitter! Tweet us – @umusic