From Seoul to the world: The evolution of English in NCT 127’s title tracks as global strategy and artistic hybridity

Ho, Nicole Kah Wei (2025) From Seoul to the world: The evolution of English in NCT 127’s title tracks as global strategy and artistic hybridity. Final Year Project, UTAR.

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Abstract

This study investigates the strategic and artistic deployment of English in the title tracks of NCT 127, a pioneering sub-unit of the South Korean boy group NCT, from their commercial breakthrough in 2020 to 2024. Employing a mixed-methods framework, the research integrates quantitative lyrical analysis of their five highest-selling title tracks, qualitative discourse analysis informed by Carol Myers-Scotton’s Markedness Model, and participatory data from a curated focus group of international fans. The findings reveal a sophisticated, non-linear evolution of English usage that functions as a core component of SM Entertainment’s “Neo Culture Technology” globalisation strategy. Quantitatively, the proportion of English fluctuates strategically, peaking at 60.54% in Fact Check (2023) before recalibrating to 30.67% in WALK (2024), indicating that volume is a dynamic variable rather than a fixed goal. Qualitatively, English serves as a multifaceted artistic tool; as phonetic material for rhythmic and textual experimentation, as an intertextual bridge embedding cultural and genre-specific references, and as a conceptual lexicon for thematic world-building. The fan engagement analysis demonstrates that these crafted English lyrics are actively actualised by international listeners, transforming into catalysts for communal singing, markers of in-group identity, and drivers of participatory fandom on social media. This research concludes that NCT 127’s approach transcends conventional anglicisation for market access. Instead, it represents a model of “disruptive hybridity” where English is instrumentalised as both a commercial strategy and an artistic signature, enabling the group to navigate global pop landscapes while maintaining a distinct Korean and “neo” identity. The study contributes to academic discourse on linguistic hybridity in transnational music, offers practical insights for cultural production, and highlights a paradigm where global resonance is achieved not through cultural assimilation, but through strategic and creative localisation.

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