K-pop star’s first release since leaving NCT offers a glimpse into the personal musical path he hopes to build outside the idol system
For nearly a decade, Mark was one of NCT’s most versatile members.
He rapped, sang, danced, wrote lyrics and moved between vastly different concepts as a member of NCT U, NCT 127 and NCT Dream. In 2019, he was also selected for SM Entertainment’s supergroup SuperM, becoming one of the rare K-pop artists simultaneously associated with several of the agency’s major acts.
Now, months after leaving NCT and the SM empire, the 27-year-old is trying to define himself much more simply.
His first release under his own creative company Upper Room is “My Friend,” a medium-tempo pop track released Thursday that trades the maximalist production often associated with NCT for wistful guitar, understated vocals and a more stripped-back sound.
But Mark’s ambitions extend beyond a change in sound. In a video released on Mark’s YouTube channel on Aug. 14, Mark spoke openly about wanting to make what he calls “kids pop” — quality pop music for children that does not talk down to them — and about building an artistic identity around what he considers “goodness.”
The shift from one artistic identity to another raises a question: How did one of NCT’s most recognizable all-rounders arrive here?
Growing up inside NCT
Born Mark Lee in Toronto in 1999, Mark entered SM Entertainment after passing its global audition in Vancouver in 2012.
Before his debut, he was introduced to the public in 2013 through SM Rookies, SM Entertainment’s predebut trainee program. He later appeared on Disney Channel Korea’s “The Mickey Mouse Club” with fellow NCT members Haechan, Jeno, Jaemin and Jisung before debuting with NCT U in April 2016.
Within months, Mark also became a member of two more NCT units: NCT 127 in July and NCT Dream in August, serving as the latter group's leader.
Few members were as closely woven into NCT’s original structure. Mark helped connect three of the project’s earliest musical identities, moving from the restrained, atmospheric “The 7th Sense” to the harder-edged “Fire Truck” and then the bright, youthful “Chewing Gum” in the span of several months.
Mark’s versatility became one of his defining traits, earning him a reputation as one of K-pop’s premier all-rounders.
While rap emerged as his most recognizable specialty — particularly through his work in NCT 127 and NCT U — Mark also established himself as a capable vocalist and songwriter. He contributed lyrics to NCT U’s 2018 track “Boss,” and earned lyric-writing and composition credits on NCT 127’s “Angel Eyes” in 2023 and NCT Dream’s “Box” and English single “Rains in Heaven” in 2024.
After nearly a decade of expressing himself through NCT's many concepts, his first solo act came.
The album, “The Firstfruit,” released in April 2025, marked a shift inward. Organized around the four cities that shaped his life — Toronto, New York, Vancouver and Seoul — “The Firstfruit” traced Mark's personal journey through autobiographical lyrics and intimate storytelling. One of its most personal tracks, "Mom's Interlude," featured an audio conversation with his mother over piano she played herself, while the opening song, "Toronto's Window," revisited the city where his story began.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in April 2025, Mark said the album proved transformative for him as well.
“I really got to find myself while creating this album,” he said. “Now that it’s done, it even put me on the idea of my second chapter.”
That second chapter arrived exactly a year later.
Why leave NCT?
One day after the first anniversary of the release of “The Firstfruit,” Mark announced one of the most consequential decisions of his career: his departure from SM Entertainment and NCT following the conclusion of his contract.
The announcement surprised many fans given how deeply his identity had become intertwined with the group.
In a handwritten letter posted on his Instagram in April, Mark acknowledged that the news would come as a shock but said the decision stemmed from a dream he had carried since before becoming a trainee.
He recalled wanting to travel with an acoustic guitar, perform as a busker and write in English, explaining that after 10 years with NCT he had begun asking himself what his greatest dream truly was and what kind of legacy he hoped to leave behind.
"NCT helped me know myself better and find the best version of myself," he wrote. "After 10 years, I want to dive into a more concrete version of myself."
In August, Mark offered a fuller explanation in a YouTube video uploaded on his channel.
"The fact that there was something I wanted to achieve even if I had to leave behind safety and money felt precious to me," he said.
Mark described himself as someone who had always wanted to do his best and become "the best." But over time, that mindset led him to a different question: What did "the best" actually mean?
"I started asking myself what the best dream was, what the highest standard was, and what was the greatest thing I could leave behind in this world," he said. "Once those questions became connected, I realized I had to devote my best effort and concentration to the dream I truly believed in."
The first step: ‘My Friend’
That dream ultimately took shape as Upper Room, the creative company through which Mark hopes to pursue a more personal artistic vision.
Central to that vision is kids pop.
“Growing up, I often admired a more rebellious image of masculinity ... and struggled with the feeling that I did not fit that mold,” he said. “Instead of chasing that image, I want to build my music around what I consider to be goodness, believing that kindness and sincerity can be just as compelling. I want to show the world that you can be good, but still be hot and cool.”
“My Friend” may not yet represent Mark’s idea of kids pop in its final form, but it offers the first glimpse of the stripped-back direction he is pursuing independently.
Mark participated in the song’s lyrics, composition and arrangement. According to Upper Room, “My Friend” reflects on “the best kind of love” while depicting the transition from one chapter of life into another. Its emphasis on sincerity, warmth and genuine human connection also echoes the values Mark says he wants his music to embody.
Commercially, the new chapter has begun on solid footing. “My Friend” topped Bugs' real-time chart and Genie Music's latest music chart shortly after its release. It also reached No. 1 on the iTunes Top Songs charts in Argentina, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand.
