Lee Tae-yong, better known by his stage name Taeyong, is a South Korean pop artist who is presently a member of the boy band NCT (Neo Culture Technology). He is also a lyricist, rapper, MC, and dancer. He was formerly a part of the band SM Rookies. Taeyong was raised in Seoul, South Korea’s Gwanak District, and his love in music began at a young age. He began going to music school at the age of six. He started learning to play the guitar when he was 11 years old, and as a result, he was given the opportunity to perform in a high school cultural event. He entered into a deal with the entertainment company SM Entertainment in 2012, and in December of that same year, he made his debut as a player on the pre-debut squad SM Rookies. Before NCT was created, he was a member of that group for the next three years. The group, one of the biggest conglomerate units in the current Korean music scene, has put out one studio album, one single album, and five extended plays.
Career of Taeyong
Taeyong was signed by SM Entertainment sometime in 2012. He and Seulgi and Jeno were unveiled as SM Rookies members on December 3, 2013. Taeyong released the music video for the song he wrote, “Open the Door,” in July 2014. He was a part of the reality TV show “EXO 90: 2014” between August and October 2014, and he also made appearances in the music videos for the songs “Yo!” and “Missing You.” Additionally, on the song “Be Natural,” which was published on October 13, 2014, he collaborated with the band Red Velvet.
NCT U, the first unit of NCT, was officially announced on April 4, 2016, and at the time it consisted of six members: Taeil, Doyoung, Ten, Jaehyun, Mark, and Taeyong. The following week saw the release of two singles. The Seventh Sense, starring Taeyong, Doyoung, Jaehyun, Mark, and Ten, was released on April 9. Taeil, Jaehyun, and Doyoung appeared in ‘Without You,’ which was published on April 10.
The announcement of NCT 127, the second NCT unit, came in July 2016. On July 7, they made their debut on television when they performed the songs “Fire Truck” and “Once Again” off their extended play “NCT #127” on Mnet’s music show “M! Countdown.” ‘Fire Truck’ and ‘Mad City’ were both co-written by Taeyong. The EP, which debuted at the top of the Korean music chart, was released on July 10.
Limitless, their second EP, was released on January 6, 2017. Over 141 thousand copies were sold in South Korea, and it topped both the Korean and the US World charts. Taeyong contributed to the album as a lyricist by composing the lyrics for the tracks “Good Thing,” “Back 2 U,” “Baby Don’t Like It,” and “Angel.” The song “Around,” which Taeyong and Kim Boo-min wrote together, was released on May 12th, 2017. Their third extended play, “Cherry Bomb,” was released on June 14, 2017. Under the NCT 127 brand, Taeyong and others released one more extended play. On May 23, 2018, the song ‘Chain’ was released.
They released their first studio album, titled “NCT 2018 Empathy,” on March 14, 2018. As a lyricist, Taeyong contributed to four songs on this album: “Boss,” “Baby Don’t Stop,” “Yesterday,” and “Black on Black.” ‘The Seventh Sense’ was also featured in this album. Over 300,000 copies were sold in Korea, where it peaked at number two on the music chart.
In March 2018, he also made an appearance on the variety program “Food Diary.”
Disputes and scandals
When Korean internet users accused Taeyong of being complicit in a scam on the e-commerce website Joonggonara when he was younger, the situation turned explosive in December 2014. He wrote several comments online years ago that featured disparaging language directed against a group of Japanese students, which is how the story first started. They also found that Taeyong had opened many accounts from which he was selling miniatures that were broken or damaged without giving potential buyers the necessary information. Additionally, he overcharged them. SM Entertainment was ultimately obligated to apologize on Taeyong’s behalf. The issue reappeared in April 2016, shortly after he joined NCT.
Individual Life of Taeyong
Taeyong was born on July 1st, 1995 in Seoul, South Korea’s Gwanak neighborhood. He is distantly related to the actor and television personality Hong Seok-cheon.
Taeyong grew up with a strong passion for music. He was very interested in picking up the guitar. He started going to music lessons when he was six years old. When he was 11 years old, he began learning the guitar. He frequently performed at school cultural events, where he attracted a tiny following among other children and instructors.
Before enrolling at Namgang High School, he attended Nam-Seoul Middle School. Later, he was sent to the School of Performing Arts Seoul, where he eventually earned his degree in the early 2010s.
TC Candler: The 5th Annual Independent Critics List of the World’s 100 Most Handsome Faces of 2017 rated Taeyong 99th overall.
Net Worth of Taeyong
The estimated net worth of Taeyong is about $1 million.