Xiaojun

I. Introduction

Xiao Dejun (Chinese: 肖德俊), known professionally as Xiaojun (Hangul: 샤오쥔) , is a Chinese songwriter, singer and actor. He is one of the main vocalists in the permanent NCT sub unit, WayV. WayV sings primarily in Chinese, as well as songs in Korean and English, bridging a gap between c-pop and kpop. He is also a part of a WayV mini unit WayV Kun & Xiaojun, as well as a member of the rotational sub-unit, NCT U, usually as a main or lead vocalist.

II. Career

III. 2018: SM Rookies and the formation of WayV

Xiaojun was born in Dongguan, Guangdong on August 8, 1999. His brothers and father are also singers and he competed on a Chinese survival show, XFIRE, in 2015. He was cast at SM Auditions in 2017 and introduced as part of the pre-debut SM Rookies team on July 17, 2018. Members of the Rookies team performed in live performances and variety shows.

SM announced plans to launch an NCT China unit on August 13, 2018. The formation of the group was finalized and announced on December 31, under a new China-exclusive label. Due to the political tensions between China and South Korea at the time, the group was not promoted as an NCT sub unit.

IIII. 2019 - WayV debut

Xiaojun debuted in the permanent Chinese sub unit WayV on January 17, 2019 with the EP The Vision. Xiaojun is the power vocal in WayV, hitting the “big note” in WayV songs and serves as counterpoint to the other two WayV mains. His vocals are strong, nimble and gorgeous and he’s constantly trying to improve them with lessons and insights from other NCT members. His vocals are reflective of WayV's sleeker, sexier sound and style compared to the other sub units, as well as a more fluid style of dance.

WayV released a second EP on May 9, 2019, Take Off, then released another EP on October 29, Take Over The Moon.

IIIII. 2020 - Collaborations, first full album and NCT 2020

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Xiaojun featured with group mate Kun on a special single "I'll Be There" by Chinese artist Zhoumi of Super Junior-M. He also appeared with group mate Ten on the single "The Riot" by DJ and producer Ginjo.

In March 2020, a repackage was released, Take Over the Moon the Sequel. WayV released its first full album Awaken the World on June 9, 2020, following its online live concert on Vlive. It also appeared on its own reality show, WayVision.

WayV also participated in the NCT Resonance project in October 2020, featuring all NCT members, and debuting two new ones. This project also included a 2-part NCT full album, NCT 2020 Resonance Pt. 1 and 2. He appears as a singer on WayV's song "Nectar," as well as a part of NCT U combination units on 3 songs: "Dancing in the Rain," "My Everything" and "Make A Wish." His powerful "we gon fly" in the chorus and bridge became iconic moments in the song "Make A Wish." That same portion also features in the combination single "Resonance," which combines multiple songs. The entire project also appeared on NCT World 2.0, a competition-focused show.

IIIV. 2021: Kick Back, web series and first WayV mini unit

WayV released its third EP, Kick Back, on March 11, 2021, while simultaneously airing the second season of its reality show WayVision 2: Winter Sports Channel.

Xiaojun also launched his own web cooking show in April, The Lonely Master Chef Xiao, after his popular segment in the NCT 24 Hour Relay Cam series.

In June, it was announced that Xiaojun and group member Kun would debut as the first NCT sub-unit of a sub-unit. The sub-unit, WayV Kun & Xiaojun, released the single album, Back to You, on June 16. The album featured three songs in English and Mandarin.

In June, WayV released its first OST song, "Everytime", for the Running to You Soundtrack. In August, Xiaojun paired with NCT Dream singer Renjun for a digital cover of Eric 周兴哲 "Unbreakable Love."

In August, it was announced that Xiaojun would appear on the variety show We Became a Family with group mates Hendery and YangYang, as well as other Kpop idols, including his sunbaenim Yesung of Super Junior.

In October, Xiaojun partnered with DJ and producer Raiden for the song "Golden" on Raiden's first EP, Love Right Back.

Xiaojun participated in the NCT 2021 project in December 2021, featuring all active NCT members at the time. This project also included a NCT full album, NCT 2021 Universe. He appears as a singer on WayV's song "Miracle," as well as a part of NCT U combination units on 2 songs: the co-title track "Universe (Let's Play Ball)" and the vocally driven songs "Round&Round" and "Good Night." He also features in the all-unit song "Beautiful." As part of NCT 2021 promotions, he also appeared in a special short digital series EuMARKJUNGsim, co-hosted by NCT group mates Mark and Jungwoo, and NCT 2021 YearDream, around the group's lore. He also appeared in an episode of NCT's ongoing series It's Awkward, But It's OK, which pairs members from the different sub-units that are less familiar with each other.

Xiaojun appeared with the other active members of NCT in December 2021 as part of the 2021 Winter SMTOWN: SMCU Express album on the song "Hope for Kwangya." He also appeared in the accompanying New Year's Day concert, performing that song, "Back to You," "Universe (Let's Play Ball)" and "Golden."

IIV. 2022: More solo promotions, Phantom

Xiaojun appeared on Lee Mujin Service TV show individually and performed versions of "Make A Wish," Celine Dion's "Ashes" and "End of a Day." He also performed Ed Sheeran's "Thinking Out Loud" with the host.

WayV released its fourth mini, Phantom, on Dec. 28, 2022. The album became the group's highest first week sales of their career and then embarked on a multi-country fan meeting tour.

IIVI. 2023: MC of The Show, fan meetings

On March 8, 2023, Xiaojun was announced as one of the three new MCs for the Korean music show, The Show, making him the first Chinese NCT member to MC a Korean music show, as well as the first member of WayV.

In April, he released a cover of a Thai song, "Melt" with Kun and Ten. In May, he released a cover of a Cantonese song "Lover" on YouTube.

Xiaojun appeared with the other members of WayV on the fourth NCT album, Golden Age, as well as in the all-unit NCT Nation concerts in Korea and Japan. This was his first appearance in all unit work since 2020. He featured on the NCT U songs "PADO" and "Interlude: Oasis."

III. Discography

IV. Videography

V. Photos

NCT 2020 Resonance

NCT 2023 Golden Age

VI. Trivia

- His official NCT emoji is a dinosaur because his group members call him that. 🦕

- Xiaojun writes and composes his own songs.

- He was a participant in the Chinese survival show X-Fire before debut.

- He plays the guitar, piano and drums.

- He is part of Way’s Cantonese line of native Cantonese speakers, along with Hendery. He is also extremely fluent in Mandarin, very fluent in Korean and speaks some English.

- Xiaojun has recorded songs in six languages as solo covers or with WayV: Mandarin, Korean, English, Thai, Cantonese and Japanese. This is the most in NCT!

- Xiaojun is snarky and funny, but also genuinely interested in constant improvement, talking about improving his vocals and dance.

- His fans are called Kuanggong.

- Xiaojun is the "middle child" in WayV. He is actually comparable in age to Mark, the oldest Dream member.

- Xiaojun is considered a member of the "triplets" with Hendery and YangYang.

- Xiaojun became the first member of WayV and the first Chinese NCT member to become a MC on the Korean music shows. He is the second non-Korean NCT member after Canadian Mark and the seventh member to be a permanent MC. Five other members have been guest MCs.

- Xiaojun's episode of It's Awkward, But It's OK pairs him with Yuta based on a popular and often memed moment during NCT 2020 Resonance Pt. 1 promotions.

- His love of mint chocolate ice cream is a frequent joke in NCT content.

- His annual Christmas covers became so popular with fans, he began to get special videos for them from SM.

- Xiaojun co-choreographed a dance with Bada Lee for the Kick Back b-side "Good Time"

- Winwin requested the other members dress up for his birthday. Xiaojun is Jasmine in WayV's Princess performance of their song "Bad Alive".

- SM released a video using the audio from NCT's MAMA performance that captures the journey of the members through their career.

- NCT members have participated in a 24-hour relay cam that gives a snapshot of their daily lives. Xiaojun's segment was later developed into his own web show.