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Jack Lau

K-pop boy group NCT 127 have had a busy start to 2020, with their debut world tour continuing until next month and their second studio album Neo Zone coming out in March too.
The group’s frontman and leader, Taeyong, takes centre stage on the new album, co-writing three tracks.
He may now be famed for his rapping skills and good looks, but it wasn’t always this way: he has undergone a journey from a trainee who could not dance to one of the most successful K-pop idols worldwide, and most recently joined the K-pop “supergroup” SuperM.
Here’s a look at his life so far.

Taeyong’s early life
Taeyong was born Lee Tae-yong in Seoul in 1995 and grew up with one elder sister. His career started when he was scouted in his second year studying at Seoul’s School of Performing Arts.
The talent scout did not reveal the company he represented, only saying it was one of the “Big Three” – meaning JYP Entertainment, SM Entertainment and YG Entertainment, the largest idol agencies in South Korea.
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But knowing little about the idol world, Taeyong thought “Big Three” referred to the three major Korean television broadcasters and thought he was being recruited by a TV station. It turned out the scout was from SM Entertainment.
When he visited SM Entertainment’s offices in Apgujeong-dong, in Seoul’s Gangnam district, in 2012, it was his first time in the affluent area that is home to many idol agencies. Taeyong did not know any songs apart from the national anthem, so he sang that for the audition while showcasing his basic dancing skills.
After a successful audition, the 18-year-old joined the SM Rookies, an SM Entertainment group used to publicise the progress of its trainees. Four years later in 2016, Taeyong made his debut as part of NCT U and then NCT 127, NCT’s subunit based in Seoul.

Taeyong’s role in NCT 127
Usually called “TY” by other NCT members, Taeyong is the group’s leader, lead dancer, main rapper and frontman. Taeyong said during a live stream that while his greatest strength was now in dancing, when he became a trainee his dance teacher told him he was so bad that there was almost no hope for him.
But after a year-and-a-half of training, Taeyong gradually moved from practising at the back of the dance room to the front as his technique improved. And by the time of his debut, he was front and centre in the SM Rookies and one of the most skilled dancers in SM Entertainment.


Even in his early years, Taeyong was making a name for himself as a rapper. Less than a year after SM Entertainment announced him as a member of SM Rookies, the company published a music video of the rap track Open the Door, featuring Taeyong dropping rhymes in a smoke-filled studio.
Three months after Open the Door, he was featured as a rapper in girl group Red Velvet’s single Be Natural.
In addition to his roles on stage, Taeyong has also written songs, including the lyrics for NCT U’s first single The 7th Sense and Fire Truck, the single that launched NCT 127. He made his composing debut as a co-writer of Baby Don’t Like It, a hip-hop track on NCT 127’s second EP, “NCT #127 Limitless”.


Taeyong’s solo career
Taeyong has still not made his debut as a solo artist, but in June 2019 he released his first solo track, Long Flight. He wrote the track’s lyrics and also co-wrote the music.
SM Entertainment last year also announced he was to become a member of the company’s Avengers-like K-pop supergroup, SuperM. Taeyong co-wrote the track No Manners in the supergroup’s self-titled debut EP.
Taeyong’s image
Taeyong is the main man for NCT’s “visuals” – one of those considered the most physically attractive in a group. From his ice-white hair in the music video for NCT 127’s hit single The 7th Sense, to the scarlet locks he sported at the 2018 Korea Popular Music Awards, Taeyong’s ever-changing hair colour is iconic.
Besides his hair, he is also known for his thick dark brows, which NCT vocalist Jaehyun has said are the leader’s best feature.

In his own words
Taeyong may now be known for his looks, but he told Naver TV in 2017 that he previously did not like the shape of his face and he knew he did not have the “SM look” preferred by SM Entertainment founder, Lee Soo-man.
“But talking of Lee Soo-man reminds me of an interesting story. It was very touching. After the SMTown Live show in Tokyo ended, we went for a meal, and I was hiding behind the many artists there,” he said in the interview.
“Lee Soo-man came to me and said: ‘Taeyong, you must be very tired.’ I felt there was a new bond between Mr Lee and me. I was so touched that I hid in the toilet of the SMTown Live venue and cried.
“I felt that as I was growing, he had been watching me throughout. But although I don’t have the SM look, I will continue to work hard and earn Mr Lee Soo-man’s applause.”


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Famed for his good looks, enormous talent and endearing personality, Taeyong is one of K-pop’s biggest stars, but it wasn’t always this way
His greatest strength now is his dancing, but as a trainee his dance teacher told him he was so bad there was no hope for him



Today Taeyong may be the handsome singer, rapper and dancer of K-pop boy bands NCT 127 and Super M, but as a trainee his dance teacher told him he was so bad that there was no hope for him in the music business.
