NCT 127 Goes 'Blingy' With a 'Limited-Edition' Five-Member Lineup

K-pop group NCT 127 is back as a five-member lineup for its 10th anniversary. Even with member changes and military enlistments thinning out the roster, the group says its focus this time was protecting the team's identity.

NCT 127 held a press conference on August 24 at Lotte World Tower in Seoul's Songpa district to mark the release of its seventh studio album, "Blingy."

The title track "Blingy" is a hip-hop song built on distortion synths, a heavy drum beat and a chanting chorus. It pulls in elements of rage and dubstep and reshapes them in NCT 127's own style. The lyrics carry a sense of momentum that keeps rising, along with a presence the group compares to a huge flame. There is also confidence in delivering a top-level performance and pride in the team itself.

The members promised a performance to match. "We prepared harder than anything we've done before," Johnny said. "It was so tough that even we were caught off guard." Taeyong, who helped create the choreography, added that the beat itself was strong, so they wanted the performance to hit just as hard.

The high-difficulty choreography also set off some friendly back-and-forth. Taeyong said with a grin that some members seemed to be struggling but he was not tired at all. Johnny shot back, "I've got decent stamina too, but if it's hard, I say it's hard. Taeyong danced once, and he started off dry, but by the end he was soaked. That's how tough it is physically, so I don't know why he's suddenly acting cocky." Taeyong laughed and answered, "My stamina is actually better than before I went to the military, so I wanted to show it off."

This promotion cycle runs as a five-member lineup, with Doyoung and Jungwoo currently serving in the military. Jaehyun described the new album as "an album packed full by the five of us." Haechan said the absence of the two members was impossible to ignore, but all five had enough range to move forward with confidence. He said he was proud of how the record turned out.

Even without being on-site, Doyoung and Jungwoo stayed in constant touch with the group. "We share practice videos and demo tracks in our group chat, so Jungwoo and Doyoung naturally saw everything," Taeyong said. "They gave opinions too, telling us what they liked or what felt off. The two of them aren't part of this activity, but I still think of it as an album we all made together." He added that the pair sent coffee trucks and snack trucks to filming sets, and bought bread for the members during practice. "You could feel that they were still with us, and it really lifted us up."

NCT 127 has gone through several lineup shifts over the past decade. Earlier this year in April, member Mark ended his exclusive contract with SM Entertainment and left every NCT unit he was part of. "When we debuted, I pictured all of us still being together 10 years later," Taeyong said. "Our team went through a lot of changes in its makeup. There were times my heart hurt and moments that were hard to adjust to." He continued, "Even so, the seven of us are still here, and we want to repay the memories and trust our fans have built with us over these 10 years."

For its 10th anniversary, NCT 127 treated this album as a return to basics. "We combined a map of Seoul with our Neo color on the album cover to capture that idea of going back to the start," Taeyong said. "Since two members aren't here, we worked even harder so nothing would feel missing." Johnny also summed up the album in one word: "back to basics."

Asked to define the past 10 years in a single phrase, Haechan answered, "my way." He said, "We didn't worry about anything else. We made our own music and walked our own path. I think that's why NCTzen loves our team. My goal is to give my best to whatever is in front of me and to repay the love we've received over these 10 years." Jaehyun said the group's proudest accomplishment was trying so many different things. Johnny said he wants to keep the promise of never putting on a stage that isn't cool.

The goal for the album itself was to show who NCT 127 really is. "Better numbers and better results would be great, but this is our 10th anniversary album, so what mattered most was the color and image of us that NCTzen holds in their minds," Jaehyun said. "Even when we chose the title track, we thought about which song would show who we are. We asked ourselves what NCTzen would want from an NCT 127 10th anniversary album, and we want to give them more than they expect."

NCT 127 will also meet fans around the world through an upcoming world tour. "There seem to be a lot of NCTzen who want to see us," Haechan said. "We want to meet fans in more places. This is the only album and stage you can see with five members, so please come see it in person. I want to call it a 'limited-edition concert.'"

"Our goal, and what we should be doing on stage, is not to be boxed in by any one thing and to show our own color," Taeyong said. "We're always ready to surprise you."

NCT 127's seventh studio album "Blingy" is released the same day at 6 p.m. KST.