NCT DoJaeJung played their first ever United States show at 2023 San Diego Comic Con, and it was the highlight of the entire convention. Although this was the trio’s first performance together stateside, it was far from their first taste of stardom. NCT DoJaeJung is a new subgroup of the internationally renowned K-pop group NCT. The trio includes Doyoung (12 million followers on Instagram), Jaehyun (15 million followers on Instagram) and Jungwoo (5 million followers on Instagram). Their flight to San Diego Comic Con was such a big deal in Korea that their departure from Incheon Airport was livestreamed.
At a Comic Con that was uncharacteristically light on star power — due to the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes — NCT DoJaeJung stood out as the biggest stars of the weekend.
NCT DoJaeJung’s decision to play their first U.S. show at Comic Con came as a surprise to some people. However, those folks likely weren’t aware of the fact that NCT will be releasing a graphic novel, NCT 127: Limitless, later this year. It will be the first ever graphic novel using K-pop intellectual property, and it opens up the door for new ways for K-pop fans to consume the music they know and love. With this in mind, San Diego Comic Con was the perfect place for NCT DoJaeJung to play for the first time stateside.
“We are thrilled to partner with Fandom, SM Entertainment, and Universal Music Group to deliver the very first live performance by NCT DOJAEJUNG in the United States,” said Kevin Meek, CEO of Z2 Comics. “Like our upcoming graphic novel, NCT 127: Limitless, we are beyond excited to bring NCTzens another opportunity to experience the growing NCT universe.”
After the doors to the Fandom Party opened at 7:30 p.m., droves of NCT fans rushed toward the front of the stage and set up camp there for over two hours. They waited patiently until Doyoung, Jaehyun and Jungwoo finally ran up on stage at 10 p.m. NCT DoJaeJung’s debut U.S. performance proceeded to send the standing crowd into an absolute frenzy. The crowd was screaming nonstop from the time the group took the stage until they closed out their performance with their debut single, Perfume.
Let’s take a step back and explore how the trio was conceived earlier this year. NCT DoJaeJung is the newest of five subunits of NCT, a kpop group withover 20 members. While the boys are participate in other subunits in NCT, NCT DoJaeJung allows Doyoung, Jaehyun and Jungwoo to shine at the front and center and experiment with new sounds in a way like never before. “We’re proud to say we found our signature sound for NCT DoJaeJung with this first mini album, Perfume,” they told NME. “It came together very effortlessly; almost as if we all shared the same vision from the beginning.” Their new EP is full of sultry R&B that harkens back to the classic ’90s R&B sound. When describing the group to 1883, Doyoung said, “DoJaeJung is pure, fresh and sexy.”
In addition to being music stars, the singers have played with other creative outlets. Last year, Doyoung was one of the leads in K-drama, Dear X Who Doesn’t Love Me. Also, Doyoung was recently named as Dolce & Gabbana’s brand ambassador in South Korea and Japan.
Similarly, Jaehyun wowed K-drama fans as the lead in Dear M.
It’s clear that Doyoung, Jaehyun and Jungwoo are on the verge of becoming international stars. Their awe-inspiring, debut U.S. performance at Comic Con is the latest evidence that shows they are well on their way to becoming the next big K-pop group worldwide.
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