Life is an NCT DREAM for breakthrough K-pop group during international tour

On April 9, The Panther attended a student roundtable discussion hosted by South Korean boy band NCT DREAM ahead of their performance at The Honda Center in Anaheim on April 18. Photos courtesy of SM Entertainment

With devoted fans packed into stadiums across the world, the millions of self-proclaimed  NCTzens often turn into a sea of faces amidst the flashing lights and thunderous cheers. But with lyrics that reflect rebellious adolescence, maturation and youthful dreaming, members of the South Korean boy band NCT DREAM are reminded time and time again, the true impact of their music on each individual listener when they get to interact with their fans. 

“There was this one event, we had a video call event and we had a chance to speak with a fan and the fan had to undergo surgery,” RENJUN recalled to The Panther. “The individual was very nervous about that but before going in, they listened to “Hello Future” and through that track, they were able to find peace and strength. When I heard this story, I was very touched and it just made everything that we worked on feel much more meaningful.”

Prior to their performance at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on April 9, members of NCT DREAM (MARK, RENJUN, JENO, HAECHAN, CHENLE, JAEMIN and JISUNG) met with a group of over 20 student journalists across the country for a virtual roundtable discussion. 

The group touched on their highly anticipated debut U.S. tour, their place within Korean pop alongside other Neo Culture Technology (NCT) groups formed under the agency SM Entertainment and their growth over the years. Prior to student questions, MARK addressed the group of journalists to share how NCT DREAM understood beginning their careers at a young age and why they wanted to participate in the roundtable. 

Prior to their performance at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on April 9, members of NCT DREAM (MARK, RENJUN, JENO, HAECHAN, CHENLE, JAEMIN and JISUNG) met with a group of over 20 student journalists across the country for a virtual roundtable discussion.

“We started our careers when we were all under the age of 18 and even then, we had this goal,” MARK said during the roundtable. “We wanted to be a symbol of healing for listeners and to be a beacon of hope for everyone that sees us and that supports us, especially for people that were young, like us, young dreamers. Once we heard that you guys are aspiring and striving to be journalists… it felt perfect and in a way and meaningful for us to come by and say ‘Hi’ and to see that there are people like us who are just striving so hard for their dreams at an early age.”

Prior to NCT DREAM, multinational entertainment agency SM Entertainment launched two Neo Culture Technology (NCT) groups NCT U and NCT 127 and has since launched WayV, NCT DOJAEJUNG and the upcoming group NCT Tokyo. The third NCT subgroup, NCT DREAM, consists of the label’s youngest members who would graduate from the group at the age of 20 and move onto other endeavors once they reached adulthood. 

MARK became the first member to graduate from NCT DREAM, but after releasing “Reload,” the group abolished the graduation system in favor of a fixed group which would lead to the return of MARK. 

“For NCT DREAM, what sets us apart is our history and the story that we create,” RENJUN said. “Since our debut, every K-pop group has a different color, but for NCT DREAM, it’s really the hope that we’re trying to share and give to the youth, the story that we have and just the fun that we’re able to show through our music as well.”

The group, which has produced four EPs and two studio albums, burst onto the scene in 2016 with their hit single “Chewing Gum.” After releasing EPs “We Young,” “We Go Up” and “We Boom,” the group embarked on their first international tour in November 2019  — The Dream Show — which was canceled after five shows due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

During the pandemic, the group released their fourth EP “Reload” and studio albums “Hot Sauce” and “Glitch Mode.” Their second tour — THE DREAM SHOW2: In A DREAM — began in September 2022 in Asia, continued in Europe and will finish in the U.S., including a performance in Anaheim at The Honda Center on April 18. 

“For this tour… It's pretty much the embarkation of a world tour,” MARK said. “We've never done this before, even though it's been around eight years since we debuted. We have a lot of history and a lot of reasons for why we're doing it now, but long story short, we're now beginning to travel all over the world to see our fans. We really had prepared very strong, performance wise, and just our mindset to make sure that we can show the world our capabilities and what we are striving for.”

After seven years of creating music and performing as a unit, MARK explained the growth behind each member of NCT DREAM as longtime fans witness their transition from late adolescence to early adulthood. 

“Our growth is definitely visible in our music… and technically our voices have actually changed as well over the years,” MARK said. “Besides that, our inspirations and the way we convey our emotions in music itself has grown. We really like to put our experiences and our emotions into the music as much as we can and we’re still growing and I feel like our fans are growing with us.”

Despite not having an official U.S. tour, NCT DREAM performed in Los Angeles for KCON in August 2022. MARK, JAEMIN and RENJUN told the roundtable group that they’re looking forward to returning to California for some Animal Style fries from In-N-Out, Six Flags Magic Mountain and the passion of the fans. They hope to draw from their performances across Asia and Europe in order to give U.S. fans a once in a lifetime experience.

“More so than having differences in our stages, it’s really just all of the experiences that we were able to gain from all the past tours and cities that we’ve gone to and performed at,” JENO said. “I think through that we are able to try harder and express ourselves even more. I think through that we are also upgrading to another level.”

Tickets for NCT DREAM’s performance at The Honda Center on April 18 are available for purchase. The group will finish their U.S. leg of THE DREAM SHOW2: In A DREAM in Seattle on April 21 before continuing on to Manila, Singapore, Macau and Kuala Lumpur.

Editor’s note: SM Entertainment requested that each member of the band and the band name be stylized in this piece using all capital letters.