Why NCT Dream is the K-pop group to watch this year, following rebooted new album release Reload
NCT Dream first stepped onto the K-pop scene in August 2016 – a group of bubbly, bright-eyed blondes on hoverboards with an average age of 15.6 years. Over the years, fans have watched them grow past puberty into adulthood, with all but the youngest member now legal adults.
Originally, the band was to have a temporary cast, with members “graduating” from the team after reaching a certain age, but fans’ ardent protests over the past year have pushed the company to announce them as a fixed unit, recalling graduated member Mark Lee (SuperM, NCT127) back to the team. With this, NCT Dream made a fresh start with an updated sound, dropping their new EP, “Reload”, on April 29. Here are four reasons why they’re the group to watch in the second half of 2020.
All members are all-rounders
While it is not uncommon for K-pop groups to assign roles to each member, all of NCT Dream’s members challenged themselves for this comeback, taking on roles outside their original scope. Fans were treated to rappers Jisung and Jeno’s low notes while the vocal line tried their hand at rapping.
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Their experience combined with their youth
Despite being almost four years into their careers, NCT Dream’s members range in age from just 18 to 21. The public can expect much more growth and development in years to come, given their young age. But don’t let numbers fool you – these boys practically eat up the stage from years of training and practice.
Their wide musical range
From bubblegum pop synth in their early days with Chewing Gum and My First and Last to a more mature and hard-hitting sound as presented in Boom and Ridin’, NCT Dream has proven time and time again that they are able to digest every genre and concept thrown at them.
Their international appeal
NCT Dream has made Billboard’s 21 under 21 two years running, proving their huge fan base globally. The band also has two Chinese nationals in the team, Renjun and Chenle, allowing for greater popularity. Their Chinese fan base is a huge contributor to their album sales as well and often host large scale birthday events for the boys.
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Their selling power is increasing
Even though the pre-order date for their EP started only five days prior to the drop, the boys racked up more than 500,000 copies sold during the pre-order period, along with another 374,165 copies on the first day of sales. Their previous EP, “We Boom”, launched nine months ago, only hit 122,507 copies sold on the first day, making a growth of more than 200 per cent, proving their star power.
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Reborn, rebooted, better? Jisung and Jeno are now on the low notes while the vocal line tackle rapping and Mark Lee has been recalled – conceived as a revolving team concept, the teenage NCT sub-unit has been freshly solidified by popular decree – entering a bold new phase with fresh album Reload