Doyoung's 'SOAR' Sells 401K First-Week: How NCT's Vocalist Built a Solo Identity on His Own Terms

NCT's Doyoung broke his own first-week sales record with "SOAR". His second full-length solo album sold 401,039 copies in its first week on Hanteo — released June 9, 2025, the album also moved 85,000 copies in China, making Doyoung the only NCT solo act to enter that market's 2025 Top 10.

The achievement is notable in context. Solo albums by idol group members occupy a structurally difficult commercial position: they compete for purchasing attention from fanbases simultaneously managing multiple group releases. That "SOAR" cleared 400,000 copies in week one signals that Doyoung's solo identity has cohered into something NCT fans are actively investing in beyond the group context.

A Rock-Forward Statement in the SM Ecosystem

The defining creative choice on "SOAR" is its extensive use of Korean rock — a genre direction that stands in deliberate contrast to SM Entertainment's dominant output and to the electronic dance music frameworks that characterize most NCT production. Doyoung enlisted three of South Korea's most respected rock figures for the album: Yoon Do-hyun of the veteran hard rock band YB, Kim Yuna of indie rock group Jaurim, and Kim Jong-wan of the acclaimed band Nell.

This is not a casual list of collaborators. Each brings a distinct position in Korean rock's history and a different stylistic entry point — YB's blues-rock influence, Jaurim's art-rock sensibility, Nell's post-rock introspection. The decision to work across these reference points simultaneously speaks to Doyoung's interest in using the album as a genuine musical survey rather than a genre exercise limited to a single aesthetic.

Title track "안녕, 우주" (Memory) anchors the album. The song addresses loss and memory with direct lyrical writing supported by a mid-tempo arrangement that builds through layered guitar and orchestral strings. It is a departure from the more vocal-showcase-oriented solo material SM has historically assigned to its idol vocalists — and it is better for the distance.

Sales Trajectory and Industry Position

The 401,039 first-week Hanteo figure deserves to be placed within Doyoung's own discography. His first full solo album, "청춘의 포말 (YOUTH)," released in 2023, performed well for a debut solo record from an NCT member. "SOAR" substantially exceeds that baseline, indicating that the audience for Doyoung's solo work has been growing rather than plateauing between releases.

In the broader landscape of K-pop male solo acts active in June 2025, Doyoung occupies a mid-tier commercial position — not at the level of BTS members' solo releases, which consistently move in the millions, but solidly above the floor for group member solo projects. The 401K figure also outperforms the majority of dedicated K-pop solo artists who are not operating from within a major group platform.

What "SOAR" Means for the NCT Solo Landscape

NCT 127, NCT Dream, and WayV have each maintained active collective output, which means SM's capacity to allocate solo promotional cycles to individual members is constrained. Solo album releases by NCT members tend to function as artistic pivot points — moments when members can pursue creative directions the group's collective identity does not permit.

For Doyoung, who has consistently been positioned as one of NCT's primary vocalists, "SOAR" makes the case that his voice is better served by rock-adjacent arrangements than by the group's typical electronic production. The collaborations with Yoon Do-hyun, Kim Yuna, and Kim Jong-wan are not simply prestigious name additions — they are evidence that Doyoung sought out precisely the musical environment in which his particular strengths would be most audibly apparent.

The album also contributes to the K-pop industry's wider narrative around idol artist development. "SOAR" is one of the more compelling recent examples of an idol using a solo project to demonstrate artistic development that the group format was not equipped to surface.

Reactions and Critical Reception

Domestic music media reception was largely positive, with outlets noting both the ambition of the collaborations and the cohesion of the album's overall direction. Fan response from NCT's various sub-unit communities was strong, with "SOAR" receiving coordinated streaming and purchasing support that extended beyond Doyoung's solo fan accounts to the broader NCT community.

The Hollywood Reporter ran a feature interview tied to the album, positioning Doyoung for an international audience and noting his preparation and intentionality in discussing his musical choices — a profile placement that reflects SM's investment in this release as more than a routine idol solo cycle.

Future Outlook

With "SOAR" establishing a credible solo commercial baseline of over 400,000 first-week copies and a distinct artistic identity rooted in Korean rock, Doyoung's trajectory within the SM ecosystem would be one to watch through the rest of 2025. NCT's group activities — including NCT 127's own release cycle — would inevitably compete for scheduling priority, but the evidence from "SOAR" is that Doyoung has both the commercial pull and the artistic ambition to sustain solo work worth paying attention to.

The album's success in China, as the only NCT solo release to crack that market's top ten in 2025, also opens a question about whether SM would invest in dedicated promotional activities there for Doyoung as an individual rather than as part of a group unit. Whether that potential was realized in the months following this release would clarify whether "SOAR" was a one-cycle achievement or the beginning of a sustained solo career arc.