NCT Dream rides MBTI wave with 3rd LP ‘ISTJ’

NCT Dream has returned with the concept of using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) as the main concept of its third studio album, “ISTJ,” which was released on Monday, July 17.

The K-pop boy band jumped on the current MBTI craze in South Korea by naming its album and its title track “ISTJ,” one of MBTI’s 16 personality types.

“Producer Kenzie made this song for us. We loved the concept as MBTI is trending in Korea and we wanted to introduce the trend to people around the world. Not only is the song great but also is the performance,” said Mark Lee of NCT Dream at a press conference in Seoul on Monday.

The title track “ISTJ” is a hybrid hip-hop dance song which sings about breaking free from the stereotypes created by the MBTI and reinterpreting a person with an ISTJ personality in their own way.

“In the music video of ‘ISTJ,’ we travel around different locations in an ambulance. The motif of this music video was the movie ‘Back to the Future.’ We showcase diverse outfits that fit the diverse settings including a hospital, a maze and a surgery room. We love how the final product came out,” said Jaemin.

The album carries nine other tracks including “Broken Melodies,” which was released prior to the album.

“We used to show the bright and energetic side of ourselves in our previous albums but in this one we wanted to show a more mature version of ourselves,” said Jeno.

The album made a new record for the group by surpassing 4.5 million pre-orders, which is the highest number for an NCT Dream album.

“We are really thankful for all the love from our fans. We always try to focus on what we want to show to our fans when we bring up an album. Our fans are the driving force that helps us grow,” said Mark Lee.

NCT Dream also introduced some of the sidetracks in the album including “Blue Wave,” “SOS” and “Like We Just Met” during the press conference.

“The third track in the album, “Blue Wave,” is of the media pop genre which is a sequel to the sidetrack “Dive into You” from the act’s first studio album. It is a summer song in which you can feel our bright energy. The chorus is really fast and rhythmic,” said Mark Lee.

The track “SOS” is a hip-hop dance song composed of powerful synth sounds.

“I love this song. It is a bit dark, the kind of music we’ve never done before, and the performance is outstanding. I think our fans will love seeing a new facet of us through this track,” said Jisung.

The sidetrack “Like We Just Met” conveys the band’s feelings toward its fans and its desire to stay with them forever.

“All seven of us took part in writing the lyrics to this song. We had a lot of meeting until we came up with the final lyrics. I think the words are really sincere and the melody of this ballad is good as well,” said Chenle.

NCT Dream recently wrapped up its first world tour “The Dream Show 2: In a Dream,” which kicked off in September last year in Seoul.

“It was an honor to meet our fans around the world. I learned to focus on every performance I do on stage in order to deliver my emotions better to the audience through this world tour. I also got to experience diverse cultures by touring around different countries,” said Renjun.

This year marks NCT Dream’s seventh debut anniversary which, for most K-pop idols, is the time when their exclusive contracts expire and the group either disbands or prolongs the contract.

“We came this far because we were lucky to be teamed up with these members. We know a lot about each other, and we shine when we are all together. We try to communicate more these days to present better albums,” said Jeno.

“This is just the beginning for us. We are continuing to grow as better artists through diverse experiences such as the world tour. We want to continue introducing our music and dance to people around the world.” HM/ra

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