Reviving an old SM Entertainment project by rebranding its identity as Station: NCT Lab, NCT’s Mark dropped the greatest gift for his fans on February 4, 2022. Quite literally the Child of his artistic brilliance, the English song dove into the isolating web of confusions arising during one’s adolescence. As opposed to the other musical releases planned by the company, followed by an abundance of cash-pulling merchandise line-ups, Mark’s debut solo venture under this ‘Station’ broke those conventions.
In the true sense of its meaning, the track was holistically produced as a present for the fans of the group, aka NCTzens, as the singer/rapper laid out the following statement during one of his live broadcasts before the MV’s premiere, “I wanted you guys to be able to enjoy the song and the video and comfortably listen to it often without the burden of money”. The digital single was written by Mark, Ron and Jane, who even contributed to the composition of the song along with Dress.
The musical premiere was followed by an emotional outpour from the fans who could relate with the heartwarming lyrics of the song that revealed some unsaid emotions that can’t always be accurately conveyed through words and lead to as loss of the nuanced depth of one’s feelings. Putting up a mirror to the universal sense of alienation experienced by most of us as we try to drown our inner child in the process of keeping up with the pace of the constantly racing world around us, the track became a “place of solace” for the listeners.
Despite leading the Kpop group primarily as a rapper, Mark’s contribution to this song required him to pour his soul out through his vocals instead. Portraying a new side to his artistic persona, he shocked all his fans, who claimed that their lives had been changed after listening to his melody.
SM described this new venture as follows, “‘NCT LAB’ is SM STATION’s new project to archive NCT’s various music activities, and will continue to showcase NCT’s colorful music, including solo songs, self-composed songs, and unit songs.” Mark became the first member of the group to have presented his side of the story, and opened this chapter for the NCT Lab archive.
Born on August 2, 1999, Mark Lee is a Canadian Kpop artist who’s been a member of various sub-units of NCT – NCT U, NCT Dream (leader), NCT and 127. He’s even debuted with SuperM, the super boy group of SM Entertainment, and is often seen leading the raps, and choreographies in each of these groups, while also stepping in as a sub-vocalist for them.
Here’s How the Fans Conveyed Their Thanks to NCT’s Mark for ‘Child’
Watch the Music Video
What was your first reaction after listening to Child? What does this song mean to you? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
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