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| SM Entertainment released a teaser image for "Hot Sauce," the first studio album by its boy band, NCT DREAM, Monday. Courtesy of SM Entertainment |
By Dong Sun-hwa
NCT DREAM, a sub-unit of K-pop boy band NCT, is slated to drop its first studio album next month, about five years after its debut.
The group's agency SM Entertainment announced Monday that the seven-piece act will put out "Hot Sauce" on May 10, which will be led by the title track.
"The album will carry 10 songs of various genres," the company said in a statement. "Through the release, the members will showcase more powerful music and performances."
SM floated a teaser image on the group's Twitter, which features member Haechan sitting against a backdrop of red, yellow and green chilies artistically interlaced with barbed wire. In the photo, he is wearing a green mask that looks like a large artichoke with a sparkling stem.
The presale of "Hot Sauce" has begun Monday. But more details about the release ― such as the names of the composers and lyricists behind the songs ― have been kept under wraps.
NCT DREAM ― comprising Mark, Renjun, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, Chenle and Jisung ― made its debut with the single, "Chewing Gum," in 2016. It was initially a unit of teenagers, in which the average age of the members was 15.6 years old.
The act followed an age-based "graduation" system, so member Mark "graduated" from the group in 2018 as he turned 20. But in 2020, SM scrapped the system and brought him back to the team, pleasing many fans who have been waiting for his return.
NCT DREAM is the first Asian artist to have appeared on Billboard's "21 Under 21" list for three years in a row (2018, 2019 and 2020). Last year, its fourth EP, "Reload," fronted by "Ridin,'" hit 500,000 pre-order sales and took multiple music streaming charts by storm.
