“I thought, ‘NCT WISH has the potential to become famous.'” (Jaehee)
Boy group NCT WISH is poised for global recognition.
On the afternoon of the 19th, NCT WISH (Sion, Yushi, Riku, Sakuya, Ryo, and Jaehee) held a press conference at KSPO DOME (formerly Olympic Gymnastics Arena) in Bangi-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, to commemorate the release of their first full-length album, ‘Ode to Love’.
Set for release tomorrow, the 20th, ‘Ode to Love’ is a new album that vividly showcases NCT WISH’s evolved musical identity. While maintaining the group’s unique “refreshing & neo” charm established since their debut, the album also highlights their growth and incorporates diverse musical variations.
The title track, also named ‘Ode to Love’, is a heartfelt song whose lyrics express a sincere desire to convey warmth in a cold world. It proposes, “Let’s sing together,” adding an aspiration to make the world a warmer place, delivering touching emotion to listeners.
NCT WISH first unveiled ‘Ode to Love’ during their ‘NCT WISH 1st CONCERT TOUR ‘INTO THE WISH : Our WISH’ ENCORE IN SEOUL,’ which commenced on the 17th. Sion shared, “I was curious about Czennies’ (fandom name) reaction, as we worked very hard. I was extremely nervous during the first reveal, but after the performance, seeing Czennies applaud and cheer made me feel incredibly proud.”
Jaehee recalled the moment he first heard ‘Ode to Love’. He laughed, saying, “My immediate thought was the ‘Gag Concert BGM’. Many people might know it, and since it’s an addictive and familiar tune, I felt it would be easy for everyone to sing along. The song was fantastic. I truly thought, ‘NCT WISH has the potential to become famous with this.'”
Through this concert, NCT WISH achieved their dream of performing at KSPO DOME, approximately two years after their debut. Jaehee stated, “When I first heard we’d be performing at KSPO DOME, I couldn’t quite believe it. First and foremost, I’m incredibly grateful to our Czennies who truly love us. I want to show a more grown-up side through this tour compared to our first concert.” Sakuya added, “I’m so happy to be able to perform in such a large venue. We’ve performed almost 30 shows since starting last October, and we’ve done well so far, so today we’ll do our best to create a fun time.”
Sion then expressed, “It’s amazing how quickly we’ve been able to perform at KSPO DOME for three days, including today, faster than we anticipated. We had enjoyable performances for the past two days, and we plan to have another fun show today. I want to thank Czennies for helping us perform here.” Yushi vowed, “It’s great to meet Czennies. I’ll give my all on stage today as well.”
Riku shared, “I’m happy that we can showcase our charm to many people in such a large venue. I’m excited and will do my best today.” Ryo conveyed his gratitude to the fans, saying, “It’s incredible that we can hold a solo concert in such a massive venue just over two years after our debut. All of this is thanks to Czennies. We are truly grateful.”
NCT WISH’s wish list for this year is to meet more fans. Yushi stated his wish is “to meet many Czennies and show more of our good sides.” Sion expressed, “It’s natural for us to work hard, but the growing number of Czennies who continuously give us love fills us with the greatest gratitude. My wish is for our title track’s chorus to be so addictive that many people hum it, making our group even more famous.”
Beyond KSPO DOME, the concert venue they aspire to enter next is a Japan Dome Tour. Sakuya revealed, “We’ve only been active for about two years, but we just had our first arena performance in Japan. We haven’t performed in a dome yet. Our next goal is to hold a dome concert in Japan.”
When asked about their growth through numerous stages on their ongoing world tour since last year, Riku responded, “Last year, I was very nervous and didn’t have the ease to interact with Czennies on stage. Now, I can make eye contact and perform with Czennies during our performances. Especially during ‘Cheat Code,’ seeing Czennies’ faces is so much fun, it’s my favorite stage.”
Sion added, “Our teamwork with the members has also strengthened more than before, which makes performing and doing our schedules even more enjoyable now.”
NCT WISH’s first full-length album, ‘Ode to Love,’ will be released on various online music streaming sites tomorrow, the 20th, at 6 PM KST.
