NCT WISH Pre-releases Second Stage... 'I SPY' Revealed Before Official Release

NCT WISH has revealed the stages for their new songs from the 4th mini album 'I SPY' before the digital release. At the release celebration events, they performed the title track and B-side tracks, with the final performance being broadcast live online. At that time, 'Ode to Love' broke the group's own records in first-week album sales and music charts. This time, NCT WISH has revealed not only the songs and choreography but also a space that embodies the album concept and participatory segments before the release.

According to SM Entertainment, NCT WISH officially released 'I SPY' at 6 PM on the 12th. Previously, a total of three 'I SPY YOU' release celebration events were held on the 10th and 11th at Korea University Hwajeong Gymnasium in Seoul. According to the agency's count, the cumulative audience was approximately 11,400 people. At the event, stages for the title track 'I SPY' and B-side tracks 'We Own This Street' and 'UPGRADE' were introduced for the first time before the digital release.

Album concept shown through space and stages

A space embodying the digital world 'WISH LAND' was prepared at the event venue. Six rooms for each member and a heart-shaped stage were installed, allowing the audience to experience both the album concept and the new song stages. The event was organized so that fans could not only listen to the new songs but also tour a space connected to the mood of the songs. The title track 'I SPY' is a song about the feeling of all senses being directed toward a person one likes. The performance includes movements shaped like a telescope, and a heavy hip-hop rhythm choreography is placed at the end of the song.

The event also included a participatory segment where the audience gave dating advice to the members. It proceeded with the theme of members changing from 'Confused Boy' to 'Lover Boy'. It is a composition that reveals the emotions of first love covered by the album through the space, stage, and event segments. Fans encountered the songs and choreography before the release, and reactions to the title track and performance were posted on fan communities. Posts asking about the parts and choreography of favorite members in the new songs were also uploaded. An official from SM Entertainment stated, "Ahead of the album release, we wanted to reveal the new song stages first through offline events to share the moment of meeting the new songs with fans for the first time and to further increase the excitement and anticipation for the comeback."

Final session live-streamed online... expanding the reveal beyond the venue

The audience able to encounter the new songs before the release was not limited to the concert venue attendees. The final session held at 6 PM on the 11th was live-streamed through YouTube, TikTok, and Weverse. This allowed fans who could not attend the venue to watch NCT WISH's official stages online. As the official channel's live stream proceeded alongside the way of encountering the stages through videos filmed by fans, the stages for the title track and B-side tracks were shared before the digital release.

The early reveal of the stages allowed conversations about the songs and performances to begin even before the official digital release. Posts uploaded to fan communities included not only reactions to the title track and choreography but also inquiries about each member's parts. The agency explained that they intended to deliver the album's message and charm by presenting the spatial experience embodying the new album's concept along with the new song stages. Conducting offline events and live streams together was also a way to widen the channels for fans to meet the new songs before the release.

NCT WISH had also pre-released stages during their previous 1st full album release. Following the performance of 'Ode to Love' at the Seoul encore performance of their first concert tour 'INTO THE WISH : Our WISH' held at the KSPO DOME in Olympic Park, Seoul, from April 17–19, they released their 1st full album on the 20th. At that time, the stage included a chorus utilizing humming from the song and point choreography of stroking the lips with a finger. The flow of showing the song at the performance first and then officially releasing the album is similar to this 'I SPY' event.

Self-records for album and digital sales after 'Ode to Love' release

'Ode to Love' achieved results in both album and digital sales after its release. According to Hanteo Chart, the first-week sales were 1,825,925 copies, surpassing the approximately 1.39 million copies of the previous work 'COLOR'. The title track reached a peak of 3rd on Melon TOP100, 26th on the daily chart, and 30th on the weekly chart. According to the original text, these results are the outcome of breaking NCT WISH's existing records. Following the pre-release of the performance stages, the digital and album releases followed, and sales and chart rankings were tallied after the official release.

At that time, the pre-release of the stages, much like this 'I SPY' event, was an opportunity for fans to check the choreography and mood of the new songs first. The humming chorus and point choreography of the 'Ode to Love' stage were introduced first at the performance, and the full album was released the day after the encore performance. This time, the event was held three times, gathering a cumulative audience of approximately 11,400 people, and the final session was broadcast online. Although the release timing and disclosure methods of the two albums differ, NCT WISH presented the new song stages to the audience ahead of the official digital release on both occasions. The first-week sales and digital chart records of the previous case are achievements mentioned alongside this pre-release method.

Interest continuing from pre-release to official release

Regarding the method of releasing new song stages or content first, it has been suggested that while it has the effect of gathering interest before the release, the novelty might decrease on the day of the release. The original text cited the case where RIIZE released a cinematic premiere video approximately 40 minutes long, produced in collaboration with Samsung Electronics, five days before the release of their 1st full album 'ODYSSEY'. The album's first-week sales reached a new personal best of 1,797,267 copies, and the title track 'Fly Up' reached a peak of 3rd on Melon TOP100. However, the highest rankings on the daily and weekly charts were 29th and 34th respectively, which were lower than the 20th on the daily chart and 21st on the weekly chart of the previous work 'Boom Boom Bass'.

An industry official quoted in the original text said, "Releasing content such as digital tracks and stages first is a strategy to increase consumer curiosity," adding, "In fact, interest in pre-released content can lead to demand for the official digital tracks." They continued, "To maintain interest, the focus should be on allowing consumers to enjoy the content like a game. One must also pay attention to the choreography, concept photos, and worldview, and then expand the touchpoints with consumers through various contents afterward." NCT WISH presented the spatial composition, participatory segments, new song stages, and online live streaming together during this event.

The 4th mini album 'I SPY', officially released on the 12th, contains the title track and B-side tracks that were first revealed through the stages at the event. NCT WISH introduced the new songs through the on-site events and live streams on the 10th and 11th before the digital release, and reactions regarding the songs and performances continued in fan communities. During the previous release of 'Ode to Love', they achieved 1,825,925 copies in first-week sales and recorded on the Melon charts. The achievements of this album following its release will be confirmed through album sales and digital charts after the official release.

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