Mark Lee debuted three times in 2016 with his groups NCT U, NCT 127, and NCT Dream. He debuted once again in 2019 with the group SuperM. He finally made his solo debut on February 4 with his new song ‘Child’. 

Mark is often known for his rapping, but he is also an amazing singer and this song proves it.

Since his first debut, he has sold around 15 million albums with his various groups. Mark’s solo is long overdue. Currently, he has 55 songwriting credits, making Child his 56th songwriting credit.

The first teaser was posted on January 27, which created a lot of hype for the next few days. Many fans and even non-fans have been anticipating his solo debut.

Mark shared his excitement with fans through ‘Bubble’, a paid service that allows fans to communicate with their idols, after the first teasers were released.

Child is described to be a hip-hop genre song with sounds of unique bass synth and electric guitar that create a sentimental feeling. The lyrics are about expressing deep concerns about yourself and how it creates empathy.

It was released as an SM Station and the first song under ‘NCT Lab’. NCT Lab is a new project under SM Station meant only for NCT. Under NCT Lab, the NCT members will be able to release their own self-composed music, either as a solo or a unit.

The song starts off with the electric guitar and his soft vocals. For me, it’s so soothing and beautiful. It’s something new that we haven’t seen from him. According to Mark, the genre for this song is alternative rock and I think his voice fits this genre perfectly.

When first listening to the song, I could feel how that bass synth and electric guitar created that sentimental feeling. The lyrics tell you that even if you are in your 20’s, you’re still a child because many people still have expectations from you and we fear that we’re not doing good enough to impress these people. 

He then comes in with his strong rap. It seems like this rap has some deep meaning to Mark. His mind is all over the place, just like a child’s. He doesn’t know his own strength, but you will eventually learn from that. When interpreting his third verse, it makes me think he wants to destroy the responsibilities of adulthood. He feels like he’s going to blow up or explode because he feels anxious, hence the lyrics “I envy propane, I need to blow up now”.

A lyric that stood out to me was “Different night, same nightmare”. Even though he’s living out different days, he’s still living in his same nightmare.

I’m not going to lie, the song did make me tear up a bit. A majority of us will be relating to those lyrics soon. The song was written and composed beautifully. I am beyond proud of Mark.

Mark gained a lot of support from his members and even idols from other K-pop groups. The song is currently charting well on different streaming sites. It is definitely a song I would recommend to someone. Mark Lee never disappoints.