Saying that 2020 was a monumental year for NCT is an understatement. With comeback after comeback, it felt like they were side-by-side with fans even with breaks in between. The amount of content they managed to consistently gift NCTzens with comes to an outstanding total. From music to social media posts to variety shows, they entertained us all year long. Notably, the greatest gift of all this year was the debut of 2 new members of NCT, Shotaro ? , and Sungchan ?. Even as we’re writing this, they’re still feeding Czennies new material! With the year coming to a close, let’s look back together on the breakdown of their hard work in 2020. (Note: All data was collected by 12/11/2020)
MUSIC ROUND UP
This year NCT gifted fans 14,819 seconds of music in 4 full albums, 2 repackages, and 1 EP. That’s like taking a road trip from Seoul to Busan! With such fantastic songs, it was easy for fans to give back NCT a total of 387,140,592+ streams on Spotify. This isn’t even including streams from other music platforms!
NCT
- NCT 2020 RESONANCE Pt. 1 -The 2nd Album
- Date Released: October 12, 2020
- NCT 2020 RESONANCE Pt. 2 – The 2nd Album
- Date Released: November 23, 2020
- Overall Total Time: 1:09:34
- +RESONANCE (5:14)
- Overall Total Streams: 86,128,425+
NCT 127
- NCT #127 Neo Zone – The 2nd Album
- Date Released: March 6, 2020
- NCT #127 Neo Zone: The Final Round – The 2nd Album Repackage
- Date Released: May 19, 2020
- Time: 57:55
- Streams: 142,339,078+
- NCT RESONANCE Pt. 1 & Pt. 2 – The 2nd Album
- +Music, Dance (3:55)
- Streams: 3,394,775+
- Overall Total Time: 1:01:50
- Overall Total Streams: 145,733,853+
NCT Dream
- Reload EP
- Date Released: April 29, 2020
- Time: 17:05
- Streams: 53,654,220+
- NCT RESONANCE Pt. 1 & Pt. 2 – The 2nd Album
- +Deju Vu (3:28)
- Streams: 5,145,899+
- Overall Total Time: 20:33
- Overall Total Streams: 58,800,119+
WayV
- Awaken the World – First Album
- Date Released: June 9, 2020
- Time: 33:18
- +Bad Alive – English Version (3:49)
- +Turn Back Time – Korean Version (3:39)
- Streams: 32,637,720+
- NCT RESONANCE Pt. 1 & Pt. 2 – The 2nd Album
- +Nectar (3:19)
- Streams: 4,959,093+
- Overall Total Time: 44:05
- Overall Streams: 37,596,813+
SuperM
- Super One – The 1st Album
- Overall Total Time: 50:57
- Overall Total Streams: 58,881,382+
YOUTUBE REWIND
Here’s a recap of all the videos posted on the NCT related YouTube channels throughout 2020!
NCT 127: Neo Zone
On March 4, 2020, NCT 127 released their second full-length album with the lead single and anthemic hit, “Kick It.” In nine months, the music video has racked up 90 million views across the globe and has captivated the industry and public alike with its gritty guitar riffs and melodic R&B transitions.
- Kick It MV: 90M views, 2.7M likes, 389K comments
- 11 Track Videos (Combined total): 17.8M views, 1.7M likes, 57.1K comments
- Most viewed & most liked: Dreams Come True with 2.7M views and 245K likes
- Covers: Doyoung cover of IU’s “Give You My Heart”: 1.7M views, 222K likes, 12K comments
- Performance Content (dance practices, performance videos, The Stage, etc.): 52.6M views, 2.2M likes, 54.5K comments
- Most viewed & most liked: NCT 127 Kick It Performance Video with 26M views and 720K likes
- Variety Content (behind the scenes, all vlogs, unboxing videos, etc.): 26.8M views, 2.7M likes, 125.6K comments
- Most viewed & most liked: [Un Cut] Take #4 | ‘Kick It’ Recording Behind the Scene: 3M views and 258K likes
This year, we spent 188.9 million hours watching NCT 127 content during the Neo Zone era.
NCT Dream: Reload
NCT Dream’s “Ridin‘,” released on April 29, is the lead single from the group’s fourth EP titled Reload. The music video has reached 50 million views within eight months and although the track is very hard-hitting with an equally addictive bassline, it’s the mix of aggressive and smooth choreography that has us all pressing the replay button over and over.
- Ridin’ MV: 50M views, 2M likes, 435K comments
- 4 Track Videos (Combined Total): 11.6M views, 1.4M likes, 54K likes
- Most viewed & most liked: Love Again with 3.7M views and 386K likes
- Covers: Renjun’s cover of Troye Sivan’s Fools: 7.4M views, 661K likes, 83K comments
- Performance Content (dance practice, The Stage, face focus cams, etc.): 26.2M views, 1.5M likes, 49.1K comments
- Most viewed & most liked: Ridin’ Dance Practice with 6.4M views and 421K likes
- Variety Content (reaction videos, vlogs, games, etc.): 26.8M views, 3.2M likes, 112.2K comments
- Most viewed & most liked: NCT 127 Reaction to Ridin’ with 6.1M views and 479K likes
This year, we spent 122 million hours watching NCT Dream content during the Reload era.
NCT 127 Neo Zone: The Final Round
On May 19, 2020, NCT 127 released their repackaged album with the lead single, “Punch,” shortly after finishing up “Kick It” promotions. The dark and daring music video has gained 33 million views within seven months and even now, we’re still loving the old school video game sounding intro and unorthodox composition that left us all dazed and confused from the first listen.
- Punch MV: 33M views, 1.6M likes, 475K comments
- 2 Track Videos (Combined Total): 2.1M views, 404K likes, 17.5K comments
- Most viewed & most liked: Make Your Day with 1.1M views and 226K likes
- Performance Content (Dance practices): 6.4M views, 694K likes, 321.8K comments
- Most viewed & most liked: Punch Dance Practice with 3.4M views and 285K likes
- Variety Content: 24M views, 3.5M likes, 134.8K comments
- Most viewed: NCT Dream Reaction to Punch MV with 2.4M views
- Most liked: <Late Night Punch Punch Show> Ep. 1 | NCT 127 Talk Show with 272K likes
This year, we spent 65.5 million hours watching NCT 127 content during The Final Round era.
WayV: Awaken the World
WayV made a splash this summer with their first full-length album, Awaken the World. The lead single, “Turn Back Time” was released on June 9, 2020, and has already gained 28 million views in six months. Between its thumping bass and heavy electric guitar dance break, it’s safe to say that WayV has taken the word “edgy” to a whole new level.
- Turn Back Time MV: 28M views, 1.3M likes, 232K comments
- Bad Alive (English version) MV: 12M views, 761K likes, 74K comments
- Performance Content (TBT + Bad Alive combined): 13.8M views, 1.7M likes, 86.4K comments
- Most viewed & most liked: Bad Alive dance practice (Princess Version) with 4.9M views and 612K likes
- Variety Content* (WayV-ehind, WayV-ariety, WayV-log, etc.): 11.5M views, 1.9M likes, 116.7K comments
- Most viewed & most liked: [WayV-log] Princess Ver. is Loading with 1.6M views and 243K likes
- Covers, Compositions, Dance (All Play V content): 4.5M views, 823K likes, 62.2K comments
- Most viewed & most liked: Xiaojun’s cover of Who Are You by Sam Kim with 1.6M views and 241K likes
This year, we spent 69.8 million hours watching WayV content during the Awaken the World era.
SuperM
Saving the world once again, SuperM returned in August to begin their new era with their first full-length album, Super One. The multitalented group dropped their first pre-release single, “100”, on August 13, 2020, and now has over 22 million views. A few weeks later on August 31, SuperM cranked up the heat with “Tiger Inside”, the second pre-release single album and a true contender to what easily could’ve been a lead single on its own with 39 million views.
Finally, nearly a month later, fans were more than ready to receive the lead single and music video for “One (Monster + Infinity)” on September 24. With an instrumental as grand as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the members of SuperM have officially claimed their “Avengers” status in K-Pop — all while dawning glorious black and green outfits reminiscent of Marvel’s notorious Loki attire. “One” currently stands at 23 million views.
- 100 MV: 22M views, 1.8M likes, 187K comments
- Tiger Inside MV: 39M views, 1.9M likes, 288K comments
- One (Monster + Infinity) MV: 23M views, 1.1M, 107K comments
- Performance Content: 41.4M views, 148.8K comments
- Most viewed: Tiger Inside Dance Practice with 11M views
- Variety/Special Content: 21.5M views, 93.4K comments
- Most viewed: SuperM Midterm Exam: MARK ✏️ BAEKHYUN with 2.5M views
- MTopia Full Episodes: 12.2M views, 935K likes, 36.4K comments
- Most viewed & most liked: Among SuperM, who are having a blast in water, there’s a pro hidden surfer? | Ep. 03
NCT 2020: Resonance Pt. 1
Kicking off the most ambitious project in the K-Pop industry to date, all three units united for the first time and welcomed two newcomers into the NCT universe—Shotaro and Sungchan. Together, all 23 members collaborated on the epic two-part album titled, NCT 2020: Resonance. Part one began on October 12, 2020, with the first NCT U single, “Make A Wish (Birthday Song).” Within exactly one month of its release, the hip-hop and dance-heavy track became the fastest music video by any SM Entertainment group to reach 100 million views and is now sitting at 124 million.
The second single from part one, “From Home,” was released on October 19, 2020, and has already garnered 47 million views within nearly two months—a feat that can be hard to accomplish for a K-Pop group, considering how the industry is so reliant on fun, upbeat, and experimental styles. However, nothing says ‘home’ like a warm ballad from some of our favorite vocalists, singing in their respective first languages.
- NCT U Make A Wish (Birthday Song): MV: 124M views, 2.8M likes, 727K comments
- NCT U From Home MV: 47M views, 1.6M likes, 345K comments
- 2 Track Videos (Combined Total): 49M views, 1.8M likes, 226K comments
- Most viewed & most liked: NCT U’s Misfit with 27M views and 1M likes
- Performance Content: 10.3M views, 874K likes, 28K comments
- Most viewed & most liked: Make A Wish (Birthday Song) Dance Practice with 9.5M views and 682K likes
- Variety Content: 39.5M views, 6.5M likes, 241.9K comments
- Most viewed & most liked: REACTION to “Make A Wish (Birthday Song)” MV | NCT U Reaction with 2.9M views and 371K likes
NCT 2020: Resonance Pt. 2
After just barely coming down from the amazing high of Resonance Pt. 1, part two kicked off on November 23, 2020, with “90’s Love” and “Work It,” which was released a few days later on November 27. Within a few short weeks, the two singles have already gained 56 million and 31 million views, respectively.
Closing out this grand era, we saw the finale single, “Resonance” (a combination of four NCT U tracks), get its own release on December 4, 2020, and a rearranged version of “From Home” on December 6—the same day the group appeared and performed at the MAMAs. Within a week, “Resonance” currently has 44 million views, while the nostalgic “From Home” rearranged version has 3.3 million.
- 90’s Love MV: 56M views, 1.7M likes, 488K comments
- Work It MV: 31M views, 1.2M likes, 224K comments
- 2020 Resonance MV: 44M views, 1.7M likes, 446K comments
- From Home (Rearranged Version) Video: 3.2M views, 736K likes, 70K comments
- Performance Content: 8.6M views, 1.5M likes, 63K comments
- Most viewed & most liked: NCT U’s 90’s Love Dance Practice with 2.7M views and 354K likes
- Variety Content: 11.3M views, 1.9M likes, 77.7K comments
- Most viewed & most liked: Reaction to 90’s Love MV | NCT U Reaction with 1.5M views and 245K likes
This year, we watched 423.9 million hours worth of NCT content throughout the entire 2020 Resonance era.
Youtube Subscribers Gained in 2020
- NCT: +1,497,000 (59% increase)
- NCT 127: +1,270,000 (54% increase)
- NCT DREAM: +1,055,000 (54% increase)
- WayV: +1,070,000 (50% increase)
- SuperM: +1,263,000 (63% increase)
- Daily: +1,870,000 (53% increase)
- Music: +851,000 (46% increase)
- Dance: +830,000 (44% increase)
AWARDS + RECOGNITION
At the end of each year, all eyes in the music industry are drawn to the award ceremonies which recognize the standout artists. With comebacks in every unit and momentous growth, NCT’s efforts this year have paid off. All subunits took home an award at the Asian Artist Awards, and the twenty-three member group took home the daesang for Album of the Year for Resonance as well. Beyond that, they won several awards at MAMA, were nominated at the Melon Music Awards, and are currently nominated at the Golden Disc Awards and the High1 Seoul Music Awards. They’ve had an amazing year full of achievements and success.
NCT
- Certified Million Sellers
- Resonance as Album of the Year (AAA)
- Favorite Male Group (MAMA)
- Worldwide Fans’ Choice Top 10 (MAMA)
NCT 127
- Best Artist Award (AAA’s)
- National Assembly Culture, Sports, and Tourism Committee Chairman Award (2020 Newsis K-EXPO Camp in Concert)
- Popularity Awards (Vietnam) (4th Ten Asia Global Top Ten Awards)
- Best Global Artist in the First Half of 2020 (4th Ten Asia Global Top Ten Awards)
NCT DREAM
- Best Emotive Award (AAA’s)
- Hot Performance of the Year (Gaon Chart Music Awards)
- Bonsang Award (Soribada)
WayV
- Asia Celebrity Award (AAA’s)
- Favorite Asian Artist (MAMA)
According to Spotify’s #2020ARTISTWRAPPED, NCT 127’s music has been played in 92 countries further cementing their global group status. In fact, they were streamed so much they came in at #9 on Spotify’s Top 10 Most Streamed KPOP Artists Globally.
Billboard
- Year End Chart Billboard 200 Albums
- #200 NCT#127: Neo Zone, The 2nd Album
- Year-End Charts World Albums
- #3 NCT127 Neo Zone
- #7 SuperM The 1st Album Super One
- #8 SuperM The 1st Mini Album “SuperM”
- #11 NCT 2020 RESONANCE Pt.1
- Year-End Chart World Albums Artists
- #2 NCT 127
- #3 SuperM
- #7 NCT
- Year End Chart Social 50
- #3 NCT 127
- #14 NCT DREAM
- #18 NCT
- #26 SuperM
- #37 WayV
- Year End Chart Tastemakers Albums
- #14 NCT 127 NeoZone
- #23 SuperM Super One
- Year End Chart Independent Albums
- #20 NCT 127 NeoZone
- #43 SuperM Super One
- Year End Chart Top Current Album Sales
- #13 NCT 127 NeoZone
- #24 SuperM Super One
- #42 SuperM 1st Mini Album SuperM
- #71 NCT2020 RESONANCE Pt.1
MUSIC SHOWS
For each comeback, NCT performed on official Korean music programs a total of 70 times. They stole our hearts each stage with slick choreographies and stylish outfits. A special thanks for their hard work NCTzens came together to grant them 10 trophies to take home. In addition, MC Jaehyun hosted 40+ Sundays this year on SBS’s Inkigayo!
| Inkigayo (SBS) | Music Bank (KBS) | Show! Music Core (MBC) | The Show (SBS MTV) | Show Champion (MBC Music) | M Countdown (Mnet) |
| 18 | 20 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
NCT’s Total Music Show Appearances by Show = 65
| Kick It | White Night (B Side) | Punch | Ridin’ | Quiet Down (B Side) | Turn Back Time |
| 12 | 1 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 6 |
| Bad Alive | Make a Wish | From Home | 90’s Love | Work It | |
| 5 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
Total Stages by Song = 70
VARIETY SHOWS
NCT spent 34 hours, 47 minutes, and 24 seconds making us laugh in 7 official variety shows. Not to mention they also made several guest appearances on other shows such as Weekly Idol and Knowing Bros. You could spend a whole day straight binging their episodes and still not finish watching!
- NCT Life in Chuncheon and Hongcheon (5:05:43)
- 18 episodes + 1 Extra paid episode
- NCT Life: DREAM in Wonderland (4:58:05)
- 12 episodes
- Bu:QUEST of NCT Dream (2:51:39)
- 8 episodes
- WayVision (5:04:24)
- 12 episodes
- Mtopia (6:10:43)
- 12 episodes
- SuperM: As We Wish (2:30:23)
- 2 episodes
- NCT World 2.0 (7:05:04)
- 8 episodes
- Guest Appearances
- Knowing Bros Ep. 245
- SuperM (1:30:29)
- Weekly Idol
- 127: Ep. 452,453,462
- Dream: Ep. 460
- Johnny + Haechan MC: Ep. 478
- Total: 4 hours, 30 minutes, 37 seconds
- Idol on Quiz Ep. 18
- Doyoung, Jungwoo, Haechan, Chenle (47:13)
- Life Corp Ep. 8
- WayV (14:02)
- Idol Battlegrounds – NCT Dream
- 4 Ep. (1:26:25)
- Idol Star Athletics Championships 2020 Lunar New Year
- NCT Dream Archery, Gold
- Idol eSports Athletics Championships
- NCT Dream Jisung, Jaemin, Chenle, Renjun (PUBG)
- NCT Jungwoo, Jeno, Taeil, Haechan (KartRider)
- Knowing Bros Ep. 245
SOCIAL MEDIA
Stand Outs
@NCTsmtown was the #6th most tweeted about musician in the US this year
@NCTsmtown was the #6th most tweeted about K-Pop group in the world
@official_nct’s Most Liked + Viewed TikTok:
- Shotaro, Lucas and Xiaojun #MakeAWish Challenge
- 3.2M Likes
- 16.9M Views
@official_wayv’s
- Most Liked TikTok
- “I Can Show You the World” by Lucas and Xiaojun (10/31/2020)
- 1.5M Likes
- Most Viewed TikTok
- 1st TikTok by Ten, Winwin, Lucas, and Yangyang (9/13/2020)
- 5.1M Views
- 1st TikTok by Ten, Winwin, Lucas, and Yangyang (9/13/2020)
@superm_smtown’s Most Liked + Viewed TikTok
- Mark, Ten, Taemin, and Lucas #TigerInsideChallenge
- 1.1M Likes
- 4.3M Views
NCT has done a lot this year, and looking at their growth as a group, both in members and achievements, shows that 2020 has been momentous for them. Much of this growth can be seen in their social media followings as the NCTzen fandom has grown in 2020.
On Twitter, the NCT 127 account gained 2.2 million new followers, NCT Dream gained 1.9 million, WayV gained over 700,000, and the overall NCT account gained just over 2 million new followers. This growth came with more people talking and tweeting about NCT, making them the sixth most tweeted about musician in the U.S. this year, and the sixth most tweeted about K-Pop act in 2020 worldwide. On Instagram, NCT 127 held the title for second-most followed K-Pop boy group for much of the year with a growth of 3.17 million new followers. Additionally, the NCT account gained 3.04 million new followers, WayV gained 2.4 million, and NCT Dream gained 2.2 million.
This year, the platform TikTok soared in popularity, especially with dance trends. It was a perfect place to post both goofy videos and dance challenges for comeback promotions, so both a WayV and an NCT TikTok account opened this year. Within just this year, WayV has gained 1.3 million followers on TikTok, wracking up over 33.5 million views on the whole account. Their most viewed video is the very first one they posted with 5.1 million views, but their most liked TikTok with 1.5 million likes is of Lucas lip-syncing to “A Whole New World” to Xiaojun during “Make A Wish” promotions. Over on the whole NCT account, they’ve gained 2.7 million followers and a whopping 114.08 million views across all their videos. The most viewed and liked title goes to Shotaro, Xiaojun, and Lucas’s #MakeAWishChallenge with 16.5 million views and 3.1 million likes.
Beyond just posting on social media, NCT used Vlive to connect with fans globally in an amazing way. They were involved in four Beyond Live concerts—one for each subunit and one for SuperM—the first of their kind during the pandemic, featuring Augmented Reality (AR) technology and fan calls. These concerts were a huge success for NCT, with NCT 127 even garnering 104,000 paid live viewers.
LIVE CONCERTS
- SuperM Beyond Live: Over 75,000 paid live viewers
- WayV Beyond Live: N/A
- NCT Dream Beyond Live: N/A
- NCT 127 Beyond Live: 104,000 paid live viewers
Aside from their Beyond Live concerts, NCT also spent an amazing amount of time with fans on Vlives just chatting and catching up. Some were comeback specials, other birthday lives, and some were just because they wanted to spend time with NCTzens. Split between 37 voices and 193 video lives, the members spent an amazing 638.5 hours with NCTzens on live this year. This doesn’t even include the Instagram lives we got from members of the lives from the SuperM channel and older members. NCT truly tried their best to connect with fans this year, despite the circumstances separating us all.
One of these lives sticks out among the rest, and that is the “NCT 2020 RESONANCE LIVE EVENT “WISH 2020.” It was the live that introduced the two new members—Sungchan and Shotaro—to NCTzens, as well as the subunits for the NCT U title tracks in Resonance Pt. 1 and Pt. 2. Fueled by the excitement of NCT 2020, NCTzens gained NCT 12.5 million viewers and an astonishing 2.3 billion hearts by the end of the live. The live became the third most liked live on Vlive ever. Their comeback lives are surely going to keep growing as the fandom does and as the group expands.
As Mark Lee said in one of NCT’s acceptance speeches at the 2020 MAMA’s “They say that 2020 has been one of the worst years ever, but I hope our NCTzens won’t think that way.” NCT spent hours with NCTzens performing, talking, and more. It’s been an amazing year for NCT and 2021 will be even bigger.
