Fan Chant: NCT Dream Are Going “Beyond Expectations” in 2023: Interview

The post Fan Chant: NCT Dream Are Going “Beyond Expectations” in 2023: Interview appeared first on Consequence.

Welcome to Fan Chant, a weekly column for K-pop fans, stans, and newbies alike. Each week, I’ll be rolling out interviews, lists, and all kinds of content to keep you in the loop on the latest and greatest from our friends in Seoul and beyond. Also, make sure to subscribe to my companion newsletter!

NCT Dream, the subunit of SM Entertainment’s consistently bold group NCT, conjures the energy of vibrant colors, a youthful spirit, and bright, dynamic concepts. The latest adventure for Mark, Renjun, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, Chenle, and Jisung is a new version of their 2022 release, “Beatbox,” this time reimagined in English. With the release of their first entirely English-language track, the members joined Fan Chant for a quick Q+A around “Beatbox (English Ver.),” their 2023 plans, and more.

The song kicks off with the beatboxing (what else?) of the original, before giving space for each member to shine on the expectedly upbeat track. A new lyric video includes playful, nostalgic animations over vignettes of the group.

NCT Dream are in the midst of a world tour — tickets can be secured here — and “The Dream Show 2: In A Dream” will be landing in America in April. It’s their very first time performing together in the US, and they couldn’t be more excited to get face to face with NCTzens. “For 2023 especially, we are determined to bring something new to our fans,” explains Mark.

Watch the lyric video for “Beatbox (English Ver.)” below, and read on for the Q+A with the members of NCT Dream.

This is your very first time performing in the US! What are you most excited about for this tour in the spring?

Jaemin: I’m most excited to see our fans enjoy our show, and hope they’ll sing along with us!

Jisung: The concert atmosphere is always different per country so I’m looking forward to seeing what the US shows will be like.

Story continues

You guys are known for your bright, youthful concepts. What do you feel is the best way to describe the energy of NCT DREAM here in 2023?

Mark: Youth is definitely a term that is so well attached to our style and energy. For 2023 especially, we are determined to bring something new to our fans. I would call our energy for this year “beyond expectations.”

Renjun: Our energy is like a day of healing with friends after school at the beach under the setting sun.

You’ve just released an English version of “Beatbox” — what was the idea behind redesigning the song a bit?

Jeno: As we were preparing for the US tour, we thought about what kind of surprise we could give to our global NCTzens and that’s how we came to releasing an English version of ‘Beatbox’.

Chenle: We’ve prepared this track with the goal of further sharing our story and our music with fans in the U.S. and Europe as well.

Do you have any favorite memories from being in the studio working on the English version together?

Haechan: All of our members wanted to release an English version. This is our first English track and it’s to “Beatbox,” which is a song that many enjoyed and showed us a lot of support for, so we had a fun time working on it.

What are some things that have been inspiring each of you lately?

Mark: I am recently inspired by movies. I’m always trying to watch one more movie whenever I can.

Renjun: I am inspired by NCTzens and our NCT DREAM members!

Jisung: I receive inspiration from videos with philosophical or astronomical messages. These types of videos bring up various thoughts, emotions or even phrases that I can think about and work on.

Jaemin: What inspires me the most are the diverse experiences I get from being on stage.

Chenle: I get inspired from basketball, and by watching performances of other artists.

Jeno: These days, I’m most inspired by simply being on this world tour.

Haechan: My inspiration is our fans. When preparing and making important decisions, I’m thinking about what it is that they would like. Our standard is our NCTzens!

What are some of your goals as a group for the coming months? The rest of 2023?

Renjun: For the past couple of months, the goal for NCT DREAM was meeting our global NCTzens through our tour and sharing the energy that only NCT DREAM can give to fans in each country. For the rest of 2023, it would be meeting all of our NCTzens around the world to get even more inspired by them and present them with greater albums.

K-Pop at Lollapalooza 2023

TOMORROW X TOGETHER Interview

TOMORROW X TOGETHER, photo courtesy of BIGHIT MUSIC

TOMORROW X TOGETHER headlining! NewJeans with their first confirmed US appearance! This year’s Lollapalooza festival, returning to take over Chicago’s Grant Park in August, boasts quite a few of our favorites from Seoul. Check out the full lineup here.

Song Rec of the Week:

ICYMI, last week’s column featured an interview with the one and only Kai. His latest mini-album, Rover, is so much fun — in addition to the title track, I’ve been enjoying “Bomba.”

Fan Chant: NCT Dream Are Going “Beyond Expectations” in 2023: InterviewMary Siroky

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