NCT, who took the stage as a five-member group with their debut song ŌĆ£The 7th SenseŌĆØ in 2016, will be capping off 2020 by releasing an album as a 23-member group. Their latest album NCT 2020 Resonance Pt. 1 became a million-seller album in just a week and debuted at No. 6 on Billboard 200. NCT Dream, a minor sub-unit with an average age of 15.6, was named one of BillboardŌĆÖs ŌĆ£21 Under 21,ŌĆØ along with Billie Elish and Noah Cyrus. NCT stands for ŌĆ£Neo Culture Technology,ŌĆØ and K-pop-loving listeners may have gotten used to the name by repeating the full name several times. This groupŌĆÖs fundamental concepts are ŌĆ£opennessŌĆØ and ŌĆ£expandability,ŌĆØ with ŌĆ£infiniteŌĆØ attached to both keywords. This means that members within the sub-units will change ŌĆ£infinitelyŌĆØ and be added or removed ŌĆ£infinitely.ŌĆØ In short, the fact that there are no ŌĆ£regular membersŌĆØ in these unit groups is the ŌĆ£key point.ŌĆØ ThatŌĆÖs why music fans will pick up their pen to study these groups whenever NCT drops a new album. This article introduces a few songs that will help you understand NCTŌĆÖs ŌĆ£opennessŌĆØ and ŌĆ£expandability.ŌĆØ ┬Ā #Attempt to Melt Different Languages into One Song
ŌĆ£From HomeŌĆØ is a track from their latest album NCT 2020 Resonance Pt. 1. The song, which starts with Korean at first but includes Chinese and Japanese from the second verse, well explains the path NCT U, a multinational sub-unit that will make new updates within the same concept (multinational), is taking. It seems like a bold attempt to include various languages into a single song, but ŌĆ£From HomeŌĆØ became a 4 minutes and 19 seconds long easy-on-the-ear contemporary R&B song that flows gently without any hindrances. If you enjoy NCTŌĆÖs R&B songs, then you should also listen to ŌĆ£No LongerŌĆØ and ŌĆ£Coming Home.ŌĆØ ┬Ā #Sub-Units Start with ŌĆ£DuoŌĆØ!
ŌĆ£Baby DonŌĆÖt StopŌĆØ is a track from NCT 2018 EMPATHY. In this song, Taeyong and Ten present the light yet nervous tension that only the boy idol duo can give. Throughout the song, the two become each otherŌĆÖs background and yet perform as if they were one person. The same year, Taeyong and Mark released ŌĆ£My VanŌĆØ which features self-mocking raps they wrote as they moved around in a van for their busy schedule. Although Jaehyun and Yuta participated in the featuring, itŌĆÖs a song that gives you a glimpse into the picture completed by duos within NCT, mostly through Mark and Taeyong. The ŌĆ£expandabilityŌĆØ that the team seeks also means that only two members from the unit group can display NCTŌĆÖs charm. ┬Ā #Performance that Embraces Various Cultural References
ŌĆ£Cherry BombŌĆØ is a track from NCT #127 ŌĆō CHERRY BOMB released in 2017. It is not until 1 minute and 17 seconds into the song can you hear the vocals, and until then, the song is filled with membersŌĆÖ rap. You can see the ŌĆ£explosiveŌĆØ images from the album cover, and the lyrics ŌĆ£Hurry, hurry, avoid it, right/ Cherry bomb feel it yumŌĆØ is repeated like a hook while MarkŌĆÖs rap ŌĆ£The moment is growing, itŌĆÖs about to explode/ItŌĆÖs awesome, do do thatŌĆØ fills the space between. The performance on stage looks like people preparing hard for something before the grand explosion. NCT 127, also called the ŌĆ£Seoul team,ŌĆØ has showcased other memorable performances as well. In ŌĆ£Superhuman,ŌĆØ they have choreography that resembles Superman opening up his shirt to show the sign, and in ŌĆ£Kick It,ŌĆØ they include martial arts performances inspired by Bruce Lee. Of all K-pop groups that offer outstanding performances, NCT 127ŌĆÖs performance particularly embraces various cultural references. This, too, will be considered one of the teamŌĆÖs ŌĆ£openness.ŌĆØ Editor Seo Hayne: I like actors as they faithfully lead through their long running-time. I also like idols who accomplish everything on stage within 3 minutes.
