NCT 127

Part of a game-changing concept launched by K-pop mogul Lee Soo-man in 2016, Apple Music Up Next artists NCT 127 have all the hot moves, explosive energy and idol looks that fans may expect from a boy band straight out of Seoul. But as the millions of “NCTzens” already know, NCT 127 are actually a “subunit” of NCT (Neo Culture Technology), a Pan-Asian group whose membership is spread across three more groups and assorted overlapping projects in South Korea and China. Add the fact that some of NCT 127’s personnel hail from the U.S., Japan and Canada (and can sing and rap in several languages) and you have a K-pop act that seems uniquely engineered for global domination. That goal may be in reach judging by 2020’s Neo Zone, NCT 127’s second full-length album and the first of Lee’s NCT releases to reach the Top 5 on Billboard in the U.S. and sell over a million copies. Even more impressive is the degree of cohesion the album achieves despite the potentially unwieldy size of the group and the different sounds and styles provided by the large cast of producers that includes The Stereotypes, Grammy winners for their work with Bruno Mars. The reason for that coherence is the smooth ‘90s R&B flavour evident in songs that are otherwise as different as the punchy hip-hop track “Kick It”, the EDM-infused dance-pop banger “Boom” and “Day Dream”, one of NCT 127’s many satisfyingly sweet-hearted ballads. So if Lee Soo-man does take over the world with his grand K-pop plan, NCT 127 will make sure it’s a pretty fly place to be.