NCT 127 sit down with CLASH to discuss their upcoming album ‘BLINGY’, revisiting ‘Fire Truck’ and previewing their ‘NEO CITY – THE REDLINE’ tour.
To celebrate their 10th anniversary in style, NCT 127 will make their comeback with their , on August 24th.
Since their debut in 2016, NCT 127 – made up of , , , , , and – have brought their bold and experimental style across a range of genres to a global audience, with hits including ‘Kick It’ and ‘Cherry Bomb’.
The group will showcase their musical versatility once again with ‘BLINGY’, exploring hip-hop, rock, pop and indie pop across the nine-track project. While the album evokes feelings of nostalgia by reflecting on their decade-long career, it also looks ahead with their forward-thinking approach to music as they enter the next stage of their evolution.
In support of the album, NCT 127 will bring ‘NEO CITY – THE REDLINE’ to cities across Asia, marking their return to touring after a nearly two-year hiatus. The tour will give fans the chance to hear the group perform new songs, while also revisiting and reinterpreting fan favourites from their 10-year catalogue.
What did you want to express with ‘BLINGY’ and how does it represent NCT 127’s journey so far?
This was our first album back together after everyone had spent time on solo projects and military service, so we really gave it everything we had. With our 10th anniversary coming up, more than anything, we wanted to thank NCTzen for being with us through it all. We made this album with the idea of it being a gift to our fans, and I hope that comes through when they listen to it.
How are you embracing and adapting to your new era with NCT 127?
I think we’ve grown into a much clearer sense of who we are. Earlier on, a lot of our focus was on experimenting with how we could interpret the music through our performances, styling, and everything around it. Now, we’re at a point where we’re thinking more about how our own voices can bring out the emotions and messages in each song.
How did you balance nostalgia and celebration with a forward-thinking approach with BLINGY? What were those creative conversations like?
I think this album really captures the sound and identity we’ve built over the past 10 years. We wanted to make something that felt true to who we are now — something only NCT 127 could pull off. To us, the music we do best, especially when it really lets our voices shine, is what “NEO” is all about. And I also want to give a lot of credit to the members for everything we’ve done to get here.
You have a reputation for your bold and experimental style… Which song in the album felt like the biggest creative risk, ie, something you haven’t tried before and why?
My voice naturally sits on the lower side, but with DOYOUNG and JUNGWOO — who usually bring a brighter, lighter tone — not part of this album, I ended up taking on some higher parts to help fill that space. So for me, the whole album felt pretty new and challenging.
In the past, my parts often served as standout moments that really highlighted my tone. But with five of us carrying the songs this time, there were tracks where I had to take on the chorus by myself too. My role became a lot broader, so pretty much every song on the album felt like a new challenge.
It must be hard to pick just one moment but as you celebrate your 10th anniversary, what makes you most proud and which moment encapsulates that?
Touring different parts of the world with the members is definitely one of the moments I’m proud of and remember most fondly. The fans welcomed us with so much energy and excitement, and I remember feeling both amazed and grateful every time I realised just how far our music had reached.
With any friendship or group, it’s important to work on maintaining your bond and connection… How do you keep the chemistry so strong and what brings you closer as a group during tougher times?
We’ve been together for so long that even if we spend some time apart, it always feels good to see each other again, and we still have fun whenever we’re together. I don’t think there’s any one secret to it. I think all the time we’ve spent together and the relationship we’ve built over the years have naturally made us stronger as a team.
Even when things get tough, just knowing we have each other makes a huge difference. We’ve built so much trust over the years, and that gives us the confidence that we can get through pretty much anything together. I think that trust is a big part of what’s kept us so close for this long.
If you could revisit one song from the NCT 127 catalog since your 2016 debut …. How would you approach it differently given the creative maturity and potential different viewpoints you have now?
‘Fire Truck’ really stands out to me because I have such strong memories of that era. A lot of people still remember the “poison dart frog” concept, and I’d love to revisit the song now and show a different side of us than we did back then.
We’ve actually been revisiting some of our older songs while getting ready for this tour and rearranging the parts between us. I won’t spoil which ones they are or how we’ve reworked them — you’ll have to come see for yourself!
What can people expect with the ‘NEO CITY – THE REDLINE’ tour? What is the theme with the visuals and choreography?
‘THE REDLINE’ is all about pushing past our limits, so we’ve been focused on bringing as much energy and intensity as we can to the stage. We’re also revisiting some of our older songs, and I hope fans look forward to seeing how differently they come across when we perform them now.
What is next for NCT 127 creatively? Any aspirations or bucket list things you want to achieve?
Once DOYOUNG and JUNGWOO are back, I’d love for us to tour more places and meet even more fans around the world.
One of my goals is for us to perform on even bigger stages — venues we haven’t had the chance to take on yet. It would be amazing to fill a space like that with our own sound and energy.
‘Blingy’ is out now.