NCT DREAM Celebrate 10 Years With DREAM AFTER DREAM and a New Chapter as Six

A decade of memories, a new album and early chart success

NCT DREAM have marked their 10th anniversary with DREAM AFTER DREAM, a sixth studio album that brings together 10 songs, memories of growing up together and plans for a future as six members. Released on November 9, 2026, the record topped the daily Hanteo and Circle Retail Album charts, while its lead single, Boogie Woogie, reached No. 1 on Bugs' real time chart.

The anniversary follows a period of change. Mark left the group and SM Entertainment in April after his exclusive contract expired. Renjun, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, Chenle and Jisung have renewed their contracts with the agency, and DREAM AFTER DREAM is their first album as a group of six.

NCT DREAM debuted on August 25, 2016, with Chewing Gum. Ten years later, the new album turns that history into songs about gratitude, friendship and finding another goal after reaching an earlier one. Its title means dreams that continue endlessly.

Jeno, a member of NCT DREAM, explained how the meaning of a dream has changed for the group since their debut.

Everything we've accomplished so far isn't the finish line. It's a starting point for discovering new possibilities and continuing to dream bigger together as NCT DREAM.

Boogie Woogie gives that idea a bright musical setting: disco rhythms, a strong bass groove and lyrics celebrating people who make ordinary days special. Across the album, the group also moves through contemporary pop, hip hop, R&B and electronic sounds. The celebration is rooted as much in familiar daily routines as in concerts and career milestones.

Boogie Woogie puts gratitude on the dance floor

SM Entertainment describes Boogie Woogie as a fast dance track combining the vintage feel of 1970s disco and funk with modern synthesizers. Rhythmic percussion and a groovy bassline drive the song. Disco supplies a steady pulse for dancing, while funk puts particular weight on the bass and the way instruments play around the beat.

Jaemin helped write the lyrics, which celebrate the members' decade together and thank one another for making everyday life special. Their message also reaches forward: shared happiness comes from enjoying the present and continuing together.

Jaemin said his writing often starts with everyday thoughts and feelings. His favorite part of Boogie Woogie is its playful chorus, built around repeated dance phrases that listeners can easily remember and join.

The apparent ease of the performance required careful preparation. Chenle said bringing out the song's party atmosphere through choreography took considerable work, with many small details to get right. Jeno highlighted frequent changes of direction, while Haechan pointed to rhythmic movements designed to make the performance feel lively even to someone simply watching.

Renjun said the members discussed different ideas before settling on the expression Boogie Woogie. They liked its sound and felt it suited a song meant to be sung along with and enjoyed together.

Ten tracks connect new sounds with familiar voices

DREAM AFTER DREAM contains The Sun, Boogie Woogie, Dream After Dream, Skydive, Pressure, Watch U Watch Me, Cool for Me, Tumbler, Smile for U and This Is Your World. The range gives listeners several routes into the anniversary, from forceful beats to warmer songs about memory.

Jeno recommended Pressure for its powerful rhythm and message about moving forward despite pressure. Chenle chose Cool for Me for its blend of hip hop and R&B, while Jisung highlighted the changing musical elements in Skydive.

Renjun singled out Tumbler for its warm, retro sound and lyrics about holding on to precious memories with loved ones. Haechan chose The Sun, describing it as a song shaped by everything the members have experienced together over the past decade.

Haechan is credited as a writer on Smile for U. He said he begins by listening repeatedly to a song to understand its mood and the feelings he wants to express. The line he selected as a favorite offers a simple statement about enjoying the present.

Haechan, a member of NCT DREAM and a writer on Smile for U, quoted the lyric:

Our life is too short, just enjoy it.

Renjun described a more painstaking process while recording The Sun. He tried different ways of singing individual passages, listened back and recorded them again, making small changes until the emotion felt right. His account shows how the anniversary theme shaped the delivery of the songs as well as their words.

A music video built from places they remember

The Boogie Woogie video turns everyday surroundings into a cheerful, dreamlike festival. Its locations include a neighborhood stationery store, a Korean snack bar, a shopping mall, a gym, a bowling alley and a supermarket called Dream Mart.

Jeno described a mix of nostalgia and unexpected comedy, including a swing spinning through 360 degrees and someone appearing from a refrigerator. Jisung favored the gym and bowling alley scenes for their sporty, retro style, saying they felt like a classic teen movie.

Dream Mart carried the anniversary into its smallest details. Haechan said the supermarket was decorated to celebrate its own 10th anniversary, with water bottles, snacks and other items customized to NCT DREAM. Renjun faced a different kind of detail at the mall: walking up a descending escalator while trying to look natural on camera.

Jaemin found a particularly personal memory on the snack shop set. He, Jeno and Haechan recreated a photograph taken roughly 10 years earlier, when they went out for tteokbokki after practice. Tteokbokki is a Korean dish of chewy rice cakes, often served in a spicy sauce.

Jaemin, a member of NCT DREAM, described how the food on set brought back their younger years.

Eating tteokbokki and fish cakes on set brought back memories of when we were younger, and for a moment, it felt like I was stepping back in time.

The garden imagery used in promotional teasers carries a related idea. The six members appear as gardeners tending crops in their own ways. SM said the setting represents moments cultivated together over 10 years and stories still to unfold. Both concepts make the album's message tangible through familiar activities: growing something, sharing food and spending time together.

From a teenage unit to a lasting group

NCT DREAM began as the teenage unit of NCT, SM Entertainment's group organized into several subgroups. Its original structure called for members to graduate when they reached adulthood. The agency scrapped that system in 2020.

That change is central to the anniversary story. A group initially built around a particular stage of youth has continued into adulthood, with its music developing alongside its members. Releases including Hot Sauce in 2021 and ISTJ in 2023 helped shape the years between Chewing Gum and the new album. Candy and Beatbox are also among its earlier hits.

Mark's departure in April brought another change in membership. The remaining six members' contract renewals and the release of DREAM AFTER DREAM now place the anniversary at the beginning of a different working chapter.

Chenle said the musical aim was less about making a dramatic change than continuing to give listeners hope and strength. Haechan described the group's shared music as the clearest expression of NCT DREAM's identity, regardless of time or place.

The dates behind the anniversary release

November's album arrived after the group's August anniversary. The release day schedule connected a conversation with fans, the arrival of the music and the premiere of the lead single's video.

The main milestones trace both the group's changing structure and the launch of its latest record:

• August 25, 2016: NCT DREAM debuted with Chewing Gum.
• 2020: SM Entertainment ended the group's member graduation system.
• April 2026: Mark left NCT DREAM and SM Entertainment after his exclusive contract expired.
• August 25, 2026: The group reached 10 years since its debut.
• November 9, 2026: The Let's Boogie Woogie comeback livestream was scheduled for 5 p.m. through the NCT DREAM YouTube and NCT TikTok channels.
• November 9, 2026: The album's streaming release and the Boogie Woogie video premiere were scheduled for 6 p.m., with physical editions reaching stores the same day.

Preorders were offered through online and physical music retailers before release. The video premiered through the SMTOWN YouTube channel, while the livestream gave fans a shared event ahead of the music's arrival.

Concert memories and the feeling of family

Jisung's strongest memories include small moments after practice and conversations at the end of long days. Counting their trainee years, he said he had spent more of his life with the members than without them.

Jisung, a member of NCT DREAM, explained how that time had changed their relationship.

At this point, they really feel like family to me. We've grown so close that sometimes all it takes is a look to know how the other person is feeling or what they're trying to say.

Haechan and Jaemin also singled out THE DREAM SHOW 2 at Seoul's Jamsil Olympic Stadium as a lasting memory. Jaemin said he hoped to perform there again. Chenle recalled the happiness of hearing audiences sing with the group, while Renjun described concerts as especially precious opportunities to meet supporters directly.

Fans, known as NCTzen and affectionately called Czennies, connect those large performances with the smaller moments described across the album. The members' anniversary messages repeatedly thank listeners for staying with them and promise to keep creating music and shared memories.

New stages and a dream that reaches age 50

Renjun wants NCT DREAM to perform at more international festivals so more people can encounter their music and energy. The anniversary celebration is set to extend into 2027 with an announced Coachella appearance. A specific performance date was not given.

Renjun's personal ambition also centers on what listeners feel. He said his childhood goal of becoming a singer had grown into a wish to become someone his members could be proud of and an artist whose voice could comfort people.

Chenle offered a more playful picture of the distant future: performing Chewing Gum on hoverboards with the members at age 50. Beneath the joke is a concrete wish to remain healthy, keep sharing a stage and continue performing for fans for decades.

DREAM AFTER DREAM brings those ambitions together. Its songs celebrate a decade already lived, while its six members describe success in terms of continuing: another performance, another song that helps someone through a day, and another memory made together.

Key Points

• NCT DREAM released their sixth studio album, DREAM AFTER DREAM, on November 9, 2026, celebrating 10 years since their debut.
• The album contains 10 tracks, led by Boogie Woogie, whose lyrics Jaemin helped write.
• The record topped daily Hanteo and Circle Retail Album rankings; Boogie Woogie reached No. 1 on Bugs' real time chart.
• Renjun, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, Chenle and Jisung renewed their SM Entertainment contracts. Mark left the group and agency in April.
• The music video uses familiar shops, food and recreated memories to connect the anniversary with the members' everyday lives.
• The group's plans include an announced Coachella appearance in 2027, alongside hopes for more international festival performances.