Canadian K-pop star, Mark Lee, who is a member of the famous Korean pop band, ‘NCT’ has debuted his first album called ‘The Firstfruit’ with a total of 13 songs that represent him and showcase his impeccable lyricism.
The album is split into 4 distinct sections in different cities that mean something to the artist, Toronto, New York, Vancouver, and Seoul.
“I never thought I could dream in much detail, you know?” is a lyric from the opening track, “Toronto’s Window.” He reminisces on his hometown, reflecting on the past and how he was raised.
“1999” is a fun and upbeat track, it starts off with a strong violin. The next track “Flight to NYC”, briefly marks a transition in the album starting from Toronto now flying to New York City, where the artist went to school.
Moving to hyper tracks such as “Righteous” and “Fraktsiya” where Lee showcases his impressive rapping skills while making a bold statement about being a part of three bands. “Name somebody who can juggle three teams, still come up with the best solo album, at the same time with no rest time.”
It’s not easy being Mark Lee, and even he’s aware of the strenuous work schedule he must maintain, despite that he poured his everything into this album, and brags a bit. Because who else is doing it like Mark Lee?
“Raincouver” is the third transition, we are now in Vancouver where he mentions places in the song where he used to go.
Vancouver is where he spent most of his time growing up and as listeners it allows us the privilege of getting to know Lee on a deeper level. Listening to the song feels like walking around the city while it’s raining but still sunny, it’s light and fun.
After listening to “Loser”, I’m led to believe that this song speaks of a past relationship because he does a play on the lyrics within the song stating “ I don’t want to lose her”. It appears that the mere thought of losing someone so close to him, makes his heart break. It’s bitter. It’s vulnerable.
“Watching TV” is a song about how he views romantic relationships like those he sees on television. It feels playful and lets the person who he’s singing to that he will be there for them. It has heavenly vocals and it feels like watching the sunset with the person you have a crush on.
The last and final city is Seoul, the hip-hop track “+82 Pressin’” is a song that features one of his bandmates and long-time friend, Lee Haechan, who he spent the most time training with. The duo showcase their vocal chemistry, and syncing up in this playful song.
“200” is a song full of energy, it makes you want to stand up and dance and jump up and down around your room. It’s a rock song filled with soothing vocals.
Moving towards some of the more intimate songs off of the album, “Journey Mercies” comes off as an honest and vulnerable letter to himself.
It slows down the last quarter of the album before transitioning to the heartfelt track “Mom’s Interlude.” It’s an audio recording of a conversation between him and his mother, where she tells him how proud she is after listening to his album.
He wraps the album with “Too Much”, a vocal-centered song that in my opinion is very emotional. He sings about how love is both overwhelming but at the same time the feeling keeps him grounded, which is something a lot of us can relate to.
Those who are long-time fans of NCT will understand how meaningful this debut solo album is. While it may not be the most varied album in terms of sound, it is personal and a true telling of the artist’s emotions as Lee re-introduces himself to the world, not as the Mark from NCT but just as Mark Lee born in Toronto who has a passion for music.
