I. Introduction
"Child" is the solo debut single from Korean singer-songwriter and rapper Mark of the boy group NCT 127. It is the first single of SM Station NCT Lab and was released on February 4, 2022.
II. Background & Release
SM Station is a digital music project under SM Entertainment that involves solos or duets from members in existing SM groups, as well as opportunities for singers to experiment in other genres or collaborate with artists inside and outside of SM Entertainment. The project releases a number of singles digitally each year on digital platforms, including streaming audio like Spotify.
SM announced a new project under SM Station to focus around the boy group NCT on January 30, 2022. NCT is unique among K-Pop groups due to the fact that the concept of NCT is an ever expanding group with "unlimited" members and is comprised of several individual sub-units. There are currently four sub-units: NCT 127, NCT Dream, WayV and NCT U.
NCT Lab will include solo songs, self-composed tracks and sub-unit work outside of the group's albums. The first song announced for the season was a solo song "Child" from NCT 127 and NCT Dream main rapper Mark. Mark appeared in previous seasons of SM Station on duets, but never as a solo artist.
The song was described as a hip-hop genre song written and composed by Mark. Mark previously already had over 50 credits on NCT and other songs, primarily as a lyricist. The song references his personal experiences as a young singer and rapper and his challenges in growing up on stage, including the pressures to live up to expectations.
III. Tracklist
| Title | Lyrics | Music | Arrangement | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Child" | dress, Mark | ron, Jane, Mark | dress | 3:31 |
| "Child - Instrumental" | - | ron, Jane, Mark | dress | 3:31 |
IV. Spotify Playlist
V. Videos
Teaser:
MV:
VI. Concept Photos
VII. Reception
The song debuted with the highest 24-hour Spotify streams among SM artists and had the highest unique listeners in the first hour on Melon in 2022 as of February 10, 2022. It debuted at #23 in the Gaon Digital Chart and #3 in the Downloads chart. It charted on all four Korean music charts at its debut, as well as debuting atop the Korean Spotify chart. It also reached #8 on the Billboard U.S. world charts and charted in the top 25 in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore. It also topped iTunes charts in 14 regions.
