NCT Wish keeps things 'neo-pop' but caters to all in single 'Wish'

K-pop

Published: 04 Mar. 2024, 18:50 Updated: 04 Mar. 2024, 19:05

NCT Wish keeps things 'neo-pop' but caters to all in single 'Wish'

Rookie boy band NCT Wish performs ″Wish (Korean Ver.),″ its debut title track, during the band's debut press showcase held at the Blue Square Mastercard Hall in Yongsan District, central Seoul on Monday. [SM ENTERTAINMENT]

Refreshing yet quintessentially NCT — NCT Wish is a new NCT group that keeps the "neo-pop" essence shared by all NCT groups, but with a more casual touch to appeal to a wider audience.

"NCT Wish's songs might seem a bit lighthearted [for the NCT universe,] but once you watch one of their performances, it will become clear that they fit in with the rest of the group," BoA, the general producer of NCT Wish, said during the band's debut press showcase held at the Blue Square Mastercard Hall in Yongsan District, central Seoul.

BoA, one of the pioneers of K-pop, attended the rookie boy band's showcase as its general producer and mentor. She has taught the band since the beginning of “NCT Universe: Lastart” (2023), the in-house audition program that formed NCT Wish.

“The team color of NCT Wish lies in the refreshing nature of the band, and we plan to continue the concept with easy-listening songs that anyone can listen to. But the performance lies heavily within the DNA of NCT, as it carries the energetic nature of NCT,” BoA said.

“NCT has tried out many different concepts in the past, so instead of [following a specific style of NCT subgroup or subunit], we hope to work diligently to show our own colors which rely on the pure and positive energy we naturally possess ourselves,” NCT Wish member Sion said.

NCT Wish is the final subgroup to debut under the NCT umbrella. The band — comprised of four Japanese members Riku, Yushi, Ryo and Sakuya, and two Korean members Sion and Jaehee — is mainly targeting the Japanese market.

The band’s debut single “Wish” was released digitally on Feb. 28, and its physical albums released in Japan the same day. The physical Korean version of the single was released Monday.

The title track of “Wish,” “Wish (Korean Ver.),” was produced by SM Entertainment’s signature producer Kenzie. The song is a medium-paced dance track based on old-school hip-hop melodies.

The B-side track “Sail Away (Korean Ver.)” is a pop score that expresses the band’s upcoming journey as a voyage.

“The two songs in the single act as our declaration as we start fresh as NCT Wish,” Jaehee said, adding that both tracks are befitting of the current spring season.

As SM Entertainment’s highly anticipated rookie boy band, NCT Wish technically debuted back on Feb. 21, even before their album release, during the agency’s in-house concert “SMTown Live 2024” held at Tokyo Dome.

“The first concert that I’ve ever watched [as an audience] was SMTown’s Tokyo Dome performance, so it was such an honor to perform our debut stage at that exact stadium,” Sakuya, the youngest member of NCT Wish, said.

“I was there with Sakuya watching SMTown’s concert, and he told me that we should perform [at the Tokyo Dome], whenever that may be. I’m so glad that our dreams came true,” Ryo added.

The four Japanese members also explained that their dreams of becoming a K-pop artist were influenced heavily by their family members.

“My parents both loved K-pop, so we would listen to K-pop songs as we drove together and watched many K-pop music videos together,” Yushi said.

“I think I was influenced by my sister, who loved K-pop,” Riku said.

The members of NCT Wish had ambitious goals in mind.

“We made up our own motto: to work in the most diligent manner while also enjoying the journey,” Sion said. “We hope to be the best rookie of 2024, both in Japan and in Korea."

“We also want to hold our solo concert at a big venue,” Yushi added.

SM Entertainment's supergroup NCT, with 26 total members, is divided into multiple subgroups and subunits, ultimately serving as a supergroup with numerous subgroup possibilities. Of these, NCT 127 focuses on the Korean market, WayV focuses on the Chinese market and NCT Dream consists of the members who were still teenagers in NCT when the subgroup was formed.

To find out more about NCT WISH, visit Celeb Confirmed!

BY CHO YONG-JUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]