NCT 127 (Korean: 엔시티 127; RR: ensiti il-i-chil) is the first fixed and second overall sub-unit of the South Korean boy band NCT, formed and managed by SM Entertainment. The current lineup consists of nine active members: Taeil, Johnny, Taeyong, Yuta, Doyoung, Jaehyun, Jungwoo, Mark, and Haechan. NCT 127 are known for their experimental hip hop and R&B-based music and energetic choreographies. After debuting in 2016, they broke into the domestic mainstream in 2017 with "Cherry Bomb", now recognized as one of their signature songs, and received greater international attention following the release of "Kick It" in 2020. NCT 127 have released four studio albums, three of which were reissued, and four extended plays in the Korean language thus far. They have also ventured into the Japanese music scene with the release of a Japanese version of their second single "Limitless", an EP, and a studio album.
NCT 127 released their first single "Fire Truck" on July 7, 2016, with an original lineup of seven members: Taeil, Taeyong, Yuta, Jaehyun, Winwin, Mark, and Haechan. Their debut extended play (EP) NCT #127 (2016) was a commercial success upon release, winning them the Best New Artist title at several South Korean music award shows. Members Doyoung and Johnny joined the unit in December 2016, ahead of their second EP Limitless (2017) and its title track of the same name; Jungwoo, the final member, was introduced in September 2018 for their first studio album Regular-Irregular (2018).
In April 2019, NCT 127's increasing global popularity prompted SM Entertainment to sign marketing and distribution deals with Capitol Music Group and Caroline Distribution, respectively. The unit subsequently released the EP We Are Superhuman that year and their second Korean studio album, Neo Zone, in 2020, the latter becoming their first top-five entry on the US Billboard 200 and their first release to sell over one million copies. In 2021, NCT 127 released their third Korean studio album, Sticker, and its repackaged version Favorite. With a combined 3.58 million copies sold, it broke the record for the best-selling album of all time by an act under SM Entertainment and earned the group the Daesang award at the 31st Seoul Music Awards. Sticker debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, becoming the longest and highest-charting K-pop album in the US in 2021. In 2022, NCT 127 released their fourth Korean studio album 2 Baddies, which surpassed 1.5 million sales in its first week and made them the second K-pop act with three albums debuting in the top five of the Billboard 200.
Background and name
See also: NCT (group)
In January 2016, SM Entertainment founder Lee Soo-man delivered a presentation at the SM Coex Artium titled "SMTOWN: New Culture Technology 2016". Lee announced that the label planned to debut a new boy group with an "unlimited" number of members, in alignment with their "culture contents" strategy. The group would have "sub-unit teams" of different members from different cities around the world, and the units would collaborate with each other frequently. Lee revealed the name of the group to be NCT, an acronym of the presentation title. NCT was to be SM Entertainment's first idol group to debut since Red Velvet in August 2014 and the label's first boy group to debut since South Korean–Chinese boy band Exo in 2012. During the presentation, Lee also announced plans to debut the first NCT unit within the first half of 2016 in Seoul and Tokyo, with sub-units based in Chinese cities to follow in the latter half of the year and units in Southeast Asia and Latin America later.
On July 1, 2016, NCT 127 was announced as the second sub-unit, a Seoul-based, multi-national boy group that would promote actively in South Korea. The name "NCT 127" combines the acronym for Neo Culture Technology with the number "127", the longitude coordinate of the city of Seoul.
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