Play in this article ↓NCT 2018 EMPATHY: Eighteen Members, Six Music Videos and One Giant Introduction
- Category: Album & Song Guide
- Artist: NCT
KPOP NO1 Editorial · Sources checked October 22, 2026
In early 2018, SM Entertainment tried something big. It put NCT’s teams on one record: NCT U, NCT 127 and NCT DREAM, with 18 members in total. Then it released six music videos, one after another, like a relay. NCT 2018 EMPATHY was less an album than a giant introduction to how NCT works.
A group with no limit
To understand EMPATHY, you need NCT’s basic idea. SM described NCT as a new kind of group built on openness and expansion. There’s no limit on the number of members, new members can join, and different teams work under the NCT brand. SM: project wrap-up
NCT 2018 was the project that explained this. SM said its 18 participants were 15 existing members plus 3 new ones. The project came with extra content:
- NCT 2018 Yearbook, videos introducing the members and how the group was changing
- NCTmentary, a documentary-style series about NCT’s world, where members connect through dreams and become one through music
The relay: six music videos
SM released the project’s songs one at a time, each with its own video and its own team:
| Order | Song | Team | What SM says |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BOSS | NCT U (7 members) | Urban hip-hop with overwhelming charisma |
| 2 | Baby Don’t Stop | NCT U (TAEYONG x TEN) | A synth-pop duet |
| 3 | GO | NCT DREAM | Trap hip-hop. The lyrics say don’t get swept up in stereotypes; take back your individuality. |
| 4 | TOUCH | NCT 127 | Bright spring urban R&B with future-synth sounds, about the excitement of new love |
| 5 | YESTODAY | NCT U (TAEYONG, MARK, LUCAS, DOYOUNG) | “Yesterday” + “today”: today that will become yesterday |
| 6 | Black on Black | NCT 2018 (all 18 members) | Trap hip-hop with a massive group dance |
SM: track details · SM: Black on Black
Our take: The trick to EMPATHY is to read the team name before the song title. BOSS and Black on Black are both NCT, but they’re performed by very different lineups. Once you see that, the whole NCT system makes sense.
March 14: NCT DAY
The album came out on March 14, 2018 at 6 p.m. KST. SM called it “NCT DAY.” SM: release day
- Pre-orders: 202,530 copies.
- Videos: the project’s videos, teasers and behind-the-scenes clips had passed about 60 million YouTube views by release day.
- Showcase: that evening, all 18 members appeared at Korea University’s Hwajeong Gymnasium, where NCT 127 performed TOUCH and all 18 performed Black on Black for the first time.
The next day, SM reported that the album was No. 1 on Korean album charts and on iTunes album charts in 18 regions, rising to 22 a day later. SM: chart results
The rest of the album
SM says the album has 13 songs in total. Besides the six videos, it collects:
- INTRO: Neo Got My Back, used as background music in NCT 2018 Yearbook #2
- The 7th Sense, NCT U’s debut single
- WITHOUT YOU, in Korean and Chinese versions
- Timeless, a ballad by JAEHYUN, DOYOUNG and TAEIL, first released through SM STATION season 2
- Dream In A Dream, a solo song by TEN with an Eastern-style melody
- OUTRO: VISION, which hints at what NCT would do next
YESTODAY has an extra story. SM says TAEYONG and MARK helped write its lyrics, telling a personal story. Its video uses photo collages and animation, and it plays the Extended Ver., a bonus track released only on streaming services.
Records along the way
SM’s wrap-up of the project listed more firsts and records:
- February 6, 2018: WELCOME NCT 2018, the first live broadcast with all 18 members, passed 500 million hearts on Naver V LIVE, which SM called the highest ever on the platform.
- The showcase drew 4,000 fans, and its live stream passed 500 million hearts too.
- Apple Music: No. 1 on the overall music video chart in 30 regions. NCT also became the first K-pop group on Apple Music’s The Beats 1 playlist, picked by the station’s DJs and editors.
- Music shows: a win on SBS MTV’s The Show.
Praise from abroad
In December 2018, the British magazine Dazed named Baby Don’t Stop the No. 1 K-pop song of 2018. SM shared the ranking and Dazed’s praise for the song’s production and experimentation. SM: Dazed list
A note on members
This album captures NCT in 2018. Some participants have since moved on, and many more members have joined NCT’s teams. Use the NCT beginner guide for today’s teams.
How to listen for the first time
- Follow the relay. Watch BOSS, Baby Don’t Stop, GO and TOUCH in order.
- Then watch Black on Black. All 18 members together, as the finale.
- Play the full album. Note which team performs each song.
- Find YESTODAY’s video last. It closed the relay before Black on Black.
Where to go next
- The next whole-NCT project: NCT 2020 RESONANCE Pt. 1, with 23 members.
- The 2023 album: Golden Age.
- Meet the teams: the NCT beginner guide.