One of the first K-pop songs I ever listened to was “The 7th Sense” by Neo Culture Technology (NCT), the boyband’s debut song, back in April 2016. 2024 has been a year of firsts, with five of the 25 total members making their solo debuts, and I have a lot to say about them.
If you’re not familiar, NCT is a supergroup under SM Entertainment, one of the largest K-pop companies in South Korea. It’s easy to find the sheer number of members and subunits overwhelming — I know I did. NCT’s five subunits include NCT U, a rotational unit with different members selected for each song (their debut song, for example, only includes five members), NCT 127, a fixed unit with eight members, NCT DREAM, a fixed unit with seven members, WayV, the fixed Chinese unit with six members (and also my personal favorite) and NCT WISH, the rookie Japanese unit with six members.
I will focus on Taeyong, Ten, Doyoung and Jaehyun, the four members largely considered to be the original lineup due to their participation in “The 7th Sense,” and Yuta, who debuted with NCT 127 in July 2016.
1. TAEYONG: “TAP”
Taeyong (Lee Tae-yong), the leader of the group and main rapper of NCT 127, was the first to make his solo debut in June 2023 with his mini “Shalala.” This past February he followed up with “Tap” — another six-track mini — as a final goodbye before his two-year military enlistment.
He is best known for his unique rapping style, and the hip-hop title track “Tap” perfectly showcases his talents. My favorite b-side is “Moon Tour” with its lullaby-esque lyrics: “I’ll still love you to the moon and back like eternal starlight.”
2. TEN: “TEN”
Ten (“Ten” Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul), the main dancer and vocalist of WayV, also made his debut in February with his eponymous mini, “Ten.” Another six-track album, each song is in English (as one of the fluent English speakers of the group.)
I might be slightly biased, but this was by far my favorite release of the year. “Ten” was originally meant to be titled “White Chameleon” — fitting considering each song is an entirely different genre. The title track “Nightwalker” takes on a sci-fi, horror theme with hypnotizing choreography.
Even eight months later, I still can’t get enough of the b-side “Shadow”: “Why do I still see your shadow? You’ll always follow me in the night when I feel hollow.”
3. DOYOUNG: “YOUTH”
Doyoung (Kim Dong-young), the main vocalist of NCT 127 and subunit-within-a-subunit DoJaeJung, was the first to release a full-length album titled “Youth” in April. With ten tracks and the title track “Little Light,” each song is over three minutes long — a refreshing change of pace from the tendency towards shorter songs in past years.
His gorgeous vocals come through in each song, a mix of ballads and rock songs with powerful guitar and piano melodies, although the instrumentals never overpower his voice. You can’t skip the breathtaking vocals in his b-side “Warmth”: “You, solely, were here when I was coldest, the warmth that envelops me.”
4. JAEHYUN: “J”
Jaehyun (Jeong Yun-o), the main vocalist of NCT 127 and DoJaeJung, made his solo debut in August with the groovy, jazzy title track “Smoke” to his eight-track album “J.” As another one of the fluent English speakers in the group, the album is a mix of Korean and English, with two language versions for the title track.
I’ll be honest, I don’t think I ever truly appreciated Jaehyun’s vocals until this moment, and wow. Speechless. His ballad “Completely” has been on repeat for months now: “Show me a map of your soul. Every second from now I’m gonna love you completely.”
5. YUTA: “DEPTH”
Yuta (Nakamoto Yuta), the main dancer of NCT 127, just kicked off October with his seven-track album “Depth” and its title track “Off the Mask.” He’s bringing me back into my alternative days with his hard J-rock songs — all in his native language (Japanese)!
I wasn’t sure what to expect from Yuta, but color me very impressed. The announcement of his debut was pretty sudden, but it’s clear months of preparation went into it. To get a taste of his talents, check out his soothing vocals in “Last Song” and the stirring lyrics in “Prisoner”: “Trying to escape every day, I’m not a criminal. I scream, ‘set me free.’”
With so many releases this year, I anticipated some overlap in genre and style, but these five artists have clearly proved me very, very wrong. Instead, each of their solos breathes personality and captures their unique skills and styles — music for the ages!