NCT 127 Sets Record At Billboard; NCT Dream Lands A Spot At TIME Magazine's Most Influential Teens
Two subunits Korean boy band NCT have been making history in K-pop lately because of their remarkable achievements in the international market. NCT 127 sets a new record at Billboard while NCT Dream lands a spot in one of TIME Magazine's year-end lists.
Billboard has announced that NCT 127 is now the fastest K-pop group to top its World Digital Song Sales Chart with their latest single "Simon Says." The group had their first-ever chart-topper when "Simon Says" debuts at No. 1 on Billboard's World Digital Song Sales chart. According to Nielsen Music, the song sold 2,000 copies and recorded 2.1 million on-demand streams in the U.S. just for the week ending November 30.
Overall, NCT 127 is the 13th K-pop artist to land a single at No. 1 spot on World Digital Song Sales and just the fourth boy band from Korea to do so. The other male groups that made it to the same spot are BIGBANG, EXO, and BTS.
Among the four, NCT 127 got their first No. 1 in just two years after their debut. This makes them the fastest K-pop boy band to do so. In October, the sub-unit also made it on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart with their first studio album Regular. It debuted on the chart at No. 86 at the time.
The NCT sub-unit was first introduced by SM Entertainment in July 2016. NCT 127 is consists of Taeyong, Taeil, Johnny, Yuta, Doyoung, Jaehyun, Winwin, Jungwoo, Mark, and Haechan.
Meanwhile, NCT Dream also managed to grab headlines when they land a spot in TIME Magazine's 25 Most Influential Teens of 2018. The NCT sub-unit is the only K-pop act in this year's list.
The 25 Most Influential Teens recognizes achievements of the youth in numerous fields. For NCT Dream, the publication highlighted the international success of the group's latest mini album We Go Up. The EP peaked at No. 5 on Billboard's World Albums chart and topped iTunes Top Albums charts in 15 different countries.
Earlier this year, NCT Dream was also the only K-pop artist that made it in Billboard's list of 21 Under 21 2018: Music's Next Generation. NCT Dream debuted in August 2016. The seven members are Mark, Renjun, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, Chenle, and Jisung.