~ N.Flying ~

Members from left to right: Seunghyub, Hun, Dongsung, Jaehyun and Hweseung. 

Who is N.Flying? 

N.Flying is a South-Korean boyband under FNC entertainment that debuted on October 1st 2013 in Japan with the song "Basket", and on May 20th 2015 in South Korea with the song "Awesome". The band was originally made of four members: Seunghyub, Hun, Jaehyun, and Kwangjin (who was a former CNBlue member, another Sout-Korean boyband). On June 19, 2017, a new member was added: Hweesung. They promoted as a 5-membered boy band until 2018, when Kwangjin left the group by himself after rumours of him meeting with fans outside of official schedules spread. After this, the band promoted with the four remaining members until January 1st, 2020 when a new member was introduced: Dongsung. They recently made a comeback on June 7th, 2021 with their 1st full album "Man on the moon" and its title track "moonshot" , exactly a year after their previous Korean comeback with "Oh Really". Their fandom is called N.Fia, a combination of N.Flying and Utopia, meaning "flying together to utopia". Here are their official social media accounts if you wish to follow and support them:

• Official website: fncent.com/NFLYING
• Official website (Japan): nflying-official.jp
• Twitter: @NFlyingofficial
• Twitter (Japan): @NF_official_jp
• Instagram: @letsroll_nf
• Instagram (Japan): @n.flying_official_jp
• Facebook: Officialnflying
• V Live: C065
• Fan café: Daum cafe
• YouTube: nflyingofficial
• YouTube (Japan): N.Flying JAPAN
• TikTok:  @nflyingofficial

Get to know the members

Stage Name: Seunghyub (승협)

Birth Name: Lee Seung Hyub (이승협)

Position: Leader, Main Rapper, Lead Vocalist, Rhythm Guitar, Piano

Birthday: October 31, 1992

Height: 181cm

Weight: 65kg 

Personal Instagram: @sssn9_zzzn9

Fun Facts: Seunghyub was born in Daegu, South Korea and has an older sister. He trained for 5 years, appeared in several Kdramas like "Save me" (2017) and "Best chicken" (2019), and in several web dramas like "All Boys High" (2019) and "Big Picture House" (2020). Seunghyub loves doing aegyo (cute gestures), and his role models are Nas, Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar. His ideal type is a girl with a round and a cuddly face. 

 

Stage Name: Hun (훈)

Birth Name: Cha Hoon (차훈)

Position: Lead Guitarist, Vocalist

Birthday: July 12, 1994

Height: 180cm

Weight: 68kg 

Personal Instagram: @cchh_0712

Fun Facts: Hun was born in Seoul, South Korea. He was a trainee for five years and has many fans among female idols. He hates doing aegyo and is the most serious member according to his bandmates. He loves cats and loves cooking, he likes watching soccer and his favourite colour is black. He's also a fan of anime (he likes One Piece and Pokemon). Hun appeared in AOA's "Oh Boy" MV and has a YouTube channel called 두 얼간이 2IDIOTS with his fellow bandmate Jaehyun. His ideal type is the same type as himself, with a cat-like personality.

Stage Name: Jaehyun (재현)

Birth Name: Kim Jae Hyun (김재현)

Position: Drummer

Birthday: July 15, 1994

Height: 180cm

Weight: 68kg 

Personal Instagram: @_.kimjaehyun._

Fun Facts: Jaehyun was born in Seoul, South Korea and has an older sister named Jaekhyung who was a member of the Kpop girl group Rainbow (disbanded in 2016). He was a trainee for 9 years and was supposed to debut with CNBlue but ended up being replaced by Minhyuk. He’s the more energetic and funny member of the group and the other members say he’s the one that looks the best in the photos and that he’d make a great model. Jaehyun's favourite colour is purple, he likes Harry Potter and likes Tteokbokki (even though he doesn't really enjoy spicy food). He has acted in several Kdramas such as "Modern Farmer" (2014), "Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo" (2016), "All Kinds of Daughters-in-law" (2017) and "Big picture house" (2020). He's friends with Sonamoo's Euijin and has a YouTube channel with his fellow bandmate Hun called 두 얼간이 2IDIOTS. Finally, his ideal type is a girl with long hair, and a slender and slim figure.

Stage Name: Hweeseung (회승)

Birth Name: Yoo Hoe Seung (유회승)

Position: Main Vocalist

Birthday: February 28, 1995

Height: 175cm

Weight: 62kg 

Personal Instagram: @hweng_star

YouTube channel: Yoo Hwe Seung

Fun Facts: Hweseung has 3 older sisters. He was a participant of “Produce 101 Season 2” and was eliminated from the show when he came in at No. 39 when the top 35 was announced. He had a collaboration with FT Island’s Lee Hong Gi for the song “Still Love You”, and he's friends with Sonamoo's Euijin. He appeared on ‘King of Masked’ singer (Episode 147-148) and received the title “2019’s Super Rookie” from Immortal Songs. He has impressive vocal abilities and a fun personality and his hobbies are billiards and ski. Hweseung recorded an OST for 크리미널 마인드 (Criminal Minds) and also recorded the song “If You Were Me (니가 나라면)” with AOA’s Jimin and Yuna for “A Korean Odyssey (화유기)”. He became a member of N.Flying on June 19, 2017 and he already had completed his military service.

Stage Name: Dongsung (동성)

Birth Name: Seo Dong Sung (서동성)

Position: Vocalist, Bassist, Maknae 

Birthday: April 9, 1996

Height: 175 cm

Weight: 57kg

Personal Instagram: @9_6_meng22

Fun Facts: He was added as a member of N.FLYING on January 1st, 2020. Before that he was a member of the group HONEYST (who was also under FNC Entertainment but disbanded in 2017). Seunghyub and him share a room, and he's also close to Hun. He likes to workout and to play craft games. 

 

 

Stage Name: Kwangjin (광진) (former member)

Birth Name: Kwon Kwang Jin (권광진)

Position: Bassist, Vocalist

Birthday: August 12, 1992

Height: 181cm

Weight: 70kg

Personal Instagram: @healthy_kkj

Fun Facts: He was born in Seoul, South Korea. He was a member of CNBlue until he left in 2009. He was under FNC Entertainment for 10 years before he debuted with N.Flying.  He can play the bass and the guitar. His role models are Bon Jovi, Billy Sheehan and Red Hot Chilli Peppers. He left the group and FNC Entertainment when rumours broke about him meeting with fans outside official schedules in December of 2018. 

 

How I discovered N.Flying and became an N.Fia

The first song I listened to was "The Real", and I remember laughing a lot because I found that song and music video very silly. I also showed it to my best friend and we spent a good time laughing at the faces they would make on the music video. And because that song intrigued me so much, I searched more songs from them and stumbled upon "Hot Potato". And there I gave up because the lyrics were just so silly and I wasn't really fond of their style. A couple of months later I stumbled upon a video from a French YouTuber I follow called "Sam et les dramas" (she has a blog about dramas that you can visit here if you speak French ^^) about N.Flying's evolution (it was done in 2019), and I fell in love with their song called "Like a Flower" from their Korean Single "Fly High Project 1 Like a Flower" released on October 26, 2018. Right after that I checked out their song "Rooftop" which was a really great song and got me a step closer to be their fan. So, when did I really become an N.Fia? Pretty recently because that's when they released "Moonshot". That song is strong and meaningful! Look, there's something about bands that groups rarely have and that's real instruments. Usually Kpop groups use synths and electronic sounds, whereas bands play their own instruments and that's a very strong added value. The instruments in Moonshot hit me really hard, and the message this song (and album) holds is meaningful: "If you want to change don't be afraid". And the whole album is a real gem too, I'm really happy they got to finally release a full album. 

N.Flying's discography

Japanese debut single "Basket" (October 1, 2013)

N.Flying made their Japanese debut on October 1, 2013 with their Japanese debut single "Basket". The song has a very high-school musical vibe in the sense that the song is very cheerful and upbeat. The single has two other songs in it: "Bittersweet" and "Kiss me, Miss me". Bittersweet has  a more epic almost emo vibe to it, a sound that was very popular back in the days. Finally, "Kiss me, Miss me" is much more nostalgic with a very prominent guitar that's very soothing. I almost regretted that the electric guitar we hear at the very end wasn't more loud to add to this emotional feeling. I don't really have an opinion on that single since it was their debut single and that I think they evolved so much since then. Their sound now is really different from the sound they had back then, and so it is not really representative of N.Flying's identity although the songs on it are great. 

2nd Japanese single "One and Only" (January 1, 2014)

A couple of months after their Japanese debut, N.Flying released their second single called "One and Only". The rock genre is definitely the highlight of the song "One and Only", with a lot of percussions and heavy electric guitar. The song is also particularly fast-paced compared to their previous songs. There are two other songs that were released as well called "Reason" and "Oh Yeah". "Reason" is an all-english song with a very melancholic sound diving back to the emo side of N.Flying's discography, singing about a sad love story. Finally, "Oh Yeah" is more rap-centric with a more upbeat sound, remaining in the rock genre. It also has that bit of High-School musical vibe I talked about earlier. It is an all-english song as well. 

 

 

Korean debut mini-album "Awesome" (May 5, 2015)

Two years after their Japanese debut, N.Flying finally make their long-awaited Korean debut with their first Korean mini-album "Awesome" and the title track Awesome(기가막혀). Awesome is definitely more rap-centric than vocal-centric, and it has that grunge that their previous songs didn't have. I have mixed feelings about this song because when I listen to it in my usual environment I don't like it, but I can totally picture myself screaming the lyrics at a concert. This song was made to be performed at a concert. This mini-album has four other tracks on it: One N Only, Heartbreak(가슴이 놀래), All in, and Minute(1분). I really liked "One N Only" for this more mature feeling (and this album as a whole felt slightly more mature than the others to me). I especially like the instrumental portion after the second chorus. 

 

 

1st Korean single "Lonely" (October 22, 2015)

On October 22, 2015, N.Flying returned with their first Korean single "Lonely" and two songs: Lonely and Knock Knock. "Lonely" is a slow and melancholic track with the piano being very present in the instrumental.  There are more emotions in the vocals this time, and the verses are mostly made of rap portions. On the other hand, "Knock Knock" reminds me a bit of early G-Dragon and early Big Bang. The song is more upbeat than Lonely but is still nostalgic in a way. And we are still in this very rock and emo vibe they have been going for since their debut. This style of music was very popular back then, but it's not something I would listen to on a daily basis. I have to be in a very specific mood to enjoy listening to that kind of song. 

 

 

3rd Japanese single "Knock Knock" (February 10, 2016)

On February 10, 2016 N.Flying released their third Japanese single called "Knock Knock" mainly made of Japanese versions of previously-released songs: Knock Knock (Japanese Ver.), Gigamakkyo ( ギガマッキョ – Japanese Ver.), and All in ( Japanese Ver.). I usually have more troubles liking a song that is in another language than in its original version, because I find that the emotion in the voice and lyrics are not really the same, but for N.Flying it's different, and I think it's because they debuted in Japan in the first place and always had to master both Japanese and Korean to promote in both markets from an early stage, and that's a huge added value to the band. 

 

 

4th Japanese single "Endless Summer" (July 13, 2016)

5 months after the release of their third Japanese single, N.Flying releases their fourth Japanese single entitled "Endless Summer" with the songs "Endless Summer", "Hello SOLO", and the japanese version of their song "Lonely".  "Endless Summer" is obviously a summer song that's great to play in the car and that is fun to listen to. "Hello Solo" still has that summer feeling, but more on the nostalgic side, you know how you feel more nostalgic and relaxed when the sun sets during summer? That's when you want to listen to this song, when you'd like to listen to "Endless Summer" when you wake up in the morning or on your way to the beach. Now, what's nice with "Hello Solo" is the weird melodic turn the song takes at the end of the chorus. The melody switches to minor and the electric guitar goes a bit crazy, and I totally LOVE IT!

 

2nd Korean mini-album "N.Flying: The Real" (August 2, 2017) first comeback with 5 members with new member Hweeseung.

On August 2, 2017 N.Flying releases their second Korean mini-album which is the first one they released as a five-membered group with the arrival of a new member: Hweeseung. This album is called "N.Flying: The Real" and has six tracks on it: "Let's get down to it", "The Real(진짜가 나타났다)" (title track), "I'm Okay(다행이야)", "Don't mess with me(정리가 안돼)", "Say Goodbye (짠해)" and "R U Ready?". From this album and on, we're getting closer and closer to N.Flying's sound today. "Let's get down to it" is a sort of intro to the album that really prepares us for the title track. Now, concerning "The Real", I found it funny and ridiculous at first as I mentioned it in the "How I discovered N.Flying" section, but after listening to it multiple times in different contexts with different people in different moods, it really grew up on me. Overall I really like this album because it's the first one that really has that N.Flying energy I fell in love with. This album is a "feel good" album in the sense that the majority of the songs on it are upbeat and lighthearted. So if you want an album to vibe to easily, that's the one. 

3rd Korean mini-album "The Hottest: N.Flying" (December 7, 2017)

On December 7, 2017 N.Flying released their third Korean mini-album called "The Hottest: N.Flying" and is made of six tracks as well: "Don’t Forget This (그러니까 우리)",  "Hot Potato (뜨거운 감자)" (title track), "Crossroad(골목길에서)", "I know U know", "Can’t Be Better (이보다 좋을까)" and "Just One Day (딱 하루만)". This album is, in my opinion, pretty similar to the previous one. They have similar vibes and the concept has not changed much. Ironically enough, this album has more summer vibes than the previous one even though this one was released in December. They might have composed the songs during the same time and just released them in December, I don't know. One thing I can assure you is that "Just One Day" has become one of my favourite songs of N.Flying. I love how the song starts with the electric guitar (the chords sounded pretty familiar but I don't know which song it reminded me of).

 

2nd Korean single "Fly High Project 1 Like a Flower" (October 26, 2018)

 "Fly High Project 1 Like a Flower" is N.Flying's second Korean single and was released on October 26, 2018. This song is very satisfying when it comes to musicality and structure: The song starts in a very subtle way with relatively low vocals and a humble classic guitar. Then, as the song goes on, the vocals become higher and more powerful, and the instrumental becomes heavier until the peak of the song where vocals explodes during the last chorus. I really like it and it surely is one of my favourite N.Flying song as well. The instrumental version is also interesting to listen to if you want to break down the structure and instruments that are in this song. 

 

 

 

3rd Korean single "Fly High Project 2 Rooftop" (January 2, 2019) first comeback as 4 members after Kwangjin departure

On January 2, 2019, N.Flying releases what I think is going to be a big turn in their career: "Fly High Project 2 Rooftop". This 3rd Korean single is the first release of N.Flying as a four-membered band and since Kwangjin's departure. When I think of N.Flying, I think about Rooftop. I think it's the song that represents their style the best, and the song that made them a bit more known (it has 34 million views which is a record for them!). They also released a song called "Winter Winter" which is, in my opinion, the polar opposite of "Rooftop". They have completely different atmospheres, completely different structures, and a completely different impact, which is why it's great to listen to them back-to-back. 

 

 

 

4th Korean mini-album "Spring Memories" (April 24, 2019)

On April 24, 2019, N.Flying released their fourth Korean mini-album entitled "Spring Memories" and unveiling four new tracks and two previously released tracks: "Spring Memories (봄이 부시게)", "Leave It (놔)" (title track), "Flowerwork (불놀이)", "Preview", "Rooftop (옥탑방)" and "Like a Flower (꽃)". I think the title of this album is representative of all the songs that are on it. A song I find musically interesting on this album is "Flowerwork", especially the start of the song. The title track "Leave It" is also nice to listen to, and the chorus is full of their signature vocals. I really like the strength of Hweseung's vocals when he says "거짓말 다 놓아줘" (please let me lie) right before the chorus drops in. 

 

 

1st Japanese studio album "Brotherhood" (May 22, 2019)

N.Flying released their first Japanese studio album on May 22, 2019 revealing 10 new tracks: "The world is mine", "Stand by me", "Pinhole", "Wanna Be", "Color", "Lupin", "Run", "Delight", "Rooftop (Japanese Ver.)", and "Songbird". I think that, when listening to this album, I realised that N.Flying had really this rock identity that we hear more in their Japanese stuff than in their Korean stuff, which is great in a sense because if we're a fan of rock music we'd want to check out their Japanese stuff as well. Amy favourite song on this album has to be "Stand By Me". As an anime fan, I could totally picture this song being an opening to an anime (and I won't be surprised if it actually is an anime opening song). Another song that could be an anime opening and that's on this album is "Songbird". These two songs are really great. 

 

5th Korean mini-album "Yaho" (October 15, 2019)

On October 15, 2019 N.Flying's back with their fifth Korean mini-album called "Yaho" that contains 5 songs: "Good Bam (굿밤)" (title track), "Autumn dream", "Pardon?", "4242" and "sunset". Good Bam got stuck in my head very easily, I still don't know why, but it's a really catchy song. The beat is nice, not too slow nor too fast, and it's a very "good vibes" song. This album's vibe is kind of different from their previous Korean mini-album in the sense that the tracks sound more playful and light-hearted. So if you want an album easy to listen to, I would recommend this one. 

 

 

 

5th Japanese single "Doll/Kick-Ass" (November 13, 2019)

On November 13, 2019, N.Flying released their fifth Japanese single "Doll/Kick-Ass" with two new songs: "Doll" and "Kick Ass", and their instrumental versions are on the single as well. "Kick Ass" is a song you really want to dance along with. It's really upbeat and happy/joyful, they even jump around in the MV. On the other hand, "Doll" is a more chill song (well, it's still kind of loud). 

 

 

 

 

 

6th Korean mini-album "So, Communication (通) (소통)" (June 10, 2020) first comeback as 5 members with new member Dongsung.

"So, Communication" is N.Flying's sixth Korean mini-album and was released on June 10, 2020. This album is the first one they released with their newest addition: Dongsung. This album contains six tracks: "Oh Really (아 진짜요)" (title track), "Flower Fantasy", "Youth (꽃바람)", "I’m Gonna (아무거나)", "Last Song (마지막 무대)", and "E-Yo (에요)". The title track is pretty similar to their previous ones, which didn't help it standing out in my opinion. My favourite song on this album has to be "E-Yo". It's such a nice b-side, I can't stop myself from singing along to it every time I listen to it (even though I butcher the words every time but... who cares?). Another song I really liked on this album is "Flower Fantasy". This time the song is not anime opening material but anime ending material :p What stood out to me in this song are really the strong and strained vocals. 

1st Korean full-album "Man on the moon" (June 7, 2021)

One year after their previous release, N.Flying came back on June 7, 2021 with their first Korean full-album! The album is entitled "Man on the moon" and has 10 tracks on it: "Moonshot" (title track), "Ask", "Comma, (쉼표)", "Undo (지우개)", "You", "Blue Scene (파란 배경)", "Fate (이 별 저 별)", "Zip (빈집)", "To You (너에게)", and "Flashback". As I previously said, this album is the album that turned me into an N.Fia as soon as I heard the title track. "Moonshot" is an incredible song with an incredible message. “The message of the song is that if you don’t change, nothing will change. N.Flying is a group that battles fear and anxiety in order to move forward. The idea is that we become closer through that fear and shoot for the moon.” That's what the leader Seunghyub said about the underlying message of this album. 

 

I usually try to provide extra content you should check out to get a bit more familiar with the group/artist, however as I am still new in the fandom I'm not familiar with the inside jokes or iconic N.Flying moments that are out there. One thing I would suggest you to check out is the recording log of "Moonshot" right here. If you want more N.Flying content, I suggest you check out funny compilations on YouTube and follow them on their social media accounts :) 

That's it for the presentation of N.Flying! I hope you enjoyed it and will check them out after that. Korean bands have much less exposure than Korean groups, which I still don't understand why since playing your own instruments really adds emotions and depth to songs, a real added value in a world where electronic sounds are prevailing (to my great despair...). Anyways, take care and I'll see you soon for another presentation!

Love, Swan

 

Sources: Kprofile, Kpop Amino, Soompi, YouTube. 

 

~ WISH YOU ~

~ 15/20 ~ 

Korean Title: WISH YOU: 나의 마음속 너의 멜로디

English Title: WISH YOU, your melody from my heart

Country: South Korea

Director: Seong Do Joon

Genres: Music, Romance, Drama

Episodes: 8

Aired: Dec 4, 2020 - Dec 25, 2020

Original Network: Viki

Duration: 10 minutes per episode

Content Rating: 13+

Where to watch: Netflix (movie format), Dramacool (drama format, lots of ads).

Main Cast:

• Kang In Soo as Kang In Soo
• Lee Sang (of IMFACT) as Yoon Sang Yi

Support Cast:

• Baek Seo Bin as Choi Min Seong
• Su Bin as Lee Yoo Jin
• Kang Ye Na as the Team Leader

Brief Resume:

Kang In Soo is a free-spirited man in his 20s wishing to live from the music he produces. With the help of his friend, Choi Min Seong (Baek Seo Bin), he uploads videos on YouTube to have some exposure, hoping an agency would cast him one day. However, up until now, he was approached only for his looks. Hard-working, he never gives up on his dream and works hard with a very specific goal in mind: proving his parents wrong.

Yoon Sang Yi is also a man in his 20s working in an entertainment agency and living in a small but cozy place. Passionate about music as well, he once comes across In Soo on the street. He was playing a song; a song Sang Yi couldn’t get out of his head for multiple days. One day, his agency was casting new talents, and his colleague, Lee Yoo Jin (Su Bin), asked him to show Kang In Soo’s video to the team leader. After watching it, they decide to give In Soo a chance to make an album.

This is how In Soo and Sang Yi start working together, moving from being completely strangers, to friends who understand each other, and to lovers who share the same feelings.

Diving deeper into the characters:

I’m going to focus only on the two main characters, since this is a very short Kdrama that doesn’t have much character development due to time constraints.

Kang In Soo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kang In Soo is the son of two influent people of the society. His parents don’t want him to pursue a musical career, and therefore he desperately wants to prove them wrong. He seems strong and carefree, but his insecurities start to appear later in the story. START OF SPOIL When Sang Yi kisses him spontaneously in the rooftop scene, his reaction is pretty insecure. He decides not to stay at Sang Yi’s and goes back home to think. I find this reaction pretty accurate and it adds to the realistic aspect of the drama. END OF SPOIL His chemistry with Sang Yi is really great from the start although Sang Yi’s a bit shyer than him. And despite the drama being really short, we can still witness a good evolution of his relationship with Sang Yi, it’s not rushed like any short Kdrama would rush it. The only thing that bothered me a little bit in In Soo’s character was that he was always smiling. His smile is gorgeous, don’t get me wrong, but he was smiling too often when there was no need to smile, it's like he was hiding behind his smile. 

Yoon Sang Yi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I related more to this character in two ways: First, he’s less spontaneous and shyer than In Soo, and second, he’s less outgoing and enjoys being on his own in his own bubble. For example, START OF SPOIL when he was in his room playing on his keyboard and singing along to the main song of the drama, I could totally picture myself doing that END OF SPOIL. I really liked how Sang Yi wasn’t judgmental towards In Soo and how he always did and said what he though was right. I also relate to his clumsiness, there were moments he was just clueless and that was adorable to watch. 

My Final Thoughts:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall, I’d say that the strength of this drama lies in two things: first, the chemistry between the characters. Even though the kisses are a bit awkward (I’ll let it pass because the Korean BL scene is not as developed as in other countries), the actors are comfortable around each other and they’re just so cute on screen. Second, the OSTs. The main song, “Wish for you” gives me chills. The duet between Kang In Soo and Lee Sang works perfectly well.

Some negative points can still be found like In Soo’s best friend. The character could’ve been more developed. We could definitely feel how much he cared for In Soo and I would’ve loved to know more about him. We also never see In Soo’s parents. At the very end they could’ve done like an epilogue, showing In Soo’s success and the parents admitting their son had talent, or something like that.

Just like Mr. Heart, this is a great BL to start with. Even though it’s short you have every component of a BL you need to have, and the intrigue is simple but not boring. It could’ve been better if they had more time and budget of course, but it’s still a decent BL, which is why I gave it a 15/20. 

That's it for "Wish You"! I definitely look forward to discovering more Korean BLs. Take care and I'll see you all soon!

Love, Swan

 

Sources: Mydramalist, Kprofiles, Wikipedia

On May 6, 2021, it was announced that SM entertainment (SME) would partner with MGM Television (an American television production/distribution studio) to launch an American competition show to create a new NCT sub-unit that would be called "NCT Hollywood". This article will be split into three parts: First, explaining the concept of NCT, a Kpop boy group under SM entertainment and its many, MANY members. Second, stating what has been officially announced, so we're all on the same page and no false information would be relayed. Last but not least, I'll give my very humble opinion on the matter. So, has SM entertainment gone over the limit for its "limitless-concept" group? Let's find out!

Once upon a time, Neo Culture Technology...

Neo Culture Technology, most commonly known as NCT, is a Kpop boy group under the label SM entertainment. It is CURRENTLY composed of 23 members: Taeyong (the leader), Mark, Johnny, Taeil, Doyoung, Jungwoo, Haechan, Jaehyun, Yuta, Ten, Lucas, Hendery, Xiaojun, Yang Yang, Kun, WinWin, Jaemin, Jeno, Renjun, Chenle, Jisung (the youngest), Shotaro and Sungchan (the newest members who were introduced in 2020). However, they function in sub-units, meaning that they do not always perform altogether, but in small groups that are: NCT U, NCT 127, NCT Dream, and WayV. 

The first sub-unit of NCT is NCT U that debuted on April 9, 2016. The line-up for this unit keeps changing, meaning that you might have multiple songs sang by "NCT U", but the members would be different from one song to another. For example: In the song "Make a Wish" we have Taeyong, Doyoung, Jaehyun, Jaemin, Lucas, Xiaojun, and Shotaro. And for "Work It", we have Johnny, Ten, Jisung, Jaemin, Yuta, Jungwoo, and Hendery.

The second sub-unit is NCT 127 that debuted on July 10, 2016 with the song "Fire Truck" and is composed of Taeyong, Mark, Johnny, Yuta, Jungwoo, Taeil, Doyoung, Jaehyun and Haechan. 

The third NCT sub-unit is NCT Dream that debuted on August 24th, 2016 with the song "Chewing Gum" and is composed of the youngest NCT members: Mark, Haechan, Jaemin, Jeno, Chenle, Renjun and Jisung. 

The fourth NCT sub-unit is WayV. The sub-unit is based in China making WayV the first sub-unit in NCT based out of Korea. WayV is under S.M Entertainment’s China-exclusive label: Label V and is composed of the members Ten, Xiaojun, Kun, Hendery, Lucas, YangYang and WinWin. They debuted on January 17, 2019 with the song "Take Off". 

You might have noticed it already, but yes some members are in multiple units, and four of them (Taeyong, Mark, Ten and Lucas) are part of another group under SM entertainment that is called "SuperM", a project Lee Soo Man (CEO and founder of SM entertainment) created to "conquer" the American market. SuperM's members are Taeyong and Mark from NCT 127, Lucas and Ten from WayV, Kai and Baekhyun from EXO, and Taemin from SHINee. 

And it seems that the limitless concept really doesn't have any limits, since a fifth unit is said to be soon added to the pile...

All we need to know about NCT Hollywood

According to an article on "The Hollywood Reporter" published on May 6, 2021 (and written by Rebecca Sun) and according to an article released by Soompi on the same day, there will be an audition program open to American males aged between 13 and 25 years old in order to form a new NCT sub-unit that will focus on promoting in the U.S: "NCT Hollywood". 

"Contestants will be flown to Seoul for K-pop bootcamp training at the SM campus, where in each episode, they will compete in dance, vocal and style tests and will be judged and mentored by SM founder Lee Soo-man as well as various current NCT members." We still don't have more information about how many NCT members will be involved in this and who exactly. 

“I look forward to making an unconventional audition show that all music fans around the world can enjoy,” said Lee Soo Man, founder and CEO of SM entertainment in a statement. “I hope the audience enjoys watching the journey of new stars being born in Hollywood, that will be promoted as NCT-Hollywood in the global market in the future.”

The general public's response and my personal point of view

The general public's response was, to say the least, intense: the fans are divided and felt mixed feelings. Some arguments popped up more often than others such as: "Take care of the current members before adding new ones to the list", "Sungchan and Shotaro haven't been properly introduced yet", and "stop wanting to please to everyone, let K-pop be". I do agree with all these points and I will elaborate on them right now.

From a fan's perspective, here's what I would say:

Currently NCT is made of 23 members. When you have that many members in a group, it is evident that the work distribution will be unequal. Some members (like WinWin and YangYang) barely get one or two lines in a song, when others get a whole verse. Some members are even overworked by being in almost every single unit (like Taeyong and Mark). So SM, keep adding members and you'll see that the more you add people the less efficient they'll become. 

Next, we have to talk about Shotaro and Sungchan. Both of them have made their "official" debut in the "Resonance" era with Make A Wish for Shotaro and 90s love for Sungchan. However, both songs were promoted under NCT U, which is not a fixed unit (the lineup keeps changing). So SM, please, put them in a fixed unit before creating a new one!

As for the "stop trying to please everyone", I totally agree with this. Following BTS's huge success in the US market, every other company wants to achieve the same thing, and for long-time Kpop fans it kind of sucks because it makes Kpop lose its spark. And this issue makes us ask ourselves: What is Kpop? Is it only pop music sang in Korean? Or is it more than that? I don't really have an answer to be honest, because of all the boundaries that are being crossed. 10 years ago, I would've said that Kpop is music made in Korea, sung by Korean people (or asian people if we include the japanese/chinese members that were in groups back in the days) within the asian continent. Because that's literally what it stands for, "Korean pop music". And that's why I like to make the differentiation between Kpop and Kmusic, because Kpop only refers to the pop genre.   Nowadays, the music is not only in Korean. They've been doing English, Japanese, Chinese versions of songs. Plus, they've been promoting all over the world, including Europe and America. So the previous definition becomes obsolete. And so it really depends on your own definition of Kpop. 

Now, from a business student's perspective, here's what I would say:

It's a smart move. I'm going to compare the situation to brands/product lines/portfolios but I'm not dehumanising NCT. What SM wanted to do back in 2015-2016 was literally creating a new brand (here NCT) in their portfolio of brands (Shinee, EXO, Girls Generation, etc.). And that brand would have different strategic business units, aka NCT dream, NCT 127, NCT U, WayV and NCT Hollywood. Each of these units would aim at targeting a different market (here the criteria are socio-demographic aka age of the fans, location of the fans, the language they speak, etc.). So yes, business-wise, it's something all big companies do in our everyday life and it's something smart to do in the Kpop industry.

I really look forward to see how the show will look like, what will be the training the participants will go through, and if current NCT members will be part of the unit because SM didn't give much information regarding the composition of the unit. Again, let's not forget that the ultimate goal is to make money, and that conquering the US market is still not an easy task, and that you need a very specific "product" to please that very specific market.

And this, my friends, is the end of the article! I would love to know your own opinions, so feel free to comment it down below! 

Take care and I'll see you soon ^^ 

Love, Swan

 

 

Sources: Soompi, The Hollywood Reporter, Wikipedia.