“World listen to me.” In his solo debut album, MARK calls to be heard as he works to build an identity of his own.
“I just want to say that I’m not asking the world to love this album,” MARK said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “But I am, in a way, requesting for the world to take the moment to listen to this album from start to finish at least once because then they’ll get to know me better.”
“The Firstfruit,” officially released on April 7 of this year. Coming nine years after MARK’s debut, “The Firstfruit” was highly anticipated by fans, and it didn’t disappoint.
Who is MARK?
Mark Lee—stylized as MARK—is a member of K-pop boy group NCT. He is an active member of NCT 127, NCT DREAM and NCT U, three of NCT’s five subunits.
MARK debuted in 2016 with subunit NCT U’s song, “The 7th Sense.” At the time, the unit consisted of members MARK, TAEYONG, TEN, DOYOUNG and JAEHYUN.
Later that same year, MARK debuted in NCT 127 with “Firetruck” and NCT DREAM with “Chewing Gum.” NCT isn’t his only adventure though, as in 2019 MARK debuted in SM “super group,” SuperM.
Taking on the industry one comeback at a time, MARK’s nickname is “the busiest idol in K-pop” due to his crammed schedule.
“The Firstfruit” review
The 13-track album serves as a love letter to his life and upbringing. It takes the listener on a journey from Toronto to Seoul, with stops in NYC and Vancouver—a saga that maps out the journey of his life.
The journey starts with “Toronto’s Window,” and takes you through songs “1999,” “Flight to NYC,” “Righteous,” “Fraktsiya” featuring Lee Youngji, “Raincouver,” “Loser,” “Watching TV” featuring Crush, “+82 Pressin’” featuring Haechan of NCT, “200,” “Journey Mercies” and “Mom’s Interlude,” before finishing with the track “Too Much.”
Opening the album, “Toronto’s Window,” is a beautifully rhythmic spoken-word track. Within it, MARK questions how to find meaning and drive in his life, which he finds in his past and in his faith.
MARK’s relationship with his faith is a common topic of the album. The concept appears in songs like “Righteous,” “Too Much” and “Mom’s Interlude.”
“Mom’s Interlude” is a fascinating track, as it’s a recording of a conversation between him and his mom about the album’s development.
“It feels like your identity is just set for you, and, like this title, after these eight years, I feel like this is the real Firstfruit,” MARK’s mom cites sweetly in the track in an English translation provided by Genius lyrics.
This track is an absolutely heartwarming interaction worth listening to—even if you don’t understand Korean.
“1999” is an opposingly upbeat pop-funk track that draws the listener in immediately. With beckons like “World listen to me” and catchy phrasing like “Today I feel so new, feels like 99,” you can’t help but nod your head along.
My “The Firstfruit” favorite
Though it’s hard to pick, my own favorite takes form in the song “Raincouver.”
“Raincouver” features an upbeat piano melody that highlights the time MARK spent living in Vancouver. Between the enthralling instrumental and heart pulling lines like “I’ll wait for you, I thought of you, Vancouver” and “I’ll be waiting for you who turned into rain today,” he draws a perfect picture between love, melancholy and childhood nostalgia.
While this song is my personal highlight, there is no hiding the shine and personability of the overall album.
Across 13-tracks, MARK does an excellent job varying genres and pushing through the compelling story of his life.
Fan opinions
The album has received love from fans across the board.
“I love how in the first song it’s more of a monologue rather than an actual song,” said Gray Bunch, ‘25.
Bunch’s favorite is “Righteous,” while AJ Abdallah, ’26, said his favorite was “Watching TV.”
“I picked that one because of the acapella in the intro,” said Abdallah, ‘26. “Also, their duet in the final chorus was amazing. Their voices just blend so well together.”
Whether it’s a specific song or the album as a whole, there’s something for everyone.
“The storytelling aspect is great,” said Abdallah, ‘26. “I think it’s pretty unique for K-pop, and I think that non-K-pop people would enjoy the album.”
