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Lee Tae-yong
20231006 Taeyong (NCT).jpg
Taeyong in October 2023
Born (1995-07-01) July 1, 1995 (age 29)
Seoul, South Korea
Other names TY
Education School of Performing Arts Seoul
Occupation
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • dancer
Years active 2013–present
Musical career
Genres
Instruments Vocals
Labels
Korean name
Hangul 이태용
Hanja
Revised Romanization I Tae-yong
McCune–Reischauer Yi T'aeyong

Lee Tae-yong (Hangul: 이태용; born July 1, 1995), known mononymously as Taeyong (stylized in all caps), is a South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter, and dancer. He is a member and leader of South Korean boy band NCT under SM Entertainment, having debuted in the group's first sub-unit, NCT U, in 2016 and becoming the leader of its second sub-unit, NCT 127, later that year. In 2019, he debuted as a member of the South Korean supergroup SuperM, a joint project under SM Entertainment and Capitol Records. As a songwriter, Taeyong has participated in writing over 40 songs in four languages, released mostly by NCT's various units and himself as a soloist. He made his official solo debut in June 2023 with his EP Shalala, making him the first soloist from NCT.

Life and career

Early life

Lee Taeyong was born on July 1, 1995, in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, South Korea. He graduated from the School of Performing Arts Seoul.

2012–2016: Pre-debut activities

In 2012, Taeyong was scouted on the street by an SM Entertainment recruiter and joined the company after successfully passing the audition by singing the South Korean national anthem. In the same year, he participated in the poster shooting of the SBS television series To the Beautiful You. On December 2, 2013, Taeyong was introduced as a member of SM Rookies, a pre-debut team of trainees under SM Entertainment.

In 2014, Taeyong appeared in multiple magazines alongside now-NCT member Johnny and now-Red Velvet members Irene and Seulgi. In July 2014, a video of Taeyong performing part of his song "Open the Door" was published on SMTown's YouTube channel. Later that year, he appeared with several future NCT members on the Mnet-produced Exo 90:2014, a show starring labelmates Exo, where they danced to K-pop songs from the 1990s. Taeyong also participated in the music video remake of Shinhwa's "Yo!" and Fly To The Sky's "Missing You". In October 2014, he featured on Red Velvet's song "Be Natural", credited then as SR14B Taeyong.

2016–2018: Debuts with NCT, NCT U, and NCT 127

On April 3, 2016, Taeyong was confirmed as a member of boy group NCT and its first sub-unit, NCT U. He made his official debut with the release of NCT U's digital single "The 7th Sense" on April 8, in which he and Mark participated in songwriting. Later that year, Taeyong was announced as a member and leader of NCT's second sub-unit, the Seoul-based NCT 127. On July 6, 2016, he made his debut with NCT 127 with their single "Fire Truck". Three days later, they released their first extended play (EP), NCT #127, for which Taeyong co-wrote three songs. He became the group's main rapper and main dancer despite having no background in dance prior to his training and his dance coach expressing doubts whether he would be able to catch up with his peers.

In January 2017, NCT 127 returned with the EP Limitless. Taeyong participated in writing four songs on the album, with the track "Baby Don't Like It" marking the first time he was credited as a composer. In June, the group released their third EP, Cherry Bomb. All songs on the album, save one, were co-written by Taeyong. The title track, "Cherry Bomb", was later named as one of the best K-pop songs of the year by Billboard and Idolator. That same year, Taeyong participated in two collaborations with fellow SM Entertainment artists Hitchhiker and Yoo Young-jin. "Around", an experimental song produced by Hitchhiker, was released with an accompanying music video in May through the SM Station project. He worked with singer and producer Yoo Young-jin on the rock ballad "Cure", which was released in August 2017, also through SM Station. Together with NCT 127's vocalists Taeil and Doyoung, Taeyong appeared on the soundtrack for the drama School 2017, featuring as rapper in and songwriter for the R&B ballad "Stay in My Life".

In March 2018, NCT released their first studio album as part of a large-scale project uniting all of its sub-units, NCT 2018 Empathy. Taeyong appeared in five of the units featured on the album and participated in writing five songs for Empathy. In May 2018, Taeyong joined the cast of Food Diary, a variety show following a group of celebrities exploring farming and the process of food production, together with labelmate BoA.

Taeyong co-wrote four songs for NCT 127's first studio album, Regular-Irregular, including lead single "Regular". The song was initially released in English and Korean but later also served as the debut single of NCT's Chinese sub-unit, WayV.

2019–2020: Debut with SuperM and group activities

In April 2019, NCT 127 released their first Japanese studio album, Awaken, for which Taeyong co-wrote the song "Lips". In July 2019, Taeyong released his first solo song, "Long Flight", which he wrote and co-composed, with an accompanying music video. The track served as the finale of the third season of the SM Station project. The song debuted at number six on Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart. On August 8, 2019, Taeyong was revealed as a member of SuperM, a K-pop supergroup created by SM Entertainment in collaboration with Capitol Records. The group's promotions began in October and were aimed towards the American market. They released their first EP, SuperM, for which Taeyong co-wrote and co-produced the song "No Manners". Also in August, Taeyong and Punch collaborated on a soundtrack song for television series Hotel del Luna, titled "Love del Luna". Later that year, Taeyong featured on Marteen's "Mood".

In March 2020, NCT 127 released their second studio album, Neo Zone, in which Taeyong participated in co-writing three tracks for the album. It was commercially successful and debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200, selling more than one million copies in South Korea together with its repackage, Neo Zone: The Final Round. Later that year, SuperM released their first studio album, Super One, for which Taeyong co-wrote the song "Together At Home". In September 2020, NCT's second group-wide project, NCT 2020: Resonance, was announced, and Taeyong was confirmed as the leader of the group as a whole.

2021–present: Solo activities and soloist debut

In March 2021, Taeyong started his own SoundCloud account and released a self-written demo single "Dark Clouds" and its remix. Since then, he released several demo singles such as "GTA1" and "GTA2", "Blue", "Monroe" (featuring Baekhyun of Exo), "Rose" (featuring Seulgi of Red Velvet) and "Swimming Pool" on the platform. "Dark Clouds" won the Top Comments Award at the SoundCloud 2021 Playback Awards, with the most fan comments in a single week on the platform in 2021. Taeyong served as a judge on Korean dance survival reality show Street Woman Fighter in August the same year, which gained significant popularity nationwide. He later appeared as a guest judge on the program's spin-off, Street Dance Girls Fighter, together with fellow NCT member Mark. Taeyong co-wrote the title track for NCT 127's third studio album Sticker released in September 2021, which went on to become the best-selling album in SM Entertainment history. He was credited as a choreographer and lyricist on the special album 2021 Winter SM Town: SMCU Express, having worked on the track "Zoo".

In March 2022, Taeyong participated as a feature in Suran's song "Diamond" from her EP Flyin' Part 1. Taeyong later announced the opening of his YouTube channel TY Track, where he then released performance videos throughout the year for his song "Lonely" featuring Suran and "Ghost". On April 14, Taeyong released his official second single "Love Theory" in collaboration with Wonstein through SM Station, in which he participated in the songwriting. Taeyong joined another Mnet's dance reality show Any Body Can Dance as the MC, which premiered in June 2022.

Taeyong made his official debut as a solo artist with his EP Shalala in June 2023, making him the first soloist of his group NCT.

In February 2024, after his first solo concert <TY Track>, Taeyong released his second extended play Tap. The EP, fully co-written by Taeyong, ranked first on the iTunes Top Albums Chart in 33 regions around the world.

Personal life

Military service

On March 18, 2024, SM Entertainment announced that Taeyong would be enlisting in the navy as an active duty soldier on April 15. He will be the first NCT member to fulfill South Korea's mandatory military service.

Endorsements

In 2023, Spanish luxury brand Loewe appointed Taeyong as their new global ambassador after having built a relationship with the brand through fashion week appearance.

Discography

Extended plays

List of extended plays, with selected details, chart positions and sales
Title Details Peak chart positions Sales Certifications
KOR
JPN
Shalala 2 8
  • KOR: 506,288
  • JPN: 12,250
  • KMCA: Platinum
Tap
  • Release date: February 26, 2024
  • Label: SM Entertainment
  • Formats: CD, digital download, streaming
3 8
  • KOR: 285,756
  • JPN: 12,048
  • KMCA: Platinum

Singles

Title Year Peak position Sales Album
KOR
KOR
Billb.
NZ
Hot
SGP
Reg.
US
World

As principal artist
"Around"
(with Hitchhiker)
2017 N/A SM Station Season 2
"Cure" (함께)
(with Yoo Young-jin)
"Long Flight" 2019 6 SM Station: Season 3
"Love Theory"
(with Wonstein)
2022 139 8 SM Station Season 4
"Shalala" 2023 16 Shalala
"Tap" 2024 14 Tap
As featuring artist
"Be Natural"
(Red Velvet featuring Taeyong)
2014 33 6
  • KOR: 65,820+
Non-album release
"Time"
(Hitchhiker featuring Sunny, Hyoyeon of SNSD and Taeyong)
2018 N/A
"Mood"
(Marteen featuring Taeyong)
2019 8
"Diamonds"
(Suran featuring Taeyong)
2022 Flyin' Part 1
"Skip"
(Kangta featuring Taeyong)
Eyes on You
Promotional singles
"Open the Door" 2014 N/A Non-album release
Collaborations
"City Lights" (夜話)
(U-Know featuring Taeyong)
2018 N/A New Chapter No. 2: The Truth of Love
"Zoo"
(with Hendery, Jeno, Yangyang, Giselle)
2021 38 15 2021 Winter SM Town: SMCU Express
"Jet"
(with Eunhyuk, Hyo, Taeyong, Jaemin, Sungchan and Winter)
2022 2022 Winter SM Town: SMCU Palace
OST
"Stay in my Life"
(with Taeil and Doyoung of NCT)
2017 N/A School 2017 OST Part 4
"Love del Luna"
(with Punch)
2019 46 87 Hotel Del Luna OST Part 13
"Swipe" (Prod. by C-Young, Alawn)
(with Ten of NCT)
2023 199 Street Woman Fighter 2 OST Part 2
"—" indicates that the song did not chart or was not released in that region.

Non-commercial releases

List of non-commercial songs, showing title, year released and featured artist
Title Year Featured artist Ref.
"Dark Clouds" 2021 N/A
"Dark Clouds (Remix)"
"GTA 1"
"GTA 2"
"Blue"
"Monroe" Baekhyun
"Rose" Seulgi
"Swimming Pool" N/A
"Lonely" 2022 Suran
"Ghost" N/A
"Fine" N/A

Songwriting credits

All credits are adapted from the Korea Music Copyright Association, unless stated otherwise.

Key
Song released as a single Indicates single release
List of songs, showing featured performers, associated album, credited lyricist(s) or composer(s), and year released
Year Song Artist Album Lyrics Music Notes
Credited With Credited With
2016 "The 7th Sense" dagger NCT U NCT 2018 Empathy Yes
  • Jeon Ji-eun
  • Hwang Seon-jeong
  • Kim Jeong-mi
  • Kim Dong-hyun [ko]
  • Cho Jin-joo
  • Mark
No N/A N/A
"Firetruck" dagger NCT 127 NCT #127 Yes
  • Mark
  • Jaehyun
  • Lee Seu-ran
No N/A N/A
"Mad City" Yes
  • Mark
  • Taeyong
  • Double Dragon
No N/A Performed by Taeyong, Jaehyun and Mark
2017 "Good Thing" Limitless Yes
  • JQ (Makeumine Works)
  • Hyun Ji-won (Makeumine Works)
  • Mark
No N/A N/A
"Back 2 U (AM 01:27)" Yes
  • Jeon Ji-eun
  • Hwang Seon-jeong
  • Kim Jeong-mi
No N/A N/A
"Baby Don't Like It" Yes
  • G.Soul
  • Mark
Yes
  • Jamil "Digi" Chammas
  • Jeremy "Tay" Jasper
  • Jonathan "Perky Rain" Perkins
  • MZMC
  • G.Soul
  • Mark
Performed by Taeil, Taeyong, Doyoung, Mark and Haechan
"Angel" Yes
  • Kevin Oppa (mr. cho)
  • Mark
No N/A N/A
"Around" dagger Hitchhiker x Taeyong Non-album single Yes Kim Bu-min No N/A Released as part of the SM Station Season 2 project
"Cherry Bomb" dagger NCT 127 Cherry Bomb Yes
  • Mark
  • Deepflow
  • Lim Jung-hyo
  • Oh Min-joo
No N/A N/A
"Running 2 U" Yes
  • Mark
  • JQ
  • Kim Jin (Makeumine Works)
No N/A N/A
"0 Mile" Yes
  • Mark
  • Jo Yoon-kyung
  • Cho Jin-joo
  • Choi So-young
  • Park Yong-joon
No N/A N/A
"Whiplash" Yes
  • Mark
  • JQ
  • Oneru (Makeumine Works)
  • Xitsuh
No N/A Performed by Jaehyun, Mark, Taeyong, Doyoung and Taeil
"Summer 127" Yes
  • Mark
  • $ÜN (Joombas)
  • Bae Min-soo (Joombas)
  • seizetheday (Joombas)
  • CiaNo (Joombas)
  • Kim In-hyung
No N/A N/A
"Cure" Yoo Young-jin x Taeyong Non-album single Yes
  • Yoo Young-jin
  • Yoo Ji-won
No N/A Released as part of the SM Station Season 2 project
"Stay in My Life" NCT (Taeil, Doyoung, Taeyong) School 2017 OST Yes
  • Park Geun-cheol
  • Jeong Su-min
No N/A N/A
2018 "Boss" dagger NCT U NCT 2018 Empathy Yes
  • Wutan
  • Yoo Young-jin
  • Mark
No N/A N/A
"Baby Don't Stop" dagger Yes
  • Danke (lalala Studio)
  • Juno (Joombas)
No N/A Performed by Taeyong and Ten
"Yestoday" dagger Yes
  • Jung Joo-hee
  • Mark
  • Steven Lee
  • Cho Jin-joo
No N/A Performed by Taeyong, Doyoung, Lucas, and Mark
"Black on Black" dagger NCT 2018 Yes
  • MINOS
  • Mark
  • Deez [ko]
No N/A N/A
"City 127" NCT 127 Regular-Irregular Yes
  • JQ
  • Moon Hee-yeon (Makeumine Works)
  • Mark
Yes
  • The Stereotypes
  • Micah Powell
  • Clarence Coffee Jr.
N/A
"Regular" dagger Yes
  • Coogie (ATM Seoul)
  • Tommy $trate
  • Mark
No N/A N/A
"My Van" Yes
  • Kim Dong-hyun [ko]
  • Mark
No N/A Performed by Taeyong, Yuta, Jaehyun, Jungwoo, and Mark
"Come Back" Yes
  • Bong Eun-young
  • Ryu Da-som
  • Mark
No N/A N/A
"Regular" (English ver.) Yes
  • Wilbart "Vedo" McCoy III
  • Mark
No N/A N/A
"Welcome to My Playground" Yes
  • Seo Ji-eum
  • Ra.D
  • BrotherSu
  • Mark
No N/A N/A
"City Lights" U-Know (feat. Taeyong) New Chapter No. 2: The Truth of Love Yes
Hwang Yoo-bin
No N/A N/A
"What We Talkin' Bout" NCT 127 (feat. Marteen) Up Next Session: NCT 127 Yes
  • Mark
  • Marteen
No N/A N/A
2019 "Lips" NCT 127 Awaken Yes
  • Akira
  • Mark
No N/A N/A
"Long Flight" dagger Taeyong Non-album single Yes N/A Yes Royal Dive Released as part of the SM Station Season 3 project
"No Manners" SuperM SuperM Yes
  • Kim Ran
  • Cho Yu-ri
Yes
  • Jonathan Santana
  • Shae Jacobs
  • Tyler Holmes
Performed by Taemin, Kai, Taeyong and Ten
"Mood" Marteen (feat. Taeyong) 8 Yes
  • M. Estevez
  • J. Roman
  • J. Brady
  • A. Hayes
No N/A N/A
2020 "Pandora Box" NCT 127 Neo Zone Yes
  • JQ
  • Hyeon Ji-won (Makeumine Works)
  • Kim Hye-ji (Makeumine Works)
  • Mark
  • Johnny
No N/A N/A
"Mad Dog" Yes
  • Kim Boo-min [ko]
  • Mark
No N/A Performed by Taeil, Doyoung, Mark and Taeyong
"Love Song" Yes
  • Seo Ji-eum
  • Mark
  • Johnny
No N/A N/A
"Together at Home" SuperM Super One Yes
  • Lee Seu-ran
  • Mark
No N/A N/A
2021 "Dark Clouds" Taeyong Non-album release Yes N/A Yes Royal Dive Released on SoundCloud
"Dark Clouds (Remix)" Non-album release Yes N/A Yes Royal Dive
"GTA 1" Non-album release Yes N/A Yes Royal Dive Released on SoundCloud
"GTA 2" Non-album release Yes N/A Yes Royal Dive Released on SoundCloud
"Blue" Non-album release Yes N/A Yes
  • Zayson
  • Squar (Blur)
Released on SoundCloud
"Monroe" Taeyong x Baekhyun Non-album release Yes N/A Yes Squar Released on SoundCloud
"Rose" Taeyong x Seulgi Non-album release Yes Seulgi Yes
  • Seulgi
  • Squar
Released on SoundCloud
"Swimming Pool" Taeyong Non-album release Yes N/A Yes Zayson Released on SoundCloud
"Sticker" dagger NCT 127 Sticker Yes
  • Yoo Young-jin
  • Mark
No N/A N/A
"New Axis" NCT U Universe Yes
  • Mark
  • Rick Bridges
No N/A Performed by Taeyong, Mark and Yangyang
"Beautiful" dagger NCT 2021 Yes
  • Yoo Young-jin
  • Mark
  • Johnny
  • Jeno
  • Hendery
No N/A N/A
"Amino Acid" NCT 127 Non-album single Yes N/A Yes Royal Dive Original soundtrack of Analog Trip NCT 127
"Zoo" Taeyong, Jeno, Hendery, Yangyang, Giselle 2021 Winter SM Town: SMCU Express Yes
  • Rick Bridges
  • Jeno
  • Giselle
No N/A N/A
2022 "Diamonds" dagger Suran (feat. Taeyong) Flyin' Part 1 Yes
  • Suran
  • Zayson
Yes
  • Suran
  • Zayson
  • Brian Cho
N/A
"Lonely" Taeyong (feat. Suran) Non-album release Yes Royal Dive Yes Royal Dive Released on YouTube
"Love Theory" dagger Taeyong x Wonstein Non-album single Yes
  • Wonstein
  • Zayson
Yes
  • Wonstein
  • Zayson
N/A
"Skip" Kangta (feat. Taeyong) Eyes On You Yes Lee Hyo-jae Yes
  • Ryan "Rykeyz" Williamson
  • Albert Stanaj
  • Mike Sabath
  • Britten Newbill
N/A
"Time Lapse" NCT 127 2 Baddies Yes
  • Mark
  • Jeong Ha-ri
No N/A N/A
"Designer" Yes
  • Mark
  • Kim Jae-won
No N/A N/A
"Lit (Prod. Czaer)" Taeyong, Mark Street Man Fighter Vol.4 (Crew Song) Yes
Mark
No N/A N/A
"Fine" Taeyong Non-album release Yes N/A Yes Saimon Released on SoundCloud
"The Cure" Kangta, BoA, U-Know, Leeteuk, Taeyeon, Onew, Suho, Irene, Taeyong, Mark, Kun, and Karina 2022 Winter SM Town: SMCU Palace Yes
  • Hwang Yu-bin
  • Mark
No N/A N/A
2023 "DJ" NCT 127 Ay-yo Yes
  • Mark
  • Ellie Suh
  • Abernathy Dwayne Allen
Yes
  • Mark
  • Xydo
  • Abernathy Dwayne Allen
N/A
"Skyscraper" Yes
  • Mark
  • Simon Petren
  • Na Jung-ah
  • Oberg Andreas Gusatv Erik
  • Hanna Ninos
  • Burgrust Ricardo M
Yes
  • Mark
  • Simon Petren
  • Oberg Andreas Gusatv Erik
  • Hanna Ninos
  • Burgrust Ricardo M
N/A
"Shalala" dagger Taeyong Shalala Yes
  • Omega Sapien
  • 차메인 (ChaMane)
Yes
  • Devine Channel
  • Omega Sapien
  • 차메인 (ChaMane)
  • Park Young Kwang
  • denzelworldpeace
N/A
"Gwando" Yes N/A Yes
  • Royal Dive
  • Saimon
N/A
"Move Mood Mode" Taeyong (feat. Wendy) Yes N/A Yes Squar (PixelWave) N/A
"Virtual Insanity" Taeyong Yes N/A Yes Royal Dive Reworked version of "GTA 2"
"Ruby" Yes N/A Yes
  • $ÜN
  • Saimon
N/A
"404 File Not Found" Yes N/A Yes Zayson N/A
"Back to the Past" Yes N/A Yes Royal Dive N/A
"Angel Eyes" NCT 127 Fact Check Yes
  • Ellie Suh (153/Joombas)
  • Mark
Yes
N/A
"Love Is A Beauty" Yes
  • Taeil
  • Yuhwa
  • Mark
Yes
  • The Breed
  • Mizzy Lott
  • San Yoon
  • Mark
N/A
"Misty" Yes
  • Kang Eun-jeong
  • Mark
Yes
  • Charli Taft
  • Thomas Sardorf
  • Daniel Obi Klein
  • Mark
N/A
"White Lie (하얀 거짓말)" Be There for Me Yes
  • Hwang Yu-bin (XYXX)
  • Mark
Yes
  • 9rota
  • Nmore
  • Gabriel Brandes
  • Mark
N/A
2024 "Tap" dagger Taeyong Tap Yes N/A Yes Squar (PixelWave) N/A
"Moon Tour" Yes N/A Yes Squar (PixelWave) N/A
"Run Away" Yes N/A Yes Squar (PixelWave) N/A
"Ape" Yes N/A Yes Squar (PixelWave) N/A
"Ups & Downs" (나에게 했던 것과 같이) Yes N/A Yes Squar (PixelWave) N/A
"404 Loading" Yes N/A Yes Zayson N/A

Concerts

  • Taeyong Concert <TY Track> (2024)

Filmography

Television appearances

Year Title Notes Ref.
2018 Food Diary Regular cast
2021 Street Woman Fighter Judge
2022 Any Body Can Dance MC

Music videos

List of music videos showing year released and directors
Title Year Director(s) Ref.
"Be Natural"
(Red Velvet feat. Taeyong)
2014 Kwon Soon-wook
"Around"
(with Hitchhiker)
2017 Hitchhiker
"Cure"
(with Yoo Young-jin)
Kim Jinsoo (VAM)
"Long Flight" 2019 Sunnyvisual
"Love Theory"
(with Wonstein)
2022 Kang Mingi (aarch)
"Shalala" 2023 LAFIC
"Tap" 2024 Seong Chang-won

Awards and nominations

Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination
Award ceremony Year Category Nominee / Work Result Ref.
K Global Heart Dream Awards 2023 K Global Bonsang (Main Prize) Taeyong Won
K Global Reporter's Choice Artist Award Won
MAMA Awards 2023 Song of the Year "Shalala" Longlisted
Best Dance Performance – Male Solo Nominated
Album of the Year Shalala Longlisted
Seoul Music Awards 2024 Hallyu Special Award Taeyong Nominated
Main Award (Bonsang) Nominated
Popularity Award Nominated

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Taeyong para niños

  • List of awards and nominations received by NCT
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