NCT Wish loves interaction with fans 1 month into debut

NCT Wish debuted under K-pop powerhouse SM Entertainment just in February and is swiftly impacting the industry.

Composed of two Korean and four Japanese members, the boy group has already achieved impressive feats, topping music charts in both Korea and Japan and amassing impressive sales figures for “Wish,” its debut single.

After its whirlwind first month, the group is excited about performing on TV music programs and interacting with fans.

“Performing on music programs was so much fun,” Ryo, a Japanese member, said during a group media interview at a Seoul cafe Wednesday. “Meeting fans also gave me so much energy. I think I can do even better next time.”

Jaehee, a Korean member, agreed, saying: “I was always nervous and jittery while being on stage, but fans encouraged me a lot by waving cheering wands. The sound of their cheering was so loud that I could even hear it through my in-ears.”

As it is the fourth subunit of K-pop supergroup NCT and part of the same label family as EXO, SHINee, Super Junior and aespa, the group made a dream debut by opening an annual concert of SM-managed artists at the iconic Tokyo Dome in Japan’s capital.

“I was so nervous during the concert that I couldn’t even look at the audience,” Sakuya, another Japanese member, recalled, noting the significance of the venue for many pop artists.

Most of the Japanese members have been huge fans of K-pop since their childhoods.

Ryo shared his story of being scouted by the agency while waiting in line for merchandise at an NCT 127 concert, his favorite group, in his home country.

“A woman stared at me there. She was a bit scary. And then she kindly said her company would hold an audition three months later and asked me to come. Despite her claiming to be from SM, I didn’t believe her at first. But after verifying her business card, I went to the audition, feeling it might be a once-in-a-lifetime chance,” he said with a smile.

The sextet introduced its music as “fresh and neo.”

When asked to elaborate on “neo,” Jaehee said: “It’s hard to put it into words. You can feel it when you listen to NCT’s music.”

Leader Sion added, “When NCT debuted, there weren’t many choreographies for hip-hop music. But they were the first to start, and I think people found it refreshing. We’re also practicing a lot to be able to do music like that well.”

The members believe they have grown a bit in the past month.

“At first, I didn’t know which camera I should look at while performing on TV music programs, but in my second week, I got more comfortable and came to know what to look at,” Yushi said.

“Actually, it has not been long since we first met,” Sion said. “We tried to support each other, danced together a lot and talked a lot when things got tough while shooting music videos and preparing for stage performances in Korea. And as a result, we felt our synchronization was gradually improving.”

When asked about the team’s aspirations at the end of the interview, he singled out three wishes.

“Our humblest wish is to take a trip together, and we also want to win a rookie award this year,” Sion said. “And the biggest one is to hold a standalone concert at a stadium.”