​​On January 27, the annual Gaon Chart Music Awards took place at Jamsil Arena. Hosted by NCT’s Doyoung, STAYC’s Sieun, and the TV personality Jaejae, the 11th edition of the ceremony recognized some of the hottest music acts in South Korea. This year, SM Entertainment’s boy group, NCT 127, emerged as the winner of Artist Of The Year (Physical Album) – 4th Quarter.

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Artist of the Year 

At the Gaon Chart Music Awards, a ceremony held by the Korea Music Content Association, NCT 127 was awarded for the commercial performance of its music in the fourth quarter of 2021. The ceremony that selects winners based on the records of the Gaon Music Chart, awards four acts in the Artist of the Year category—one per each quarter. Alongside NCT 127, NCT DREAM, IZ*ONE, and BTS received also this distinction. 

“Firstly, today is the 27th of January. We call this day 127 Day. I think today was a more special day because our fans gave us this great award,” ​​the leader of the group, Taeyong, said to the crowd while accepting the win. As it is the group’s tradition, Yuta and Johnny also took the mic to thank fans in their mother tongues. “One of the biggest compliments and artists can receive is that your music is great. I feel that through this album we were able to show our music quality and our fans were able to appreciate that,” Johnny added.

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Unique Performances

In addition to snagging a coveted award, NCT 127 turned the Jamsil Arena into a mini-concert venue when they took the stage to perform their hits “Sticker” and “Favorite.” The performance opened up with a solo number by Mark. Then, dressed in all-black leather looks, NCT 127 presented a never-seen-before introduction of “Sticker,” sitting around a casino table. Meanwhile, for “Favorite,” the members of the group appeared onstage in all-white fits. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qv9DEiwILQs&ab_channel=dojikyu

NCT 127’s Prolific Year in Music 

Much has been said about NCT 127’s fantastic year in music.  With the release of their third full album, Sticker, and the repackage, Favorite, the group returned to the Korean music scene after a long absence. Their efforts to showcase their unique sound paid off as Sticker debuted at third place on Billboard’s Top 200 chart. Within a week, NCT 127 sold over two million albums. From then on, the group honored their concept by displaying unprecedented growth and reaping great titles. During the promotions of the title track, the Triple Million Seller act became the first boy band to achieve an “all-kill” on South Korean music programs, since 2017. Simultaneously, the group made it to several music charts around the world.

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By the end of 2021, NCT 127 had already scooped the award for Album of the Year at the Asian Artist Awards and broke many of its own records. However, the most important recognition came only a few days ago, when NCT 127 notched their first-ever Artist Daesang (Grand Prize) at the Seoul Music Awards. 

As 2022 is just starting, we can’t wait to see what else is in store for the Seoul-based unit of NCT and its nine members. In the meantime, you can celebrate 127 Day by recapping our favorite NCT 127 moments on YouTube.

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