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NCT Dream is a South Korean boy group. Their theme is teenagers and they graduate from the group once they reach the age of maturity (20 years in Korean age, 19 years international). They are the third subunit of NCT. They officially debuted on August 25, 2016.
They originally followed a graduation system. However, on April 14, 2020, it was announced that Mark would be brought back following the release of Reload, on April 29, and the subunit will be following the rotational system of NCT U's.
History
Pre-debut
Prior to joining SM Entertainment, some of the members were already involved in the entertainment industry. Jeno appeared in various commercials as a child. Jisung was a child actor. Chenle was active on 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, just three months before NCT Dream's debut.
On July 7 of the same year, both Mark and Haechan debuted in NCT's second sub-unit, the Seoul-based NCT 127. 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 18, 2016.
2016-2017: Debut, The First, and We Young
NCT Dream released their debut single "Chewing Gum" on August 24, 2016 and held their debut stage was on August 25 on M Countdown. The song peaked at number two on the Billboard World Digital Songs Sales chart and at number 23 on the Spotify Viral 50 chart upon release. The Korean and Mandarin versions of the song were later included in NCT Dream's first single album.
On February 1, 2017, SM Entertainment announced NCT Dream's first single album, although member Jaemin would not participate in order to recover from his herniated disc injury. The group's single album The First was released on February 9 with lead single "My First and Last". On February 14, NCT Dream won first place on the hundredth episode of The Show, marking the first music show win for any NCT unit.
In the same month, NCT Dream was appointed the official ambassadors for the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup, hosted in South Korea in the summer of 2017. On March 15, NCT Dream released the official song for the tournament, "Trigger the Fever", and performed it at different promotional events and at the opening ceremony of the U-20 World Cup.
NCT Dream released their first EP, We Young, on August 17, 2017. The group's first promotional performance for the EP was held on M Countdown. We Young peaked at number three on the Billboard World Albums chart in September.
NCT Dream released a Christmas single, "Joy", as part of the SM Station project on December 15, 2017.
2018: NCT 2018, We Go Up, and Mark's graduation
NCT Dream promoted alongside NCT U and NCT 127 as NCT 2018 during the first quarter of 2018. On March 4, 2018, NCT Dream released the single "Go", which was included in NCT's first album NCT 2018 Empathy. The song marked a transition in the narrative of NCT Dream's music from the portrayal of innocence to the "more defiant attitude" of teenagers. It also marked the group's first comeback with Jaemin since their debut.
SM Entertainment announced in late August that NCT Dream would release an EP titled We Go Up in September. On August 27, it was confirmed that the album would be Mark's last comeback with the group before graduating in 2019 upon turning 19 years old, the age of majority in South Korea. The EP was released on September 3, 2018, alongside the lead single of the same name. We Go Up entered Billboard's World Albums chart at number five and its Heatseekers Albums chart at number seven, NCT Dream's then best sales week in the U.S. The album also topped iTunes Albums charts in 15 countries. NCT Dream was featured on the "21 Under 21 2018: Music's Next Generation" list by Billboard as the only Asian artist that year. All members were also listed on Time's 25 Most Influential Teens of 2018 list.
On December 19, it was announced Haechan would be taking a hiatus from the group due to injury, but he returned soon afterwards. On December 27, NCT Dream released their third single of the year, "Candle Light", for SM Station. The song was a message of gratitude and love, with lyrics written by Mark, the last song featuring the original seven members of the group before Mark officially graduated from the unit on December 31.
2019: International collaborations, domestic breakthrough, and first tour
On June 6, NCT Dream released "Don't Need Your Love", a collaborative single with English singer HRVY. The song showed a more mature side for the group, and they were credited for highlighting their maturing vocals. Haechan did not partake in the single due to ongoing activities with NCT 127. The song was released as part of SM Station Season 3.
In July, NCT Dream were named the first global ambassadors of the World Scout Foundation and released the English-language single "Fireflies", the proceeds of which were used to fund foundation activities in low-income countries. The group also performed at the 24th World Scout Jamboree in West Virginia, United States on July 23.
On July 26, NCT Dream released their third EP We Boom and its title track "Boom". The album sold more than 300,000 units after a month of release. It also debuted at number seven on the Billboard World Albums chart, and NCT Dream ranked at number three on the Billboard Social 50 Chart. NCT Dream received two wins for "Boom" on The Show on August 6 and August 20, respectively. The EP earned them Bonsang Awards at the 34th Golden Disc Awards and 2020 Seoul Music Awards.
In September, NCT Dream was included in Billboard's 21 Under 21 list for the second year in a row, being the first Asian artists to make the list for two consecutive years, this time rising to position thirteen.
In November, the group featured on American-Canadian boy band PrettyMuch's INTL:EP with the song "Up To You", its lyrics praised for promoting consent.
The group went on their first international concert tour, The Dream Show, starting with three dates in Seoul and two dates in Bangkok from November to December.
2020: Japanese release, Reload, reorganization, and NCT 2020
On January 22, NCT Dream released a Japan-exclusive compilation album titled The Dream, consisting of all previously released singles in their original Korean language. The album debuted atop the Oricon Albums Chart.
In early 2020, NCT Dream continued with their international tour The Dream Show, with shows in multiple cities in Japan as well as in Southeast Asian countries. Shows from February 2020 onwards were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the topic of member graduation became more pressing since the year prior, SM Entertainment announced on April 14 that NCT Dream would release their fourth Korean EP, Reload, with the current six members Renjun, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, Chenle, and Jisung to mark a new change in concept. At the end of the album's promotion period, the graduation system would be abolished, and NCT Dream would continue with all seven members upon the return of Mark. NCT Dream would function as a fixed group and explore more diverse concepts with each release, similar to NCT U. The seven members would continue retain the name NCT Dream and possibly take part in other activities and NCT units in the future.
By April 28, one day before the EP's release and two weeks after its announcement, Reload garnered over 500,000 pre-orders, making it NCT Dream's most pre-ordered release to date. On April 29, NCT Dream released Reload with its lead single "Ridin'", an urban trap track with lyrics highlighting the aspirations of NCT Dream in their coming new path. The music video for "Ridin" was released on the same day. Upon release, the album topped the iTunes album chart in 49 countries, including the U.S., as well as topping the digital album sales chart of China's largest music site, QQ Music. In South Korea, "Ridin'" reached number one on its largest music site, Melon, making it the first track released by an NCT unit to top the chart. All five songs from the EP peaked within the top 10 on Melon digital chart. The following week, NCT Dream ranked number one on Billboard's Emerging Artists chart.
After the release of their fourth Korean EP, NCT Dream was the third group from SM Entertainment to hold a live online concert, titled "NCT Dream - Beyond the Dream Show", as part of the world's first online-dedicated live concert series Beyond LIVE. The live concert was held on May 10.
NCT Dream joined the rest of NCT under the NCT 2020 moniker, promoting the group's second full-length album, the two-part NCT 2020 Resonance, which was released in October and November. By end of 2020, both parts of Resonance sold over 2.6 million copies, a new sales record for NCT. Included in the album is "Déjà Vu", performed by NCT Dream and Mark's first release with NCT Dream since its reorganization. Metro praised "Déjà Vu" for blending the youthful sound of NCT Dream with more edge and ranked it among the top 20 K-pop comebacks of 2020.
2021–present: Hot Sauce, Hello Future, Glitch Mode and Beatbox
On May 10, 2021, the group released their first studio album Hot Sauce, featuring the original seven members of the unit. The album consists of ten tracks, including the title track of the same name, Hot Sauce. Pre-orders for the album surpassed 1,716,571 copies, breaking their previous record for Reload with a 243% increase. The album topped the Gaon Album Chart, and "Hot Sauce" became the sub-unit's first single to peak at number one on the Gaon Digital Chart.On May 26, they earned the "double million sellers" title as the album sold more than two million copies.
On June 28, 2021, the group released the repackage of their first studio album Hello Future, which contained three new tracks, including the lead single of the same name, Hello Future. Combined sales of Hot Sauce and Hello Future surpassed three million copies, earning the group their first "triple million seller" title.
On February 28, 2022, it was announced that the group would release their second studio album, Glitch Mode, on March 28, which contained eleven new tracks, including the lead single of the same name. Pre-orders for the album surpassed more than two million copies on the day of release, breaking their previous personal record of 1.71 million pre-orders for Hot Sauce. Glitch Mode recorded sales of 2,100,339 copies within one week, breaking the group's previous personal record of two million copies sold in 16 days for Hot Sauce. The album debuted at number 50 on the US Billboard 200 dated April 9, 2022, becoming NCT Dream's first entry on the chart.
On May 30, 2022, the group will release the repackage of their second studio album Beatbox, which contained four new tracks, including the lead single of the same name.Members
| Name | Real Name | Birth date | Position(s) | Years active |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark (마크) | Mark Lee | August 2, 1999 | Leader, Main Rapper, Main Dancer, Vocalist | 2016–2018 [1]
2020–Present [2] |
| Renjun (런쥔) | Huang Renjun (黄仁俊) | March 23, 2000 | Lead Vocalist | 2016–present |
| Jeno (제노) | Lee Jeno (이제노) | April 23, 2000 | Main Rapper, Lead Dancer, Visual | 2016–present |
| Haechan (해찬) |
Lee Donghyuck (이동혁) |
June 6, 2000 | Main Vocalist, Lead Dancer | 2016–present |
| Jaemin (재민) | Na Jaemin (나재민) | August 13, 2000 | Lead Dancer, Lead Rapper, Center, Visual | 2016–present |
| Chenle (천러) | Zhong Chenle (钟辰乐) | November 22, 2001 | Main Vocalist | 2016–present |
| Jisung (지성) | Park Jisung (박지성) | February 5, 2002 | Main Dancer, Vocalist, Rapper, Maknae | 2016–present |
Discography
- Main Article: Discography
Korean
Live Album
| Year | Title | Members |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | THE DREAM SHOW |
Mini Album
| Year | Title | Members |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | We Young | |
| 2018 | We Go Up | |
| 2019 | We Boom | |
| 2020 | Reload |
Studio Album
| Year | Title | Members |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Hot Sauce | |
| 2022 | Glitch Mode |
Repackage Album
| Year | Title | Members |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Hello Future | |
| 2022 | Beatbox |
Single Album
| Year | Title | Members |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | The First |
Digital Single
| Year | Title | Members |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Chewing Gum | |
| 2017 | Trigger The Fever | |
| Joy | ||
| 2018 | Candle Light | |
| 2019 | Don't Need Your Love x HRVY | |
| Fireflies |
Featured
| Year | Title | Song | Artist | Members |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | NCT 2018 Empathy | Go | NCT 2018 | |
| 2019 | INTL:EP | "Up to You" | PRETTYMUCH | |
| 2020 | NCT 2020 : Resonance Part.1 | "Déjà Vu" | NCT 2020 |
Japanese
Mini Album
| Year | Title | Members |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | The Dream |
Filmography
TV Shows
| Year | Title | Members | Channel | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | School Attack 2018 | All (7) | SBS MTV | Guest (Season 2: Ep.2) |
| Weekly Idol | MBC Every1 | Guest (Ep.371) | ||
| 2019 | Idol Room | JTBC | Guest (Ep. 60) | |
| Weekly Idol | All (6) | MBC Every1 | Guest (Ep.418), Jisung is only present for the performance. | |
| We K-Pop | KBS | Guest (Ep. 5,6) |
Web Shows
| Year | Title | Members | Channel | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 나를 구해줘 - SAVE NCT DREAM | PUFF | ||
| 2021 | Rooftop Fight | NCT Dream | ||
| 2021 | Boys Mental Training Camp | Waave |
Endorsement
| Year | Brand | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | FIFA World Cup Korea | Without Jaemin |
| 2020-2021 | Candy Lab | Without Mark, Haechan |
| 2021 | FCMM | |
| 2022 | Mernell, Somethinc | |
| 2022 | Lemonilo, Penshoppe |
Concert
Tours
- NCT DREAM TOUR 'THE DREAM SHOW' (2019-2020)
Online Concerts
Fanmeeting
- NCT Dream ONLINE FANMEETING 'HOT! SUMMER DREAM' (2021)
Music Variety
- NCT DREAM SHOW (2018)
SMTOWN
- SMTOWN Live World Tour VI (2017-2018)
- SMTOWN Special Stage In Hong Kong (2018)
- SMTOWN Live 2018 (2018)
- SMTOWN Special Stage In Santiago (2019)
- SMTOWN Live Culture Humanity (2021)
- SMTOWN Live 2022: SMCU Express @KWANGYA (2022)
Concert participation
- 2020 K-Pop x K-Art Concert Super KPA (2020)
Trivia
- All of the members share a friendship ring.
Awards & Nominations
- Main Article: Awards & Nominations
Korean
Asia Artist Awards
| Year | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Best Emotive Award (Music) | NCT Dream | Won |
| 2021 | U+Idol Live Popularity Award – Male Group | Nominated | |
| AAA Japan Popularity Award – Idol Group (Male) | Nominated |
Cosmic Music Awards
| Year | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Song of the Year | NCT Dream |
Gaon Chart Music Awards
| Year | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Album of the Year - 3rd Quarter | We Go Up | Nominated |
| 2020 | Hot Performance of the Year | NCT Dream | Won |
| 2021 | Album of the Year - 2nd Quarter | Reload | Nominated |
| 2022 | Song of the Year - June | Hello Future | Nominated |
| Album of the year Physical Album (2nd Quarter) | Hot Sauce | Won | |
| Top Kit Seller | Won | ||
| Album of the Year - Physical Album (3rd Quarter) | Hello Future | Nominated |
Genie Music Awards
| Year | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Artist of the Year | NCT Dream | Nominated |
Golden Disc Awards
| Year | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Disc Daesang | We Boom | Nominated |
| Disc Bonsang | Won | ||
| Popularity Award | NCT Dream | Nominated | |
| 2022 | Album Bonsang | Hot Sauce | Won |
| Album Daesang | Nominated | ||
| Seezn Most Popular Artist Award | NCT Dream | Nominated |
Hanteo Music Awards
| Year | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Artist Award (Top 3 Male Group) | NCT Dream | Won |
K-Champ Awards
| Year | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | K-Champ of the Year (Daesang) | NCT Dream | Won |
| Weekly Playlist Dance Category Award | Won |
Korean Entertainment Arts Awards
| Year | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Best Boy Group | NCT Dream | Won |
| 2020 | Best Singer — Idol Group | Won |
Melon Music Awards
| Year | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Best Dance Track (Male) | Ridin' | Nominated |
| 2021 | Album of the Year | Hot Sauce | Nominated |
| Best Male Group | NCT Dream | Nominated | |
| Artist of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Worldwide Top 10 Artist | Won |
Mnet Asian Music Awards
| Year | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Album of the Year | Hot Sauce | Nominated |
| Artist of the Year | NCT Dream | Nominated | |
| Best Male Group | Nominated | ||
| Best Dance Performance – Male Group | Hot Sauce | Nominated | |
| Song of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Worldwide Fans' Choice Top 10 | NCT Dream | Won |
Seoul Music Awards
| Year | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Bonsang Award | NCT Dream | Won |
| Daesang Award | Nominated | ||
| Popularity Award | Nominated | ||
| QQ Music Most Popular K-Pop Artist Award | Nominated | ||
| Hallyu Special Award | Nominated | ||
| 2021 | Fan PD Artist Award | Nominated | |
| 2022 | Best Album | Hot Sauce | Won |
| Popularity Award | NCT Dream | Nominated | |
| K-Wave Popularity Award | Nominated | ||
| Fan PD Artist Award | Nominated |
Soribada Best K-Music Awards
| Year | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Bonsang Award | NCT Dream | Won |
The Fact Music Awards
| Year | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | FAN N STAR Choice Award (Artist) | NCT Dream | Nominated |
| U+ Idol Live Popularity Award | Nominated |
International
V Chart Awards
| Year | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Top Promising Group | NCT Dream | Won |
Other Awards
First Brand Awards
| Year | Nominated | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | NCT Dream | Chinese Special Prize | Won |
Joox Thailand Music Awards
| Year | Nominated | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Hot Sauce | Korean Song of the Year | Pending |
| NCT Dream | Top Social Global Artist of the Year | Pending |
25th Korean Entertainment Arts Awards
| Year | Nominated | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | NCT Dream | Group Daesang - Boy Group | Won |
Other Accolades
State honors
The Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards
| Year | Honor | Recipient |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Commendation | NCT Dream |
Listicles
| Year | Publisher | Listicle | Recipient | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Billboard | 21 Under 21 | NCT Dream | 20th |
| 2019 | 13th | |||
| 2020 | Placed | |||
| 2018 | Time | 25 Most Influential Teens | Placed |
Links
- Official Facebook
- Official Instagram
- Official Youtube
- Official Twitter
- Official Weibo
- Official Vlive
Gallery
 |
To view the NCT Dream gallery, click here.
|
References
