Introduced as the third sub-unit of SM Entertainment’s boy group NCT, NCT DREAM has since made a mark in the Korean music industry, earning their rightful place as one of the rising boy groups of their generations. With recognition from Billboard and Time as leaders of the next generation of K-Pop acts and with Renjun, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, Chenle, and Jisung showcasing their limitless capabilities and charms, it is undeniable that their rise to the top is unstoppable.
As we count down to the days before the Philippines will once again witness the boy group take over the Philippine concert stage in their first-ever solo show in the country, the NCT DREAM TOUR “THE DREAM SHOW”, we celebrate the start of NCT DREAM and feel the nostalgia while looking back on the past four years.
READ: NCT Dream To Return To PH Concert Stage With “The Dream Show”
THE BASICS
Group Name: NCT DREAM, NCT’s third sub-unit which follows a graduation system
Members: Renjun, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, Chenle, and Jisung
Former Member: Mark, who graduated from the group on December 31, 2018
Agency: SM Entertainment — home to renowned groups such as TVXQ, Super Junior, Girls’ Generation, SHINee, f(x), EXO, Red Velvet, and NCT
Debut Date: August 25, 2016
Fandom Name: NCTzen, a name shared by all fans of NCT which was revealed on June 12, 2017, after securing the highest number of votes
THE START
Before becoming members of NCT DREAM, most of the members were known as part of SM Rookies, SM Entertainment’s pool of trainees. In 2016, SM Entertainment’s Lee Soo Man shared his vision on launching a group that will comprise of sub-groups around the world.
And that year, NCT came into fruition with NCT U as the first sub-unit with the release of “7th Sense” where Mark also made his first debut. In July 2016, NCT 127 came out with “Fire Truck”, marking their debut as the second sub-unit. Mark once again debuted with Haechan joining him in the lineup.
On August 18 of that year, NCT DREAM was announced to be the third sub-unit of NCT. A few days after, the sub-unit released “Chewing Gum” as their first digital single, performing on M Countdown and making their official debut with Mark, Renjun, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, Chenle, and Jisung as the members.
THE RISE OF NCT DREAM
After almost a year, NCT DREAM made their first comeback through the release of their first single album The First. Unfortunately, Jaemin did not participate in the new era due to the complications from a herniated disc. Still, the boy group went on to show the world their promising career as The First debuted on top of Gaon Chart and “My First And Last” gave them their first-ever music show win on The Show. Their music show win, which they got on Valentine’s Day of 2017, was also the first music show win for an NCT unit.
The boys continued the momentum with “Trigger The Fever”, a promotional single they released as official ambassadors of the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup Korea. And after only six months since The First, the boy group came back with their first extended play We Young which included the title track of the same name and its Chinese version, “La La Love”, “Walk You Home”, “My Page”, and “Trigger The Fever”.
NCT DREAM closed 2017 with the single “Joy” as part of SM Entertainment’s digital music project, SM Station.
THE YEAR OF NCT
The year 2018 kicked off with a jam-packed first quarter which saw all NCT U, NCT 127, and NCT DREAM come together for NCT 2018, a project that put together the 18 members of NCT (including then-new members Kun, Jung Woo, and Lucas). In March, the boy group’s first full-length album NCT 2018 Empathy was released which contains six singles including the full-group track “Black On Black” and NCT DREAM’s “Go”. “Go” also marked Jaemin’s first comeback with NCT since his debut.
NCT DREAM decorated the third quarter of 2018 with their second EP We Go Up which included tracks “We Go Up” and its Chinese version, “1, 2, 3”, “Beautiful Time”, “Drippin’”, and “Dear Dream”. The EP topped Gaon Chart and placed 22nd on the chart’s year-end list. Additionally, it ranked number five and number seven on the World Albums Chart and Heatseekers Albums Chart of Billboard.
The boys were also listed as the only Asian act in Billboard’s 21 Under 21 2018: Music’s Next Generation and on Time’s 25 Most Influential Teens of 2018.
Before the year ended, NCT DREAM once again participated in SM Station with “Candle Light”. However, 2018 also signaled Mark’s graduation from the sub-unit.
THE COLLABORATIONS, THE NEW ERA, AND THE DREAM SHOW
The year 2019 saw NCT DREAM explore more in terms of their music through collaborations with HRVY in “Don’t Need Your Love” and PrettyMuch in “Up To You”. The boys also made their first comeback with Mark last year through the release of their third EP We Boom featuring the title song “Boom”.
That year also witnessed the debut of NCT DREAM on the Philippine concert stage through the 2019 K-Pop Friendship Concert In Manila where they shared the stage with April and Noir.
They then kicked their first concert tour, The Dream Show, in Seoul and Bangkok. The tour will also bring Renjun, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, Chenle, and Jisung to the Philippines once again on February 29 at the New Frontier Theater. Tickets to the concert have been sold out on the first day of ticket selling, proving the immense popularity of the boy group in the archipelago.
Aside from their growth as artists and their on-going tour, there truly is no stopping NCT DREAM from soaring high as they continue to add accolades under their name including becoming the first global ambassadors of the World Scout Foundation, making it on Billboard’s 21 Under 21 list for the second consecutive year, and taking home Hot Performance of the Year from Gaon Chart Music Awards, Disk Bonsang from Golden Disc Awards, and Bonsang Award from Seoul Music Awards.
Going four years in the industry, the growth of NCT DREAM as artists has been exceptional. With achievements coming one after the other and deserving recognitions being given, there is no denying that the boys will continue to rise — with us keeping our fingers crossed that this family will only grow.
PH NCTzens, are you ready to celebrate the awesomeness of our Dreamies? See you on February 29 at the New Frontier Theater!
NCT DREAM TOUR “THE DREAM SHOW” IN MANILA is brought to you by SM Entertainment, Dream Maker Entertainment Limited, and PULP Live World.
