NCTzen's Best Memories
People often assume they know a demographic and know exactly who a person is just because they’re a fan of a specific group or individual, and artists have been labeled as certain types of entertainers based upon their fandoms, whether it’s because of the bad side of their fanbase or because of misconceived ideas of who a fan admires. Fans have been fighting the common misconception of the stereotypical fangirl for a long time—twelve-year-old girls who devote their lives and money to a group or person and nothing else—and they help break that stigma by spreading the good side of fandoms through fan projects.
NCT 127 is a subunit of NCT, a group under SM Entertainment. There are ten members in this subunit: Taeyong, Taeil, Johnny, Yuta, Doyoung, Jaehyun, Winwin, Jungwoo, Mark, and Haechan. Their recent comeback was released on May 24 with the mini album We Are Superhuman. They also recently ended their North American leg of their first world tour, Neo City - The Origin. NCT 127’s tour has had the most cities in a single North American tour by a K-pop act, with concerts held in two members’ hometowns.
I was able to go to their concert date in Newark and hung around for hours beforehand to interact with fans of the group, also known as NCTzens. There was so much going on, from the selling of banners to random dance plays. Fans were very excited to see the famous tour bus go by with the members’ faces on the side. A few fans were even painting faces. Everyone was in good spirits throughout the day. I took advantage of the happy people and asked an important question, “What is your favorite memory as a NCTzen?” along with their name, age, and favorite member. Here are the responses:
Name: Suzy
Age: 21
Favorite Member: Johnny
Memory: “Both times at KCON. First year, I had Johnny notice me and my jersey and smile. Last year, he noticed me again and winked! I cried like a baby, but it was worth it! I’m proud to be an NCTzen!”
Name: Gina
Age: 27
Favorite Members: Mark and Haechan
Memory: “KCON 2018 when they broke out in 'Whiplash!' NCT was so close to the stage where I was and the fan service was so beautiful and perfect.”
Name: Mya
Age: 20
Favorite Member: Mark
Memory: “Being right next to the stage at the Build Series interview and interacting with Johnny, Haechan, and Jungwoo.”
Name: Jasmine C.
Age: 20
Favorite Member: Johnny
Memory: “At Rough Trade, after taking a photo with the group as we said bye, I told Johnny that he’s my bias and I love him and he kept eye contact with me, smiled, squinted his eyes and said ‘Oh, really? Thank you!’”
Name: Maggie
Age: 18
Favorite Member: Yuta
Memory: “At Rough Trade, I got to stand behind Yuta and took a picture with the members. During the second day, at Chelsea, I saw them for the first time in real life, and there weren’t a lot of fans so it was pretty calm.”
Name: Eli
Age: 19
Favorite Members: Haechan and Jaehyun
Memory: “The first time I saw them at KCON 2017, my brother came with me and had a blast and seeing Johnny up close was a great time. Also, seeing my little sister grow up liking them and seeing her sing their songs and do their dances, and now taking her to see them.”
Name: Nico
Age: 23
Favorite Member: Yuta
Memory: “Meeting all my cute NCTzen friends!”
Name: Cori
Age: 23
Favorite Member: Taeyong
Memory: “Having a conversation with Johnny about our friends.”
Name: Mary
Age: 24
Favorite Member: Johnny
Memory: “When the fandom name was announced! It feels so good to be an NCTzen.”
Name: Lala
Favorite Member: Winwin and Taeil
Memory: “Winwin’s laugh!”
Name: Lauren
Age: 19
Favorite Member: Jungwoo
Memory: “Seeing how the members were so happy at the fan party!”
Name: Elaine
Age: 14
Favorite Member: Doyoung
Memory: “When NCT 127 won their Golden Disk Award.”
Name: Dade
Age: 15
Favorite Members: Johnny and Taeil
Memory: “Seeing them both times at KCON NY!”
Name: Brielle
Age: 5
Favorite Members: Johnny and Mark
Memory: “Seeing them in concert for the first time tonight!”
Name: Thao N.
Age: 17
Favorite Member: Doyoung
Memory: “Seeing NCT 127 live for the first time at KCON. I cried.”
Name: Kat M.
Age: 16
Favorite Member: Jaehyun
Memory: “All the times I felt like I was loved, and how it felt like home. It didn’t feel like I was thousands of miles away from them, it felt like I was with my closest friends.”
Name: Vilma T.
Age: 23
Favorite Member: Winwin
Memory: “When they had made their first red carpet appearance at the AMAs in LA. I’m so proud of them.”
Anonymous Answers:
Favorite Member: Mark
Memory: “Hearing Mark’s rap in ‘The 7th Sense’ for the first time!”
Memory: “I wasn’t a K-pop fan at the time. I got randomly recommended to their song ‘0 Mile’ and loved it.”
Memory: “Jaehyun’s abs!”
Fandoms are often times misunderstood. In reality, fandoms are communities of very diverse backgrounds in almost every aspect, but where they come from, who they are, or what they identify themselves as does not matter in a world connected by music. Music is such an important part of everyone’s lives. Belonging to a fandom can really make you happy and people have made friends with other people from other countries through this common interest. It’s such a beautiful thing. These are the memories that have made people genuinely happy and made an impact on their lives.
Are you a NCTzen? What is YOUR favorite memory?
Cover Image: NCT 127 (SM Entertainment)
Written by Chey Olexa
