NCT 127
NCT 127 () is the first fixed and second overall sub-unit of the South Korean boy band NCT, formed and managed by SM Entertainment. They debuted on July 7, 2016 with the single "Firetruck" and an original lineup of seven members: Taeil, Taeyong, Yuta, Jaehyun, Winwin, Mark, and Haechan. Their debut extended play (EP) "NCT #127" (2016) was a commercial success upon release, winning them the Best New Group title at several South Korean music award shows. Members Doyoung and Johnny joined the unit in December 2016, ahead of their second EP "Limitless" (2017); Jungwoo, the final member , was introduced in September 2018 for the group's first studio album "Regular-Irregular" (2018). Since their debut, NCT 127 has released three studio albums, two repackaged albums, and four extended plays in South Korea. They broke into the mainstream in 2017 with "Cherry Bomb", now recognized as one of their signature songs, and received greater international attention following the release of their first studio album and its lead single "Regular" in 2018. In April 2019, the unit's increasing global popularity prompted their label SM Entertainment to sign marketing and distribution deals with Capitol Music Group and Caroline Distribution , respectively. NCT 127 subsequently released the EP "We Are Superhuman" that year and their second Korean studio album, "Neo Zone", in 2020, the latter becoming their first top-five entry on the US "Billboard" 200 and their first release to sell over one million copies. In 2021, NCT 127 released their record-breaking third Korean studio album, "Sticker", and its repackage album "Favorite", which sold a combined 3.58 million copies and became the best-selling album of all-time by an act under SM Entertainment. The album also debuted at number three on the US "Billboard" 200, becoming the highest -ranking K-pop album on the chart in 2021. NCT 127 have also ventured into the Japanese music scene with a Japanese version of their second single "Limitless", an EP, and a studio album. Background and name. In January 2016, SM Entertainment founder Lee Soo-man delivered a presentation at the SM Coex Artium titled "SMTOWN: New Culture Technology 2016". Lee announced that the label planned to debut a new boy group with an "unlimited" number of members, in alignment with their "culture contents" strategy. The group would have "sub-unit teams" of different members from different cities around the  world, and the units would collaborate with each other frequently. Lee revealed the name of the group to be NCT, an acronym of the presentation title. NCT was to be SM Entertainment's first idol group to debut since Red Velvet in August 2014 and the label's first boy group to debut since South Korean–Chinese boy band Exo in 2012. During the presentation, Lee also announced plans to debut the first NCT unit within the first half of 2016 in Seoul and Tokyo, with sub-units based in Chinese cities to follow in the latter half of the  year and units in Southeast Asia and Latin America later. On July 1, 2016, NCT 127 was announced as the second sub-unit, a Seoul-based multi-national boy group that would promote actively in South Korea. The name "NCT 127" combines the acronym for Neo Culture Technology with the number "127", the longitude coordinate of the city of Seoul. History. 2013–2016: Formation, pre-debut activities and early days. All ten members of NCT 127 were originally introduced through SM Rookies, a pre-debut training team established by SM Entertainment. Johnny was the first member to join the label through  an American audition at Chicago, Illinois in 2007, while Yuta was recruited through the SM Global Audition in Osaka, Japan and Mark in Vancouver, Canada in 2012. The same year, Taeyong and Jaehyun joined the label after being cast by label employees and passing auditions and were the first members to be introduced through SM Rookies. Taeil was the next member to join the label in 2013, despite having chosen twice before to not pursue an idol career. Doyoung and Donghyuck joined the label in 2013, with Winwin being introduced through SM Rookies on January 5, 2016 and Jungwoo on  April 17, 2017. Prior to the unit's debut, several members had solo activities during their time in SM Rookies, including Taeyong's music video for "Open the Door" and feature in Red Velvet's second single "Be Natural" (credited as SR14B's Taeyong) in 2014. Taeyong then joined fellow trainees Johnny, Mark, Donghyuck, Yuta and Jaehyun in the Mnet-produced reality show "". Doyoung and Jaehyun became fixed MCs for the music show "Show Champion" from January to June 2015, while Mark and Donghyuck were Mouseketeers on Disney Channel Korea’s "The Mickey Mouse Club" in July 2015. The members  eventually had their first official show, titled "SMRookies Show", in Seoul in September 2015 and later in Bangkok, Thailand in February 2016. Taeil released his first solo soundtrack “Because Of You” for the television series "" on January 26, 2016, and Winwin, who appeared as a dancer for the live performance of NCT U's "The 7th Sense" during the sub-unit's first live performance in China at the 16th Music Feng Yun Bang Awards later in April 2016. Along with other SM Rookies trainees, the members starred in their first reality show series, titled "NCT Life", in the same  month. Taeyong, Taeil, Jaehyun, and Mark—all of whom previously debuted in NCT U—as well as Yuta, Winwin, and Donghyuck (who selected the stage name Haechan) were confirmed to debut in NCT 127, the Seoul-based unit of NCT on July 1, 2016. NCT 127 debuted officially with the release of their music video "Fire Truck" on July 7, 2016 and had their debut stage on Mnet's "M Countdown" on the same day. They performed the song alongside another promotional song, "Once Again". Following the music video and performance, they released their self-titled extended play on July  10, 2016. It was a commercial success, debuting at number two on the Gaon Album Chart and topping the chart by the third week of its release, while reaching number two on the "Billboard" World Albums Chart. In collaboration with Coca-Cola, NCT 127 released the single "Taste the Feeling" under the SM Station project on July 29 while continuing promotion for "Fire Truck" on television music shows such as "Music Bank", "Show Champion", and "Inkigayo." The group went on to collaborate with the "W Korea" magazine and model agency ESteem for a special performance video, which featured five members  (Yuta, Taeyong, Jaehyun, Mark, and Winwin) performing a then-unreleased track, titled "Good Thing". On December 20, NCT 127 released the music video for "Switch", previously issued as a bonus track on "NCT #127", which featured other SM Rookies trainees (who went as SR15B at the time of its release). The unit went on to win the Best New Group of 2016 at several music award shows, including Asia Artist Awards, Seoul Music Awards, Golden Disc Awards, Mnet Asian Music Awards and Gaon Chart Music Awards. 2017: New members, breakthrough with "Cherry Bomb" and Japanese debut. On December 27, SM  Entertainment announced that the unit would release their second extended play "Limitless" in January 2017. The label then stated that new members Johnny and Doyoung would join with NCT 127, becoming a nine-member boy group, with Doyoung having previously debuted through NCT U in April 2016. The group then premiered two versions for the eponymous lead single on January 4 and January 5, 2017, a day before its digital release. The extended play was commercially successful, becoming their second chart-topper on the Gaon Album Chart and their first to top the "Billboard" World Albums Chart. The lead single  also received positive reviews from music critics, hailed by "Dazed Digital" as one of the top 20 best K-pop songs of 2017 and a fan favorite. Similar to their previous releases, the unit began their promotion cycle for both "Limitless" and "Good Thing" on "M Countdown" on January 5. The group then continued to release their third major release, titled "Cherry Bomb" on June 14, with the lead single of the same name. The release saw a breakthrough commercial success for NCT 127, with "Cherry Bomb" being their first single to enter the Gaon Digital Chart, peaking at number  forty-seven. It also earned the group their first music trophy since their debut. The song has since become one of the group's signature songs and described by "Billboard" and "Idolator" as "one of the best K-pop songs of 2017". In addition to their initial promotion in South Korea, NCT 127 expanded their activities overseas with their first live performances at the 2017's KCON music festival in Mexico City, followed by their appearance at KCON Festival in Los Angeles and New York City, respectively. They also became the first K-pop act to be invited and introduced  in Apple Music's “New Artist of the Week” list, having attended and performed at the Apple Store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on June 25, 2017. The group then released a Japanese version of "Limitless" on November 4, 2017, as their debut Japanese single, along with a new music video. After signing with Avex Trax, SM Entertainment confirmed in December that the unit would make their official Japanese debut in spring of 2018, accompanied by their first showcase tour for the market. 2018: "Empathy" project, member lineup adjustments and "Regular-Irregular". In mid-January 2018, SM Entertainment announced that all current  members and units would participate in NCT 2018, a singular-year project by the parental group NCT. NCT 127 then released the single "Touch” as the fourth single from "NCT 2018 Empathy", a studio album that brought together all active units to perform, with different members collaborating under the rotational unit NCT U. The group then released their Japanese debut extended play "Chain" via Avex Trax on May 23, 2018, which debuted and peaked at number two on the Oricon Albums Chart. Its eponymous second single was also a chart success for the group, peaking at number twenty-one on  the Oricon Singles Chart. On September 17, the group's native label introduced a new logo for the group on all social media platforms. On October 1, NCT 127 was announced as Apple Music's "Up Next" Artist of the October, marking them as the first K-pop artist to be picked for the series. For their upcoming album, along with a new teaser video, the label confirmed that member Jungwoo would officially join the group for their upcoming first full-length album, titled "Regular-Irregular" on October 12. Jungwoo previously debuted in the rotational unit NCT U for the  single "Boss" in February 2018. The album was a commercial success domestically, becoming the group's third Gaon Album Chart topper for two weeks and their first to receive a Platinum KMCA certificate for selling over 250,000 copies. In addition, the album debuted at number eighty-six on the US "Billboard" 200, earning the group their first charting title on the chart and leading all ten members to extend their promotion to the United States. In association with their role as one of Apple Music's Up Next artists, album promotions included a group performance of an English version of  the lead single, "Regular", and "Cherry Bomb" on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" as the group's first appearance on US national television. NCT 127 also performed at ABC's Mickey’s 90th Spectacular TV special on November 4 and released an Apple Music-exclusive digital extended play, "Up Next Session: NCT 127", on October 21. The digital EP contained an English version of "Cherry Bomb", remixes for "Fire Truck" and "Regular," and an original song "What We Talkin’ Bout" featuring American singer Marteen. Continuing their first album's success, NCT 127 re-released "Regular-Irregular" under the repackage title "Regulate" on  November 23, led by the single "Simon Says". The single was a moderate success in South Korea but experienced greater success in the US, becoming NCT 127's first to top the "Billboard" World Digital Songs chart and their first to enter the New Zealand Hot 40 Singles chart. Due to his preparations to debut with China-based sub-unit WayV, member Winwin did not join the group's promotional activities for the repackage release. On December 19, it was announced Haechan would be taking a hiatus from the group due to an injury. 2019: First world tour, "Awaken" and  We Are Superhuman. In January 2019, NCT 127 announced their first concert tour, Neo City – The Origin, with tour stops in South Korea and Japan from January to March. The tour was extended to North America, with twelve tour dates on April and May 2019, and an additional nine stops in Latin America, Europe and Southeast Asia from May through July 2019. Haechan rejoined the group beginning with the Japan leg of the tour in March 2019. The group featured on Jason Derulo's single, "Let's Shut Up & Dance", which was released on February 22, alongside labelmate Lay Zhang . On March 18, the group released "Wakey-Wakey" as the lead single to their first Japanese studio album, "Awaken", which was released on April 17. In April 2019, NCT 127 signed a worldwide distribution deal with Capitol Music Group and Caroline Distribution via SM Entertainment. In the deal, Capitol and Caroline would distribute and market NCT 127's music in territories worldwide. Ahead of the North American leg of their tour, the group made appearances on "Good Morning America" and "Strahan and Sara" on April 18; they were the third K-pop act to perform on the show. In the  same month, the group announced their fourth EP, "We Are Superhuman", released on May 24, 2019, and performed once again as a nine-piece group, with Winwin continuing to promote solely as a member of WayV. The group performed the EP's lead single, "Superhuman", on "Good Morning America" and "Strahan and Sara". They also performed the song during an appearance on "The Late Late Show with James Corden" on May 14. NCT 127 appeared in a Japanese variety show, "NCT 127 Teach Me JAPAN!", which began airing on dTV from June 9. "We Are Superhuman" debuted at number eleven  at the "Billboard" 200 albums chart with 27,000 units, becoming their second entry in the chart. The EP also became their second number one album at the World Albums chart. An English version of "Highway to Heaven" was released as the EP's second single on July 18, 2019. In August 2019, SM Entertainment announced that Jungwoo would sit out the group's activities for undisclosed health reasons, although the label clarified in November 2019 that his health had been improving and that he could possibly rejoin the group in 2020. NCT 127 performed as special guests at the 2019  Global Citizen Festival in New York in September 2019. The group released their first live album, "Neo City: Seoul − The Origin", on October 24. They performed at the 2019 MTV Europe Music Awards in Seville, Spain on November 3, becoming the first K-pop group to perform at the ceremony. They also performed at the 2019 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York on November 28, making them the first Korean artist to perform at the event, as well as "Today" the next day. 2020: "Neo Zone" and cancelled US arena tour. As the group's United States  promotional activities for their previous release came to a conclusion by the end of November 2019, NCT 127 released a shortened music video for "Dreams Come True" on the group's official YouTube channel on January 27. After the return announcement from Jungwoo since his hiatus in August 2019, the group released their second Korean studio album, "Neo Zone" on March 6, 2020, featuring lead single "Kick It". Several members took part in writing for the album. "Neo Zone" debuted at number five on "Billboard" 200 with more than 87,000 units sold in the first week. The album sold more  than 700,000 units in the first month, becoming their best-selling album to date as well as topping the Korean album sales chart for March. In addition to promotional activities in South Korea, the group began their US promotions with performances at the 2020 RodeoHouston in Houston on March 10, becoming the first K-pop group to perform at the annual event. They were scheduled to embark on their second tour, Neo Zone – The Awards, in June 2020 in North America, although the tour was indefinitely postponed due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. On May 15, 2020, it was  announced that the tour was cancelled due to the pandemic. In April 2020, NCT 127 was chosen as ambassador for Korean cosmetics brand Nature Republic. On May 17, NCT 127 became the fourth act to hold an online concert as part of SM Entertainment's Beyond Live online concert series. The concert sold over 104,000 virtual tickets, with the group performing live to audiences from 129 countries. On May 19, the group released "Neo Zone: The Final Round", the repackage of "Neo Zone". The album was released alongside lead single "Punch", which the group premiered live during their Beyond Live  concert two days prior. Combined sales of "Neo Zone" and "The Final Round" exceeded 1.2 million copies, marking it the group's best-selling album at the time and their first to exceed one million total sales. The group reunited with the rest of the NCT members for their second studio album, "NCT 2020 Resonance Pt. 1" and "NCT 2020 Resonance Pt. 2", released on October 12 and November 23, respectively. The track "Music, Dance" from NCT 127 was included on the album. 2021: "Loveholic", "Sticker" and second world tour. NCT 127 announced in January that they would release their  second Japanese EP, "Loveholic", on February 17. On June 4, NCT 127 collaborated with Amoeba Culture to release the digital single "Save". On June 28, SM released a presentation on the future of the company and the comebacks of their artists. The presentation explained that the group planned to release a third studio album and repackage. At a fanmeet for the group's fifth anniversary, they confirmed the album would have a September release window. Their third Korean studio album, "Sticker", was released on September 17. The album consists of eleven tracks, including the lead single of the same name . It achieved 1.13 million pre-orders within the first 24 hours, making it the highest pre-ordered K-pop album in one day. In total, the album recorded 2.2 million pre-orders and sold 2.4 million copies within a week after its release, making it the first album from SM Entertainment to sell over two million copies without a repackage version. "Sticker" also became the group's highest-ranking album on the "Billboard" 200 chart at number three and the highest-ranking K-pop album on the chart in 2021. NCT 127 released the repackage version of "Sticker", titled "Favorite , and its lead single Favorite (Vampire)" on October 25, 2021. The repackage album accumulated a total of 1.06 million copies in pre-order sales and sold a total of 1.1 million copies in one week after its release. As of November 3, 2021, "Sticker" and "Favorite" have sold a total of 3.58 million copies, making it the best-selling album from SM Entertainment. On November 15, NCT 127 officially announced that they would be kicking off their long-awaited world tour with a concert in Seoul next month entitled “NCT 127 2nd Tour ‘Neo City : Seoul – The Link'”. Members. Originally  a septet at the sub-unit's debut in July 2016, the lineup now consists of nine members as of 2022: Current (active) Current (inactive) Discography. Korean albums Japanese albums Awards and nominations. Apple Music named NCT 127 as their "New Artist of the Week" upon the release of their album "Cherry Bomb". NCT 127 also received "Best Newcomer" awards from the Mnet Asian Music Awards, Golden Disk Awards and Seoul Music Awards.