NCT’s TAEYONG on His Evolution & Letting Instinct Lead While Making ‘WYLD’: ‘I Just Do What I Want’
Categoria: Musica
Following two years in the military, the leader of K-pop's experimental clan explains why his first studio album is symbolic of freedom and growth.
Por Billboard | 22/05/2026
TAEYONG stands on a busy corner in Gwanghwamun Square, his icy hair slicked back, looking like an extraterrestrial being that was precipitously beamed down on the streets of Seoul. In reality, the idiosyncratic NCT rapper’s return wasn’t out of the blue, as these teaser photos for his debut LP WYLD would seem to suggest — of course, it’s the product of meticulous planning. Yet they do wonders to illustrate how the homecoming feels. Say goodbye to monotonous and pedestrian concepts; one of K-pop’s genuine eccentrics is back. It’s been a long time in the making. Rather than enforcing a strict two-year break from his primary job, serving in the military band gave TAEYONG even more time to think about music; during leaves, he squirreled himself away to write song lyrics. Upon discharging last December, the now-30-year-old immediately set out to show that the effort paid off, that he had leveled up from previous EPs SHALALA and TAP . “Back then, I never thought that my music skills were at all complete,” TAEYONG tells Billboard over Zoom. “During the time I stopped all music promotions, I reflected on what the problems were and what I was better at these days. As a trainee, I dreamt of the artist I hoped to be someday.” He pauses. “I think I’m closer to that dream now than ever before.” The comeback lands at just the right time, too. As NCT celebrates its tenth anniversary in 2026, the sprawling boy band, once conceived as having ever-expanding membership, looks to have officially hit its ceiling in that regard. This April, NCT 127 and NCT Dream ’s pivotal player MARK left the group, while WayV ’s superstar dancer TEN parted ways with SM Entertainment. (Likewise, following the debut of NCT WISH in 2024, there are reportedly no more new sub-units on the way.) But trust TAEYONG to rep for the Neos. Throughout WYLD , he nods to game-changing moments from his team’s history: The title track alone both seemingly interpolates “INTRO: Neo Got My Back” — iconic opener of NCT’s 2018 album EMPATHY and a fandom touchstone — and cribs a key move from the choreography of NCT 127’s signature hit “Kick It.” As a founding father and the de facto group leader of NCT, he’s long proven particularly adept at understanding its “neo” sound. (How many can truly say they rocked with the “Sticker” flute upon first contact ?) Suggest this to TAEYONG and he demurs, but those fingerprints — abrasive textures, swerving beats, odd little one-liners that stop you in your tracks — are all over his latest project. Because he had a hand in making each track, WYLD offers a peek at the inner workings of TAEYONG’s weird and wonderful brain. Even on songs that are generally what they say on the tin (“Hypnotic,” “Feeling Myself”), delightful quirks abound. He drops bars about bug scientists; his flow often pinballs off in di