Just one month after leaving the boy band and SM Entertainment, former NCT member Mark appears to be preparing to relaunch his music career as a solo artist in the United States.
These speculations have intensified after Tunji Balogun, Chairman and CEO of Def Jam Recordings, followed Mark on social media shortly after Mark terminated his exclusive contract with SM Entertainment on April 8.
Balogun is a highly respected figure and one of the leading figures in the music industry. Before joining Def Jam Recordings, he worked at RCA Records, where he helped discover and develop artists such as Khalid, SZA, and Bryson Tiller.
Within the K-pop industry, when executives from major labels follow the social media accounts of high-profile artists, it is often interpreted as a signal suggesting potential future collaborations or partnership discussions, rather than merely a personal interest.
Def Jam Recordings is widely known for its focus on hip-hop and R&B genres, which aligns closely with Mark’s musical direction. Additionally, as a Canadian national and fluent English speaker, Mark is considered to be in a highly advantageous position to pursue activities in the North American market.
Mark himself hinted at a new direction in a handwritten letter posted on social media on April 3, mentioning the start of a new chapter and discussing acoustic guitar busking and writing lyrics in English, activities he has long been deeply interested in.
Furthermore, Mark was spotted in a video uploaded by rising pop artist Genia on April 23. Genia captioned the video, “Genia x Mark Lee!! When K-pop meets pop,” suggesting that the two were working together in an unidentified recording studio. Genia joined Def Jam Recordings in 2024 and released her single “Doomsday” last April.
original post: here
2. Remove the NCT tag, he already erased it himself
3. People kept saying he was going to become a CCM singer, but was that just to keep the former members in check?
4. Looking forward to it
5. The fact that he left is fascinating to me. It's not like he went to another company to promote solo
6. Oh.... This makes me feel such mixed feelings..................
7. Looking forward to Mark's solo. I wonder when he's gonna release it?
8. Mark-yah, I support you🫶 If you release an album, make sure to do a concert!!!!
9. If he had just retired, I think I would have been disappointed, but hearing that he's going to continue making music as a solo artist leaves me with mixed feelings...
10. So you're a Canadian citizen. I guess you wanted to give it a shot since you don't have to worry about military service and you speak English
![[theqoo] THE 6 STAGES FROM UGLY TO HANDSOME](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjOPMf9IhvGH4RgRCS_XSWaN81mWsMvROh0Z9z7Nf6dxPBzap5ZjityVJcZsCoRag_N5fy2j-PdFUqRgNAHW8Jilewy1ZOBTbC0SKsMVWnF3UoG5DjAWUGPg7wLUEsUv4wfY_u_gZVQfsYNCug1tXwBrB2R4ynfWos4YQGm47P-kmWUYrZPtbqHutxRque1=w72-h72-p-k-no-nu)
![[instiz] WOMAN WHO WROTE GAY FANFIC ABOUT STRAY KIDS, SENTENCED TO 18 MONTHS OF FORCED LABOR](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhFC5Bqu6s9MlKIOY1N60f-PO_CoGbFvzJG30kerIJbkLNKnw8G7Rc8fq270hj0wfVGYcfVScBqwJzNinbYBgVPPz5AfVThC3tN-G4fFNOwbkjTdG9h7fEiGGiB6qRyl1rtGoX-g1Dp-4g5A_lOze0pc81Men8Gy34YOXaeHjFbLNTm_eujLq1o62FMZshk=w72-h72-p-k-no-nu)
![[instiz] MY PROPOSAL T GET ME ACCEPTED INTO SM IS WAY TOO SIMILAR TO AESPA'S ALBUM JACKET;;;](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjAbA-ewb7ngZldXkgzbKXWDOk48cev2LGs3-cHO84ilGblG9ikixfHfijUU9K5SksLKBB0iv3iBWm3o2dX280tVmv5Uan6DfwXmNuJPTG7zHFmJLtgH642GxeJwviFxPIw4tg1L8I3A-SGKuAapVa2L8rt2BKPXO67IxUW7NFn3g6TIEvfZ7o9EdBHFQAo=w72-h72-p-k-no-nu)
![[instiz] WOW THE BOYZ NEW REALLY BROKE TIES WITH THE MEMBERS](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiYjq8bUoXFAmOEiMQ_lJpIJ8fNglY6FN9yPVBpODiiP_U4PneQ0eINYhgE0JGJmcPkL9iBsZgdKdSWHuDDPUdp8cKOs5wfLo3hocvwtoYSlyfiT_hyjelicazl8sunJBn3rK3t3vLjxg_xdaRkekuaJOAnTCYLWCUGwsVyipReNuSxp49urIKi9gRUpjtg=w72-h72-p-k-no-nu)
![[theqoo] FASTVIEW, WINS ANOTHER FIRST-INSTANCE LAWSUIT FOLLOWING HYBE'S CASE... COURT DISMISSES SOURCE MUSIC'S DAMAGES CLAIMS](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiSmDU2giEfpl2Fqh6GpIhjoGhalSriG4zfffvVCeb68aHMqaXcBi6qKYo6tlHw-mpd0BTI4Mx3fsrCDT1tf5j2kv15PnztYOU7-ZQcYE_hUE83M2j4jUeafedl4PZamyOZuHg9XolbOZ14opVX-jkjb0AAmrKqJZ1w4rL8b1wapcK7sJYtv_aVw4cfjlWq=w72-h72-p-k-no-nu)
0 Comments