NCT Dream
NCT Dream | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Seoul, South Korea |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2016–present |
| Labels | |
| Spinoff of | NCT |
| Members | |
| Website | Official website |
NCT Dream (Korean: 엔시티 드림; RR: Ensiti Deurim), the third sub-unit of the South Korean boy band NCT, was formed by SM Entertainment in 2016. They were initially intended to be the teenaged unit of NCT with an admission-and-graduation system, in which members would leave after reaching age of majority (20 in Korean age reckoning, 19 internationally), prior to re-branding in 2020. The sub-unit debuted on August 25, 2016, with the single "Chewing Gum" and a lineup of seven members—Mark, Renjun, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, Chenle, and Jisung—whose average age was 15.6 years old. In late 2018, the group's leader, Mark, graduated from NCT Dream but returned in 2020 when the group began promoting as a fixed seven-member group.
Commercial success of their 2019 extended play (EP) We Boom made NCT Dream into one of the year's top 10 physical sellers domestically and earned them Bonsang awards at the 34th Golden Disc Awards and 2020 Seoul Music Awards.[4][5][6] Their second and last record released as a sextet was their fourth Korean-language EP, Reload (2020), which accumulated over half a million pre-orders.[7][8] NCT Dream achieved major commercial success with the release of their first studio album, Hot Sauce (2021), whose pre-orders surpassed 1.71 million copies.[9] It became the best-selling album on the Gaon Chart in the first half of 2021 and was named Best Album at the 31st Seoul Music Awards.[10][11]
Since their debut, NCT Dream have released four EPs, six singles and two studio albums and headlined one tour in Asia. Known for music reflecting youth and adolescence, growth, and the transition from innocence to rebellion,[12] the sub-unit has been recognized internationally as one of the most notable teenaged artists of their time. They are the first and only Asian artist to appear three consecutive times on Billboard's "21 Under 21" list for their industry impact on sales, streaming and social media, placing at numbers 20, 13 and 19 from 2018 to 2020.[13][14] NCT Dream were also included on Time's list of the "25 Most Influential Teens" of 2018.[12]
History
Pre-debut activities and formation
Prior to the group's debut, some of the members were already involved in the entertainment industry. Jeno had filmed various commercials as a child. Jisung was also previously a child actor with roles in films such as Boys, Be Curious (2012), and Go, Stop, Murder (2013) and a member of Poppin' Hyun Joon Kids Crew. Chenle was active in the Chinese music scene as a child singer; he released three albums, headlined a solo concert in China, and participated in Chinese programs, including China's Got Talent.
Mark was the first member to join SM Entertainment in 2012, after passing SM Global Auditions in Canada. Haechan was cast through SM Saturday Open Casting Audition in 2013, Jisung and Jeno were cast through the company's casting system, and Jaemin was street-cast by staff while doing volunteer work and successfully passed auditions. In July 2015, Renjun was cast through SM Global Auditions in China. Chenle was the last member to be cast, in 2016, five months before NCT Dream's debut.[15]
Mark, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, and Jisung were previously part of SM Rookies, a pre-debut team of trainees under SM Entertainment. As part of SM Rookies, in October 2014, they appeared on the Mnet-produced Exo 90:2014, a show starring labelmates Exo, where they performed cover dances to K-pop songs from the 1990s. From July through December 2015, the five boys were Mouseketeers on Disney Channel Korea's The Mickey Mouse Club, where they performed music and dances, played games, and participated in skits. SM Rookies Boys eventually held their own showcase, the SMRookies Show, which took place in Seoul in September 2015 and later expanded to Bangkok, Thailand in February 2016.
NCT was first announced in January 2016 by Lee Soo-man at a presentation outlining plans for a group that would debut different sub-units around the world.[16] Mark had previously debuted with the group's first unit, the rotational NCT U, on April 4, 2016.[17] On July 7 of the same year, both Mark and Haechan debuted in NCT's second sub-unit, the Seoul-based NCT 127.[18] They debuted again with five new members—Renjun, Jeno, Jaemin, Chenle and Jisung—as NCT Dream, the third sub-unit of NCT, announced on August 1
