This is the story of another Kpop success group.

NCT Dream’s Jisung was born in the year 2002, February 5^th, in Seoul South Korea, Kangbuk Miadong. He was seven when he first appeared to the public as a child actor and went on to star in other popular shows such as Mcountdown, Show Me the Money, Immortal Songs, and Dancing 9.

Jisung had showed signs of being a musical genius since he was a child. He had been accepted to the famous SM Entertainment when he was only twelve years old. After ongoing the notoriously strict training period, he had emerged into the public eye once again.

◆ The start of NCT Dream (Overseas)

Although a genius, Jisung underwent the same vigorous training period like any other Kpop trainee. A child may be born a genius but if they aren’t given the tools and the necessities to grow, even they may lose their unique touch. SM Entertainment assures their trainees grow from the years of practice and enhancement. “NCT Dream” was essentially founded with members from Korea and globally.

SM Entertainment had hit a gold mine from the years 2013 to 2015. They had found the members who would ultimately make the band that we know today as “NCT Dream.” The band consists of members from Korea, Canada, and China.

 The three foreign members in the group are Mark, Renjun, and Chenle. Mark was accepted through SM’s global auditions in the year of 2012. It was his first attempt at an audition, and he managed to woo the casting directors from the beginning.

Renjun’s decision to audition stemmed from his desire to be a part of the next TVXQ. He passed his SM’s global auditions China, in 2015 to become the “next big thing.”

Chenle was already a well-known figure in the entertainment world prior to his debut as a member of NCT Dream. He was directly casted by SM through his appearance in a Chinese T.V. show in 2016. He was confirmed as a fixed member of NCT Dream within only five months of entering the company. It is less of a surprise if you’re aware of his skills. He is the incredible main vocal of the band.

“The members of NCT Dream were already incredibly talented. It was obvious from their start at the auditions. They weren’t just talented; they were on a different level of talent. Renjun and Chenle’s training period might have been short, but they were able to stand as the main vocals because of how gifted they are”, expressed an SM representative.

◆ The start of NCT Dream (Domestic) 

The Korean members also have impressive backgrounds of their own. Jeno (born in the year 2000) got his start as a child model for commercials at the young age of five. He caught the eyes of a certain casting director, situated in SM. The director in question waited to see how Jeno would grow and eventually gave him a call when he was in his first year of middle school.

Haechan (born in the year 2000) attempted a shot at SM through the infamous weekly auditions. SM’s weekly auditions have been known to be especially grueling and arduous. So much so, that only a total of eight idols have passed the notoriously difficult auditions so far. Haechan won the hearts of the directors that day with his covers of “Ugly Duckling”, “Hello”, and “Baby.”

Jaemin (also born in the year 2000) was casted in 2013, doing community service. Rumor has it that Jaemin ran away from the casting director, initially painting the situation in a dangerous light. After the company had successfully casted Jaemin, he began to show his talent for dancing.

The youngest of the bunch Jisung, (born in the year 2002) is an alumnus of the famous break dancer, “Poppin Hyun Joon’s” dance crew. He was featured on the season of “Dancing Nine” in 2013. It was there he was casted by an SM representative who took an interest to Jisung’s potential. He continued to thrive in his specialty, Popping and B-boying.

An SM representative chimed in to say, “The members of NCT Dream were among the youngest in the crowd of trainees. But their ages didn’t stop them from achieving things the older ones did. They were always putting in the extra effort during practice. They were able to get the necessities they needed to become the well-rounded individuals they are today.” 

◆ Training

SM is one of the strict companies in the industry. The company is known to be highly competitive and notoriously challenging. This all boils down to the training of their artists. To ensure that their artists’ needs for their gifts, are met, they enforce multiple and detailed musical lessons. Some of the known classes are basic dances, ballet, and jazz.

The company even offers the trainees, opportunities to learn from foreign, professional dancers. They issue the help of the dancers to teach a class, giving the boys to learn more from a wider range of the industry.

SM Entertainment guarantees their artists receive the training they need and deserve. They also focus on an individual’s talent and unique color. NCT Dream apparently received training in all fields: instruments, beatboxing, acting, and language proficiency.

The lessons weren’t all specifically music related. The boys have taken classes on modeling, poses, and the understanding of the stage. They also took up speeches and expressions. This does not go to say that the boys didn’t have lives of their own. Visits to the museum, movie theaters, and other typical things were not absent from the boys’ lives, in replacement of training. They were allowed to spend their free time just as much as they had spent on training.

An SM representative gave us insight on their training itineraries, “The members all worked on things they had interest in. If someone wanted to learn a certain skill, they were placed with a professional who catered to their wants and needs. We of course, also made sure they were trained in a field we saw potential in.”

◆ In depth learning

NCT Dream’s debut was anything but ordinary. They were under the pre-debut training team, “SM Rookies.”

The boys were already familiar with the stage prior to their debut. The boys did a rendition of Exo’s “Love Me Right”, earning the dance stage the title of “legendary.”

Although they were very young, their stage presence shined through their covers of their seniors like Boa, Shinee, and Exo.

The boys were growing and improving at an alarmingly fast pace. They won the hearts of the public through their hardcore choreographies and confidence on stage. Despite the hours spent on stage or practice, they wore smiles on their faces. The boys make it easy for anyone to fawn.

“The faces of NCT Dream was released before their official debut. The fans have watched the boys grow into better versions of themselves from their early days. I think we all feel a sense of pride in the idea that we we’re raising them together and growing with one another.” (SM representative)

◆ Practice makes perfect.

NCT Dream made quite the impression with their debut, “Chewing Gum” in August of 2016. They were dressed in colorful attire and rode hoverboards in vibrant colors, to match.

The use of the hoverboards was efficient in fueling the overall, free-spirited ambience. From their debut, many interested eyes sought the “force to be reckoned with”, NCT.

Besides “Chewing Gum”, they also released other catchy, hit tunes such as “My First and Last”, “We Young”, “We Go Up”, and “Boom.”

The narrative behind their success story is in the relatable impressions of kids in their teenage years. They were releasing, singing, and dancing to music that resonates with today’s youth.

“I think our characters and colors lies in taking risks and always taking challenges to something we haven’t done before.” (Mark, 2018)

◆ The Result

NCT Dream had an impact on the music industry, worldwide. Many have witnessed the power that is NCT Dream. They were featured on Time’s cover of “25 Most Influential Teens of 2018”, a rare sight for artists of Asian descent.

“A big part of the group’s appeal is that they connect with teenagers, as teenagers. The group’s title tracks have followed a narrative of the stages of adolescence, transitioning from innocence to rebellion and growth.” (TIME )

The boys were also featured on Billboard’s “21 under 21” for three consecutive years. They were on the list with many other well-known music powerhouses.

Billboard also noted the boys on their incredible skills, “"The group has made waves in the K-pop world with its retro hip-hop and funk-infused take on dance-pop.”

NCT Dream once again turned heads with the release of their track “Reload.” The track sold a whopping, fifty thousand copies. The boys returned, heights taller and music more advanced (if possible, at all). The song hit #1 on the album charts in a total of fifty-one countries.

◆ Hits

The boys of NCT Dream had not once stopped dreaming even after their debut. For every music release the public gets, the boys thought hard about their future as a band. Since the boys were together since an early age, they’ve been through a lot together, including puberty and other transitions that most kids experience.

Their efforts have paid off and the practice they put in for those long years are visible to the human eye through their promotions. Their recent single “Hot Sauce” hit a million sells, a few years after their debut.

They have made their name in the titles of “Top three kpop bands.” The record sales of their albums like their pre-orders selling one hundred seventy-one thousand copies alone are evidence of their fame. Their success comes after BTS and Seventeen’s million sellings titles.

“NCT Dream is the leading 4^th generation Kpop band. Their first mini album alone sold two hundred thousand copies. The future of Kpop depends on this band.” (Pop culture professional Park Gau Rak)

◆ The Future

NCT Dream is a prime example of a Kpop success story. They now lead as example for future generations of Kpop in all fields

They have paved the way and are living evidence of what practice and effort can achieve. Much to the relief of fans, SM has decided to abolish the previous graduation system, installed within the group prior to their debut.

NCT Dream has always viewed their vision in an abstract way and continued walking. The boys have an average age of 21.7, they have a long road ahead of them, and enough to achieve all that they desire.

Lastly, below is a picture of NCT Dream during their early trainee days, and messages from SM representatives from way back then.

“I vividly remember the day Mark, Haechan, Jeno, Jaemin, and Jisung grew over 160 cm. As a celebration for their physical growth, we had a party at a family restaurant.” 

“NCT Dream are all around the same age. Puberty hit around the same time for these kids. It was a struggle to take care of their throats at a time when they were going through change. Therefore, we gave them propolis for their throats before they were to go home. All the members had to line up to receive theirs and I remember the boys being very nervous due to the bitterness of the medicine. After they consumed the propolis, the boys would look at each other in faces of disgust and got a good laugh out of it.” 

“At the end of every year, we would hold an ‘end of the year’ party. We would also host a small competition of who practiced the hardest all year round. The winner was always Mark.”

“The youngest of the kids, Jisung had sensitive skin. So, he was taken to a clinic that specialized in skin. He was given medicine and was treated for it.” 

“Jisung remained the youngest throughout most of his training period. All of the members of NCT Dream are very young. Their nicknames were “babies” by most of the trainees and staffs.”

<Photo credits=Dispatch, SM Entertainment, "Time", Youtube, Weibo>

<Translated by=Justina Kim(Dispatch)>