Let’s look back at NCT 127’s career from Best Rookie Award to first Daesang at the 31st Seoul Music Awards
5 years from Rookie Award to Daesang, this is NCT 127’s remarkable growth.
NCT 127 posing after the encore performance while receiving the Daesang at the 31st Seoul Music Awards (Photo by reporter Choi Seung-seop on January 23, 2022 at thunder@sportsseoul.com)
On January 23rd, NCT 127 won the first Daesang in their career at the 31st Seoul Music Awards (main media Sports Seoul, hosted by Seoul Music Awards Committee) held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, writing their own new history.
If you look at NCT 127‘s awards over the past five years, you can also get a glimpse of the growth process of the group. NCT 127 debuted in the music industry in 2016 by releasing their first mini-album “NCT #127” and received the Rookie Award, the award one can only receive once in their lives, at the 26th Seoul Music Awards in 2017. In the 27th award ceremony, after winning the TikTok Dance Performance Award, they performed intense sharp group dance with “Limitless” and “Cherry Bomb.” After that, the group was awarded the Bonsang at the 28th and 30th awards ceremonies and won its first solo Daesang in its sixth year since his debut.
It is even more valuable because it is the result of the group growing step by step every year. They are a group representing K-pop, ranking at the top of the charts as well as recording overwhelming sales, becoming a triple million sellers with albums released only in 2021. This growth of NCT 127, which is loved beyond Korea, is also a good example for the next generation of K-pop junior groups.
In 2021, NCT 127 became a “double million-seller” within a week after releasing the 3rd full album “Sticker”. The group also ranked 3rd on the US Billboard main chart “Billboard 200”, the highest-ranking of a K-pop artist this year, along with a series of achievements on the domestic charts, such as No.1 on digital charts, 10 trophies at weekly music shows. The group’s 3rd full repackaged album ‘Favourite’ that was released later on surpassed 1.06 million copies in pre-orders, setting a record for cumulative sales of 3 million copies. In addition, NCT 127 entered the US Billboard 200 for the first time at #3 last September and continues to enter the chart to this day, proving its undying long-run popularity.
NCT 127, a unit under NCT, has continuously released unique concepts such as ‘Fire Truck’, ‘Limitless,’ ‘Regular’, ‘Simon Says’ and ‘Kick It’. NCT 127, which continuously released songs that focused on captivating performances, solidified the group’s identity with their comeback track “Sticker” after 1 year and 6 months. Besides, they proved their musical ability by bringing their charismatic vocals to the forefront through the title track “Favourite”, which is 180 degrees different from “Sticker”, in the repackaged album.
Another NCT unit, NCT DREAM (Mark, Renjun, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, Chenle, Jisung) also won the Best Album Award at the Seoul Music Awards for the first time. 2021 was a dazzling year for NCT DREAM as well. NCT DREAM, which first became a “million seller” with its first full album “Hot Sauce” in its sixth year since its debut, has since sold more than 3 million albums, including its repackage “Hello Future,” which made them a “triple million seller.”
