"Child" is a song recorded by Canadian rapper Mark. It was released with an accompanying music video on February 4, 2022, as a part of NCT Lab. The song was written by Mark, Ron and Jane, who were joined in the composition by Dress. "Child" was described as an emotional hip hop track that expresses candidly Mark's worries throughout the lyrics.

"Child"
Single by Mark
Language
  • Korean
  • English
ReleasedFebruary 4, 2022
StudioSM Studios, Seoul, South Korea
GenreHip hop
Length3:31
Label
Composer(s)
  • Dress
  • Mark
  • Ron
  • Jane
Lyricist(s)
  • Mark
  • Ron
  • Jane
Mark singles chronology
"Dream Me"
(2018)
"Child"
(2022)
"Golden Hour"
(2023)
Music video
"Child" on YouTube

The song charted at number twenty-three on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart. It also charted at number nine and twenty-five in Indonesia and Thailand respectively. In North America, "Child" peaked at number eight on the Billboard World Digital Songs chart, making it the singer's first entry on the chart.

Background and release

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On January 28, 2022, SM Entertainment announced that their digital music project, SM Station, would return with a special season, titled NCT Lab, and that Mark would start it off by releasing his first single under the project, "Child", on February 4.[1] From the 31st, three sets of teaser images were released on NCT's official social media.[2] A teaser for the music video was shared the day before its release.

Music and lyrics

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"Child" was written by Mark, Ron and Jane, who were joined in the composition by Dress.[3] Belle of Kiss of Life provided background vocals for the chorus.[4] Musically, the song has been described as an emotional hip hop track that incorporates unique bass synth and electric guitar sound.[5] Divyansha Dongre of Rolling Stone India categorized the track as a hip hop-rock release for its "strong sonic shift with the smooth insertion of bass synth" in the chorus.[6] Lyrically, the song expresses the deep concerns of the singer about finding oneself.[5]

Chart performance

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In South Korea, "Child" debuted at number 23 on the Gaon Digital Chart in the issue dated January 30–February 5, 2021.[7] The song also debuted at number one on the component Download Chart.[8] It also debuted at number six and 159 on the component BGM Chart and on the component Streaming Chart respectively.[9][10] The song debuted at number 48 on the Billboard's K-pop Hot 100 chart in the issue dated February 19, 2022.[11] In Japan, "Child" didn't enter the Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, but debuted at number 53 on the component Top Download Songs chart.[12] In Malaysia, the song debuted at position 17 on the RIM's Top 20 Chart.[13] In Singapore, the song debuted at position 19 on the RIAS's Top Regional Chart in the issue dated February 4–10, 2021.[14] In Indonesia, "Child" debuted at number nine on the Billboard's Indonesia Songs chart.[15] In Thailand, the song debuted at position 25 on the Billboard's Thailand Songs chart.[16] In Vietnam, the song debuted at position 50 on the Billboard Vietnam Hot 100 in the chart issue dated February 17, 2022.[17] In the United States, "Child" debuted at number eight on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart in the issue dated February 19, 2022.[18] It also at number 132 on the Billboard Global Excl. US chart in the issue dated February 19, 2022.[19]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
IZM[20]     

"Child" received generally positive reviews. The song received attention for its "sensible" and "honest" lyrics that "yearn for freedom", with Hong Hye-min of the Hankook Ilbo noting how they follow a "essay-style", which is described by them as lyrics that "capture personal lyricism, contemplation, and reflection with a literary technique" and contain the singer's autobiographical story, an uncommon style in K-pop.[21][22][23] The song features Mark's vocals alongside his "trademark" rap, which positively surprised the public.[24][23] Lim Dong-yeop of IZM noted that, while the vocals are enhanced by the electric guitar, they tend to disappear when the rhythm section comes in.[20] The song was selected by Vandana Pawa to be featured on Teen Vogue's list of the 79 best K-pop songs of 2022.[25] "Child" won Top 20 Song of the Year (Overseas) at the 2022 Asian Pop Music Awards.[A][27]

Music video and live performance

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The music video for "Child" was directed by Lee Hye-in.[28] It features "gloomy visuals" and it is characterized by an "eclectic style". It begins with Mark lying in the middle of an abandoned factory. As the song starts to build up, Mark wakes up and, when the "rockier" chorus comes in, the singer takes off running while he's chased by a group of strangers. Regarding the fashion, Mark is shown wearing a "workwear-inspired layered look" at the start of the video, while in the next scenes he sports two other outfits: a plain white t-shirt paired with ripped jeans accompanied by a faux pierced eyebrow and a "glittering disco-ball" tracksuit covered in reflective tiles. During the chasing scene, the singer is also shown wearing a "brightly colored" rainbow overcoat and a backpack that leaves trails of red smoke behind him. [29]

Mark performed the song for the first time on a music-dedicated segment of The NCT Show, a show featuring NCT members on NCT's official YouTube channel.[30]

Track listing

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  • Digital download and streaming
  1. "Child" – 3:31
  2. "Child" (instrumental) – 3:31

Credits and personnel

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Credits adapted from Melon.[3][31]

Studio

  • Recorded at SM Yellow Tail Studio
  • Edited at SM Big Shot Studio
  • Mixed at SM Blue Cup Studio
  • Mastered at Boost Knob

Personnel

  • Mark – vocals, lyrics, composition, background vocals
  • Dress – composition, producer, vocal directing, drums, bass, piano, synthesizer
  • Jane – lyrics, composition, vocal directing, background vocals
  • Ron – lyrics, composition, vocal directing, background vocals
  • Yoo Young-jin – music and sound supervisor
  • Junny – background vocals
  • Belle – background vocals
  • Uh Yeon-ha – bass
  • Kim Nok-cha – guitars
  • No Min-ji – recording
  • Lee Min-kyu – digital editing
  • Jung Eui-seok – mixing
  • Park Kyung-sun – mastering

Charts

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Weekly chart performance for "Child"
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Indonesia (Billboard)[15] 9
Malaysia (RIM)[13] 17
Singapore (RIAS Regional)[14] 16
South Korea (Gaon)[7] 23
South Korea (K-pop Hot 100)[11] 48
Thailand (Billboard)[16] 25
US World Digital Songs (Billboard)[18] 8
Vietnam (Vietnam Hot 100)[17] 50

Release history

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Release dates and formats for "Child"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various February 4, 2022 [3]

Notes

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  1. ^ Hosted by the Hong Kong Asia Pacific International Group and Sunway Records, the Asian Pop Music Awards bases its winners on the "Asian Pop Music Chart" which opened in September 2019.[26]

References

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  1. ^ Lee, Deok-haeng (February 28, 2022). "SM 'STATION', NCT 음악 아카이빙 프로젝트 'NCT LAB' 스타트" [SM 'STATION', NCT music archiving project 'NCT LAB' starts]. StarNews (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 1, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  2. ^ Hong, Se-young (February 2, 2022). NCT 마크 솔로곡 ‘Child’ 티저 공개, 4일 발표 [NCT Mark's solo song 'Child' teaser released, released on the 4th]. The Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 3, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c 곡 정보 - Child [Song Information - Child]. Melon (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  4. ^ Hwang, Hye-jin (August 29, 2023). 심신 딸 벨, 능력자였네…NCT 마크 솔로곡 코러스 참여 [Belle, the member of Kiss of Life, was a talented person... Participated in the chorus of NCT Mark's solo song→Le Seraphim composer]. Star News (in Korean). Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Kim, Ji-hye (February 4, 2022). [팝's신곡]"사람들이 바라본 난 누구야"..NCT 마크, 솔직하게 써내려간 첫 솔로 'Child' [[Pop's new song] "Who am I that people see"..NCT Mark, first solo 'Child' written honestly]. The Korea Herald (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  6. ^ Dongre, Divyansha (February 4, 2022). "Watch NCT's MARK Sentimental Solo Release 'Child'". Rolling Stone India (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  7. ^ a b "2022년 06주차 Digital Chart" [Week 06 of 2022 Digital Chart]. Gaon Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 10, 2022. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  8. ^ "2022년 06주차 Download Chart" [Week 06 of 2022 Download Chart]. Gaon Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 10, 2022. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  9. ^ "2022년 06주차 BGM Chart" [Week 06 of 2022 BGM Chart]. Gaon Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 21, 2022. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  10. ^ "2022년 06주차 Streaming Chart" [Week 06 of 2022 Streaming Chart]. Gaon Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 10, 2022. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Billboard K-pop 100 – Week of February 19, 2021". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 15, 2022. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  12. ^ "Billboard Japan Top Download Songs – 2022/02/16 公開" [Billboard Japan Top Download Songs – February 16, 2021 Publication]. Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on February 16, 2022. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  13. ^ a b "RIM Charts Top 20". Recording Industry Association of Malaysia. February 18, 2022. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  14. ^ a b "RIAS Top Charts – Week 6 (4 – 10 Feb 2021)". Recording Industry Association Singapore. Archived from the original on February 15, 2022. Retrieved February 16, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  15. ^ a b "Billboard Indonesia Songs – Week of February 19, 2021". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 15, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  16. ^ a b "Billboard Thailand Songs – Week of February 19, 2021". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 15, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  17. ^ a b "Billboard Vietnam Hot 100 – Week of February 17, 2022". Billboard Vietnam (in Vietnamese). Archived from the original on February 17, 2022. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  18. ^ a b "World Digital Song Sales – Week of February 19, 2022". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 2, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  19. ^ "Billboard Global Excl. US – Week of February 19, 2022". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 15, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  20. ^ a b Lim, Dong-yeop (February 2022). "Child Review". IZM (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 16, 2022. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  21. ^ Jeong, Ha-eun (February 9, 2022). NCT 마크·DAY6 원필, '첫 솔로' 수식어로만 담긴 아깝다[SS뮤직] [NCT Mark · DAY6 Wonpil, 'first solo' is a waste of only modifiers [SS Music]]. Sports Seoul (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 13, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  22. ^ Hong, Hye-min (February 12, 2022). [HI★초점] 방탄 RM→NCT 마크...수필식 가사의 매력 [[HI Focus] BTS RM → NCT Mark... The charm of essay-style lyrics]. Hankook Ilbo (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 12, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  23. ^ a b Lee, Min-ji (February 4, 2022). “너가 바란대론 못 돼” NCT 마크, 첫 솔로 ‘Child’에 담아낸 고민[들어보고서] [“It can’t be as you hoped” NCT Mark, the worries expressed in the first solo 'Child' [report]]. Newsen (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  24. ^ Ji, Min-kyung (March 4, 2022). “난 누구야” NCT 마크, 자작곡에 담은 진솔한 이야기 ‘Child’ [퇴근길 신곡] [“Who am I?” NCT Mark, the sincere story of self-composed song 'Child' [new song on the way home from work]]. Osen (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  25. ^ "The 79 Best K-Pop Songs of 2022". Teen Vogue. December 15, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  26. ^ "2020亚洲流行音乐大奖结果出炉 林俊杰获5奖成最大赢家". VCT News (in Chinese). December 28, 2020. Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  27. ^ "【APMA 2022】亚洲流行音乐大奖2022年度获奖名单" [[APMA 2022] Asian Pop Music Awards 2022 Winners List]. Weibo (in Chinese). December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  28. ^ Jeon, Yeo-wool (June 6, 2022). 90년대생 K팝 뮤비 감독 4인 [Four K-Pop music video directors born in the 90s]. W Korea (in Korean). Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  29. ^ Pawa, Vandana (February 4, 2022). "Mark Lee Explores the Fear of Growing Up in New Single "Child"". Rolling Stone India. Archived from the original on February 19, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  30. ^ Shin, Min-hee (February 11, 2022). "NCT to drop new content on its YouTube channel every month". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on February 16, 2022. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  31. ^ 앨범 정보 - Child [Album Information - Child]. Melon (in Korean). Retrieved December 21, 2022.