Here's How Each Member Of NCT Dream Was Discovered And Signed To SM Entertainment

NCT Dream is the third unit of NCT to debut in 2016, and the group is comprised of 7 talented young boys, who continuously charm fans with their incredible chemistry as a group!

Lauded by many for their flawless teamwork, they were at first a rotational group, made up of members under the age of 20 (international age). As Mark turned 20 in 2019, he ended up graduating from the team at the start of the year. Due to popular demand, however, the rotational system was eventually scrapped, and the group was established as a permanent group with Mark returning as a full-fledged member once again!

Here is how every member of NCT Dream was discovered and signed to SM Entertainment!

1. Mark

Mark is the group’s main rapper, dancer and also serves as the de facto leader of the unit!

Hailing from Canada, Mark passed the SM Global Auditions in Vancouver in 2012, and joined SM Entertainment that same year!

After a year of training, Mark was introduced to the public via the pre-debut group SM Rookies, and began to gain attention for his cute visuals and talent for rapping!

Mark eventually made his debut in all three units of NCT in 2016, first NCT U:

Then NCT 127:

And finally, NCT Dream!

At the end of 2018, Mark became the first member to graduate from the unit. Due to popular demand, however, the group’s rotational concept was discarded, and Mark rejoined NCT Dream as a permanent member once again!

2. Renjun

Renjun is the group’s lead vocalist!

Born and raised in Jilin, China, he joined SM Entertainment as a trainee in 2015, after passing the audition in his home country!

After a year of training, he made his debut as a member of NCT Dream in 2016, one of the only two members to not have been introduced as part of SM Rookies. Upon his debut, he charmed fans everywhere with his incredible visuals, vocals and hilarious personality!

3. Jeno

Jeno is the group’s lead rapper, lead dancer and visual!

Prior to becoming a trainee, Jeno was already famous as a child actor, appearing in many CFs! His journey as a K-Pop idol trainee began in 2013, when he auditioned for and joined SM Entertainment in the same year!

After a few months of training, Jeno was one of the first trainees to be introduced to the public as a member of SM Rookies, where he was noted for his dance skills and unreal visuals!

After around 3 years of training, he debuted as a member of NCT Dream in 2016!

4. Haechan

Haechan is the group’s main vocalist and lead dancer!

He joined SM Entertainment in 2013, after passing the agency’s legendary “Saturday Auditions” with his unique singing voice, and trained for 3 years before making his debut as an idol!

In 2014, Haechan was introduced as a member of SM Rookies, where he was noted for his amazing singing skills and uproarious personality, gaining tons of fans for his sunny disposition!

In 2016, Haechan then finally made his debut! He debuted as a member of NCT 127 first:

And later joined NCT Dream as their main vocalist as well!

5. Jaemin

Jaemin is the group’s lead dancer, lead rapper and visual!

Jaemin was first scouted in 2013, while he was doing volunteer work with his mother. He was street-cast for his visuals, and successfully passed his audition, joining the agency soon after!

He joined SM Entertainment on the same day as Jeno, which led to them becoming fast friends who even managed to debut together!

After a few months of training, Jaemin was added as a member of SM Rookies in 2014, where he was loved for his bright visuals and dance talent!

He eventually made his debut with NCT Dream in 2016, filling in the position of dancer and rapper in the group!

6. Chenle

Chenle is the group’s main vocalist!

Even before debuting with NCT Dream, Chenle had already racked up tons of experience as a singer! Growing up in Shanghai, China, he took part in talent shows, released three albums and also held his very own concert by the age of 14!

Chenle was then eventually recruited to join SM Entertainment in 2016, and debuted after only training for 2 months! He, along with Renjun, are the only two members who were not introduced as a part of SM Rookies.

Chenle then debuted as the main vocalist of NCT Dream in 2016, continuing to add to his illustrious career as a singer!

7. Jisung

Jisung is the group’s main dancer, vocalist, rapper and maknae!

Jisung joined SM Entertainment as a trainee in 2013! Prior to joining the agency, he and Chenle had already met at a Chinese talent show in 2013, and later ended up debuting in the same group and unit!

After a few months of training, Jisung was introduced to the public as a member of SM Rookies, where he was noted for his young age, and exceptional dance abilities!

After 3 months of training, Jisung debuted as the main dancer and maknae of NCT Dream, as well as of NCT as a whole! He continues to impress with his talent, as well as how much he’s growing up right in front of his fans!