Discussing debut dates is seldom a simple matter when it comes to the international SM Entertainment boy brand NCT, because there are so many units that share members who actually debuted at different times. That’s why it’s a bit simpler to focus on when the specific units debuted. SM Entertainment originally announced the NCT boy brand on January 27, 2016, and the rotational unit NCT U began promotions less than three months later. However, the first NCT unit with a fixed lineup was NCT 127, the Seoul-based NCT unit. (“127” refers to the longitude coordinate for Seoul, and it is to be pronounced as “one two seven,” not “one twenty-seven.”) The group began as seven members, but membership has grown and shifted a bit since then. So here then is the complete answer to when exactly Taeil, Taeyong, Yuta, Jaehyun, Winwin, Mark, and Haechan made their debut as NCT 127 and what their first song was.

NCT 127 Debuted on July 7, 2016 with “Fire Truck”

NCT 127 made their debut on July 7, 2016 with the single “소방차 (Fire Truck),” and their first mini-album, NCT #127, was released three days later on July 10, 2016. The tracklist for NCT #127 contains seven songs in total: “소방차 (Fire Truck),” “Once Again (여름 방학),” “Wake Up,” “Another World,” “Paradise,” “Mad City,” and “Switch (Feat. SR15B).” The “소방차 (Fire Truck)” music video was released on the day of debut. NCT 127 would perform on a music show for the first time on the same day, performing “소방차 (Fire Truck)” and “Once Again (여름 방학)” on M Countdown. Additionally, still within July 2016, NCT 127 would begin a promotion with Coca-Cola, performing the Korean version of the song “Taste the Feeling.” The song was released with an accompanying music video on July 29, 2016.

Prior to NCT 127, all of the members had previously been known to the public, whether as simply SM Rookies or because they had already debuted in another NCT unit. Specifically, Taeil, Taeyong, Jaehyun, and Mark had already debuted in NCT U, the first NCT unit, back on April 9, 2016. Additional members Johnny and Doyoung would officially join NCT 127 in January 2017, and Jungwoo would officially join the group for promotions in October 2018. Meanwhile, Winwin would become inactive with the group since shortly before joining China-based NCT unit WayV for their debut in January 2019. As such, NCT 127 currently promotes as nine members, and the group has gone on to sell millions of albums worldwide.

In summary, NCT 127 made their official debut on July 7, 2016 with the single “소방차 (Fire Truck),” and first mini-album NCT #127 was released on July 10, 2016. The group began promotions as seven members, but they are currently promoting as nine members.

For more about the group, check out how old the NCT 127 members currently are and who their leader is. Or for more about NCT in general, check out how old all of the NCT members currently are, in addition to how old each individual member was at the time he debuted.