In the first half of 2025, NCT WISH (SME) solidified its position as the 'top trend' with remarkable growth, proving everything through records.
# Sales of 'poppop' surpassed 1.33 million copies! Each album has consistently set new records since their debut
NCT WISH set another new record with the release of their second mini-album 'poppop' in April. This album surpassed 1.21 million pre-orders, significantly exceeding the 800,000 pre-orders of their first mini-album 'Steady'. Within a week of its release, sales surpassed 1 million copies, earning the title of their first million-seller, and the popularity continued, surpassing a cumulative sales of 1.335 million copies as of June 30 according to Circle Chart.
In particular, after recording the highest album sales among last year's debut teams, NCT WISH achieved million-seller status with 'poppop', setting a new record for the highest album sales among debut artists since 2024, further reinforcing its reputation as the 'top trend'.
Additionally, NCT WISH recorded two consecutive weeks at number one on QQ Music's K-pop weekly chart, the largest music platform in China, and broke the record for the highest number of comments in a chat event with over 500,000 comments, receiving explosive responses. They maintained the number one position on major domestic album charts for eight consecutive weeks, won three awards on music shows, topped the Apple Music Korea Top 100, ranked first in Japan's YouTube trending videos, second in Korea's YouTube trending music, and first in Japan's AWA real-time trending chart, proving their overwhelming growth on global charts.
# NCT WISH, which heated up Asia, is now soaring to the world!
'NCT WISH ASIA TOUR LOG in' was held 13 times across eight regions in Asia, starting in Seoul and including Macau, Hong Kong, Manila, Singapore, Taipei, Jakarta, and Bangkok. Adding to this, with 12 performances in six Japanese cities under the same title last year, NCT WISH successfully completed a grand tour of 14 regions and 25 performances over eight months.
Through this tour, NCT WISH deeply connected with local fans with 'neo & refreshing' music, bright energy, and heartfelt messages, solidifying the group's identity. They achieved sold-out shows, and in some cities, additional performances were added due to the enthusiastic response, while fierce competition for coverage from major local media and concentrated reports underscored their expanding status as a global artist.
In particular, NCT WISH has held a total of 62 solo performances across 28 regions in less than two years, from their pre-debut tour in October 2023 to the Asia tour in June 2025. This not only accumulated solid stage experience but also significantly enhanced the members' skills, proving the potential for expansion into the global market beyond Korea and Japan, as well as their ticket power as a 'performance powerhouse'.
# NCT WISH is the hottest icon now, dominating SNS trends and creating a 'wish core' sentiment!
NCT WISH is proving its presence as the 'top trend' by sweeping various awards this year. Following the wins for the main award and best performance award at 'ASEA 2025' held in April, they also won the main award and best group award at the '34th Seoul Music Awards' in June, achieving four awards in just the first half of the year, recognizing their consistent activities and musical growth since debut.
NCT WISH's fresh and clean image, bright and healthy energy, and charming appeal have established them as a new idol artist that Generation Z is enthusiastic about, generating powerful synergy with brands that have noticed these charms. Theme parks feature experiential content reflecting NCT WISH's identity, enjoyed by all generations, while collaborations across various industries such as skincare, beverages, clothing, and fashion platforms have captured NCT WISH's essence. Their unique sparkling and lyrical sentiment, referred to as 'wish core', has now become a trendy culture that resonates with both the public and brands.
NCT WISH's presence was particularly prominent at various festivals and large offline events. At their first university festival stage after debut, they enhanced the excitement of the venue with cool live performances and delightful energy that captivated their peers, while online reactions were so strong that they dominated real-time trends on SNS. Member Sion was invited to throw the first pitch at one of the KBO League's major events, the Children's Day series, drawing attention from a diverse fan base, and their name has continued to appear in lineups for domestic and international music festivals, further proving NCT WISH's newsworthiness.
As a 'top trend', NCT WISH is preparing for an even more brilliant ascent in the second half of the year. They are set to release a new album in the third quarter and will perform on major stages such as 'Show! Music Core in JAPAN', 'SBS Gayo Daejeon Summer', and the special event 'SUMMER DANCE MUSIC FES.' at the 2025 Osaka Expo in July, likely to capture the attention of global fans once again.
[Photo provided by SME.]
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