NCT's Mark Takes Us On A Journey of Growth in First Solo Album 'The Firstfruit'

The K-Pop idol who always seems to be on your screen, touring at your local arena, or on a variety show - Mark Lee - has finally released his first studio album with The Firstfruit. In this highly anticipated release, NCT’s Mark delivers a 13 track album filled with his own lyrics, diverse genres, and complex storytelling. The album explores four phases of his life, from his birth in Toronto, Canada to present day living as a busy recording artist in two active NCT units in Seoul, Korea. The songs provide a glimpse into the mind of “the busiest man in K-pop” in addition to star-studded features only Mark’s connections could make happen.

Photo Mark Lee

Toronto (Toronto’s Window, 1999)

Kicking off the album with an honest, spoken intro set to the backdrop of a bright guitar melody, Mark lets the listener in right away, describing his journey with his faith and how it has shaped him as a person and an artist. The title track for the album, “1999,” is a catchy, upbeat song filled with nostalgic sounds and orchestral accompaniment. With the opening line, “World listen to me, listen,” Mark immediately commands the attention of his audience. "1999" touches on Mark's desire to live up to his dreams of making music for the world to hear and answering what he believes to be his calling in life, two of the many repeating themes throughout the album. The music video is high energy, filled with multiple versions of Mark playing out different storylines in a multiverse setting, not too dissimilar to his favorite movie franchise,Spider-Man.

YouTube SMTOWN

New York (Flight to NYC, Righteous, Fraktsiya)

“Flight to NYC” takes us to Mark’s memorable early years growing up in New York City and into a rap-heavy, grunge beats section of the album. “Righteous” touts his endless credits with his company SM Entertainment, as an active member of both NCT 127 and NCT Dream (having previously also appeared as part of the SM supergroup SuperM). “Fraktsiya,” one of three pre-release tracks, was released in December 2024 as a digital single featuring Korean rapper Lee Youngji. This song made waves for its artistic spy concept music video and the dynamic duo’s high energy live performances during year end shows.

Vancouver (Raincouver, Loser, Watching TV)

This section of the album clearly holds nostalgia for the artist, recalling memories from childhood and baring his heart in songs like “Loser.” This tender track indulges in wordplay that seems to point to a lost love. “Watching TV” is a true standout, opening with gorgeous, synthesized, harmonic vocals with his second feature of the album, Crush, who has worked with everyone from Red Velvet’s Joy to Epik High. The lyrics set to a punchy beat are addicting to listen to, wrapped up perfectly by the dissonant harmonies of the hook.

Seoul (+82 Pressin’, 200, Journey Mercies, Mom’s Interlude, Too Much)

In the final section of the album, Mark presents his wide talent range as a writer and performer, kicking it off with a rap heavy dance track, “+82 Pressin’.” As the most recent pre-release track of the album, from March 2025, Mark brought this song to his life-long friend and fellow NCT member, Heachan (해찬), for a feature. Appropriately dubbed “strong duo” by fans in comment sections constantly filled with requests for them to film viral dance challenges together, this song exploded onto the charts as fans watched their wildest dreams come true. The blend of Haechan’s captivating vocals and enchanting dance style give viewers an opportunity to see Mark in his element of true performance in a classic NCT style that fans have come to know and love. The music video for the track, a tribute to classic films like Sin City and Bonnie & Clyde, drummed up endless excitement for the album release and led to the duo performing the song on Mnet’s M Countdown.

YouTube SMTOWN

In a beautiful and surprising moment towards the end of the album, Mark’s mother’s voice appears in “Mom’s Interlude,” with her playing piano as they speak in casual conversation. Growing up around music with his mother playing piano at the churches where his father worked, it is clear Mark’s family holds such an important space in his heart. Including this tender moment of conversation with someone at the center of his life, listeners are able to see the Mark his parents raised, the Mark who is simply happy hearing his mother play a song he loves on the piano, basking in the warmth of her love, before she asks him what he ate for lunch.

Mark’s dedication to the production of The Firstfruit is crystal clear, the album aptly named as a reference to farmers giving the best of their first harvest up to thank the higher power they believe in. From writing and recording songs in hotel rooms while on world tours to creating a separate Instagram account and YouTube channel to build on the themes in the album, fans have been able to follow along his artistic journey and participate along the way. The creation of this space for collaboration and artistic expression was masterfully delivered in a way only Mark could, giving the industry a true gift in his first studio album. Mark has taken us along his journey of growth and if this is his first album, we can only imagine what talents future releases may reveal.

Photo Mark Lee

Mark remains busy, with upcoming ‘SMTOWN’ concert stops in stadiums in Mexico City and Los Angeles in early May. He will perform with both NCT 127 and NCT Dream as fans continue to hope for a solo stage for one of the album tracks and a duet with fellow NCT member, Haechan to bring “+82 Pressin’” for a live performance.

MARK

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