Doyoung of K-pop boy group NCT / Courtesy of SM Entertainment

In the eyes of Doyoung, a vocalist of the multinational K-pop boy group NCT, he is not the one who best visualizes his team's image, which is often described as being unique, unorthodox and experimental.

The 28-year-old believes that "more glamorous" members like Taeyong and Mark better represent NCT's image and that the pair often come to people's minds first when they think of NCT.

However, such a viewpoint has neither frustrated nor discouraged Doyoung. Instead, it has given him more leeway when deciding what kind of music to play in his first solo album, "Youth," which dropped Monday.

"I did not think too much about adding NCT's color to my solo album as I knew I was not the most emblematic of NCT's image," the SM Entertainment star said during an interview at his agency's headquarters in eastern Seoul's Seongdong District, Friday. "So, for my album, I tried my best to show who I am."

It has taken about eight years for Doyoung to go solo since 2016 when he debuted as part of NCT U — the first sub-unit of NCT — with the single, "The 7th Sense."

For him, his solo debut album is the fruit of endless deliberation and preparation that marks a new chapter in his career.

"When I first geared up for 'Youth,' I asked myself the question: 'What am I now?'" he said. "Then I eventually concluded that right now, I am a person living my youth enthusiastically. So I attempted to portray in my album a diverse range of emotions people feel as they spend youth, but did not try to define it since it can come in different forms."

Leading the album is "Little Light," a band song laced with dynamic guitar riffs highlighting Doyoung's velvety voice. The singer, who has been an ardent fan of band music since he was part of a high school band, asked Cho Won-sang of rock band Lucy to write a song for him, which ended up becoming the lead single of "Youth."

"Many artists sing about youth, but I am particularly fond of Lucy's music for being both upbeat and sentimental," Doyoung said. "That was why I got hold of Cho. I was actually touched by his tune as soon as I heard it."

The teaser for NCT's Doyoung's solo debut album, "Youth" / Courtesy of SM Entertainment

According to Doyoung, "Little Light" tells listeners that they can choose the brightest moment in their lives.

"Everyone is the hero of their own story, but sometimes, it seems we truly desire to become the main characters," he explained. "I hope people listen to 'Little Light' when they have such a feeling."

"Youth" also carries nine other tracks including "Beginning," "From Little Wave," "Time Machine," "Serenade" and "Rewind."

For Doyoung, "Beginning" holds a special place in his heart not only because it is his first self-written track but also because it shows his determination to get off to a good start.

"Time Machine" features Taeyeon of K-pop act Girls' Generation — who is also under SM's roof — and NCT's Mark.

"I regarded myself as a producer when I prepared for 'Youth,' so I actively participated in its creative process, asking Taeyeon and Mark for collaboration," he said. "I wanted to come up with an engaging song capturing the voices of Taeyeon, the vocalist I like, and Mark, the rapper who has a tone that sounds different from mine."

"Youth," however, is neither a full-length nor a mini-album. Doyoung rejected the dichotomy this time to only present the songs that meet his own yardstick.

"In the past, there were some cases when I could not include many tracks because I had to release an album in the form of an EP," he recalled. "There were also opposite situations when I had to add more songs just to roll out a studio album, although I was not fully content with some of them. But I did not want to repeat it this time."

With his first solo album, Doyoung hopes more people can recognize his voice and sounds.

"I want to sing the songs that everyone knows," he stressed. "There are some tunes that people never know even if they reign atop multiple music streaming charts. But people can immediately recognize certain songs once they hear them, even though their rankings are not that high. The latter is what I pursue."