Thanks to K-pop’s growing visibility in the U.S., NCT 127‘s upcoming October comeback is looking bigger — and bolder — than ever.
The Seoul-based unit is officially Apple Music’s newest “Up Next” artist, joining the likes of Grammy-nominated R&B crooner Khalid, cool teen Billie Eilish, and pop hitmaker Bazzi (who co-wrote NCT Dream’s latest single, “We Go Up”). This is especially cool considering that NCT 127 is the program’s first K-pop partnership.
The announcement even gives fans a taste of what to expect from their next single, “Regular,” which sounds like another bass-heavy bop à la “Limitless.”
So in addition to the group’s first full-length album release on October 12, their first late-night appearance in the U.S. on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on October 8, and the formal introduction of their tenth member, Jungwoo, NCTzens have even more to look forward to this comeback season. On October 9, Apple Music will release a short film documenting the band and their global sound, before dropping an exclusive choreography video on release day.
The month-long rollout kicked off today (October 1) with a special Beats 1 interview with the group. The members break down their sound, talk about the Western artists who inspire — from Frank Ocean to The Internet to DJ Khaled — and give fans a preview of the lead single off their anticipated album, Regular-Irregular.
Rapper Mark describes “Regular” as a very “confident song” that shows off the group’s “masculine side” and global growth.
NCT 127 will release two versions of the Latin-infused song; the English single and music video will drop the day after their Kimmel performance on October 9, and the Korean version and visual will be released October 12. It’s an ambitious strategy aimed directly at the Western market, but if BTS’ unprecedented success has proven anything, it’s that the cultural barriers that once prevented Korean artists from making it big in the U.S. are being smashed one milestone at a time.
And NCT 127 are now at least a little closer to their dream of becoming the biggest hit on the stage.
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