NCT U

SM Entertainment launched the K-pop collective NCT, short for Neo Culture Technology, whose open-ended roster fills an array of sub-units stationed across Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai, and Bangkok. NCT U, the initial offshoot, was unveiled in April 2016. Right after its launch, the lineup dropped the paired singles “The 7th Sense” and “Without You,” then followed in 2018 with “Timeless,” “Boss,” and “Baby Don’t Stop.” Those three songs appeared on NCT 2018 Empathy, which united NCT U alongside sister units NCT 127 and NCT Dream for the group’s first collective outing. The album achieved worldwide success, reaching the Top Ten in both South Korea and the United States. Attention turned the next year toward the newly established China-based outfit WayV, yet NCT U still issued the December single “Coming Home.” Momentum returned with the full-roster set NCT 2020 Resonance, Pt. 1, a number-one triumph whose lead track “Make a Wish (Birthday Song)” became a major hit. One month afterward the project grew into NCT 2020 Resonance, Pt. 2, adding eight further songs, among them the NCT U-focused cuts “Misfit” and “Volcano.” The 2021 release Universe leaned heavily on NCT U material, spotlighting “New Axis,” “Universe (Let’s Play Ball),” and “Birthday Party.” On the 2023 all-member album Golden Age, the same unit behind “The 7th Sense” contributed the track “Baggy Jeans.”