Superhuman (NCT 127 song)

Superhuman (Korean: 슈퍼휴먼) is a song recorded by South Korean boy band NCT 127, the Seoul-based sub-unit of SM Entertainment's unlimited boy band NCT. It was released on May 24, 2019, by SM Entertainment as the lead single from the group's fourth extended play, We Are Superhuman. The song's music video was one of the group's most viewed online video within 24 hours of release at the time, with 3.1 million views.^[1]

"Superhuman"
Single by NCT 127
from the EP We Are Superhuman
Language	Korean English
Released	May 24, 2019
Recorded	2019
Studio	SM LVYIN Studio (Seoul) SM Big Shot Studio (Seoul) MonoTree Studio (Seoul) Jungle City Studios (New York)
Genre	Electropop complextro
Length	3:56
Label	SM
Songwriter(s)	Park Sung-hee Lee Seu-ran JQ Ameli Rick Bridges Adrian McKinnon TAK 1Take
Producer(s)	TAK
NCT 127 singles chronology
"Let's Shut Up & Dance" (2019) "Superhuman" (2019) "So Am I" (2019)
NCT singles chronology
"Take Off" (2019) "Superhuman" (2019) "So Am I" (2019)
Music video
"Superhuman" on YouTube

Background and release

On April 18, 2019, NCT 127 released a statement on the group's official Twitter and Instagram accounts simultaneously, announcing that their fourth extended play, We Are Superhuman, would be released on May 24, 2019.^[2] The initial teaser image that was released only included nine members of the ten-member group: Taeil, Johnny, Taeyong, Yuta, Doyoung, Jaehyun, Jungwoo, Mark, and Haechan. Later that same day, it was announced that WinWin would not participate in this comeback, due to the fact that he was preparing to debut with WayV, NCT's Chinese sub-unit.^[3]

Promotion

A 30-second teaser for the music video was released on May 22, 2019, and featured close up shots of all the members as well as scenes from the music video itself.^[4] The official music video was released on YouTube two days later on May 24, 2019, at 12 AM KST.^[5] The group performed the song for the first time live on April 18, 2019, as the musical guests on Good Morning America (making them only the third K-Pop group to perform on the show)^[6] and also performed it on an episode of The Late Late Show with James Corden that aired on May 14, 2019.^[7] NCT 127 started their Korean promotions for the single on May 24, 2019, on Music Bank. Additionally, they performed Superhuman on the Show! Music Core, Inkigayo, and The Show.

Composition

The song was written and produced by Korean producers TAK and 1Take, known for their hard-hitting, sledgehammer synths with a glitchy electro-dance base, and LA-based composer Adrian McKinnon, who has previously written songs for other SM Entertainment artists including: SHINee, EXO, and f(x). Park Sung Hee, Lee Suran, JQ, Ameli, and Rick Bridges were responsible for the lyrics.

Critical reception

According to Billboard's Tamar Herman, "Superhuman" is a complextro hiphop-oriented vibrant electropop track, with a powerful, declarative chorus.^[8]

MTV's Crystal Bell, describes the single as a "nu-disco song that pulsates with energy, from the isolated harmonies that open and close the track -- an old SM Entertainment flourish that groups like TVXQ, Shinhwa, and SHINee, have all employed -- to the ever-changing synths that progress with such vigor, and the deep, dirty groove that hammers into your soul. The track is shining, shimmering splendor, and the futuristic visual crackles with the same intensity."^[9]

Chart performance

"Superhuman" debuted at number 117 on Gaon Digital Chart. Also, the song debuted at number 3 on the World Digital Song Sales chart, with one thousand downloads sold, becoming the group's seventh top-ten song on the chart.

Accolades

Year-end lists

Critic/Publication	List	Rank	Ref.
Dazed	The 20 best K-pop songs of 2019	6	^[10]
Hypebae	The Best K-pop Songs and Music Videos of 2019	—	^[11]
SBS PopAsia	Top 100 Asian pop songs of 2019	26	^[12]

Music program awards

Program	Date	Ref.
Music Bank (KBS)	June 7, 2019	^[13]
Show Champion (MBC Music)	June 12, 2019	^[14]

Charts

Chart (2019)	Peak position
Japan (Japan Hot 100)^[15]	90
South Korea (Gaon)^[16]	117
South Korea (Kpop Hot 100)^[17]	13
US World Digital Songs (Billboard)^[18]	3

Credits

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.^[19]

Studio

• SM LVYIN Studio (Seoul) – recording, Pro Tools operating, digital editing, engineered for mix
• SM Big Shot Studio (Seoul) – recording
• MonoTree Studio (Seoul) – recording
• Jungle City Studios (New York) – recording
• SM Booming System (Seoul) – digital editing
• SM Concert Hall Studio (Seoul) – vocoder, mixing
• Sterling Sound (New York) – mastering

Personnel

• SM Entertainment – executive producer
• Lee Soo-man – producer
• NCT 127 – vocals
• Park Sung-hee – lyrics
• Lee Seu-ran – lyrics
• JQ – lyrics
• Ameli – lyrics
• Rick Bridges – lyrics
• TAK – producer, composition, arrangement
• Adrian McKinnon – composition, background vocals
• 1Take – composition
• Yoo Young-jin – arrangement, digital editing, music and sound supervisor
• GDLO – vocal directing, Pro Tools operating
• Byun Jang-moon – background vocals
• Lee Ji-hong – recording, Pro Tools operating, digital editing, engineered for mix
• Lee Min-kyu – recording
• Kang Sun-young – recording
• Brendan Morawski – recording
• Nam Koong-jin – vocoder, mixing
• Joe LaPorta – mastering

References

1. "'NCT 127's Superhuman hits 3m views in 24 hours'". allkpop. from the original on November 18, 2019. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
2. "'NCT 127 NEW ALBUM 〖WE ARE SUPERHUMAN〗'". NCT 127 on Twitter. from the original on May 23, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
3. "SM 측 "NCT 127 윈윈, 예정된 中활동 준비로 새앨범 방송활동 불참"". Newsen. from the original on September 12, 2020. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
4. SMTOWN (May 22, 2019). "'NCT 127 엔시티 127 Superhuman MV Teaser'". from the original on May 23, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2019 – via YouTube.
5. SMTOWN (May 24, 2019). "'NCT 127 엔시티 127 Superhuman MV'". from the original on December 15, 2019. Retrieved November 12, 2019 – via YouTube.
6. "'NCT 127 makes their US morning show debut on 'GMA': Here are 5 things to know about the K-pop boy band'". Good Morning America. from the original on November 18, 2019. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
7. "NCT 127 to Appear On 'The Late Late Show with James Corden'". Billboard. from the original on May 13, 2019. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
8. "'Superhuman' On New EP". Billboard. from the original on 2020-11-08. Retrieved 2019-05-30.
9. Bell, Crystal. "NCT 127's 'Superhuman' Is A Stunning Achievement". MTV News. Retrieved 2021-05-24.
10. "The 20 best K-pop songs of 2019". Dazed. December 6, 2019. from the original on December 15, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
11. "The Best K-pop Songs and Music Videos of 2019". Hypebae. December 17, 2019. from the original on April 24, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
12. "PopAsia's Top 100 Asian pop songs of 2019: 50-1". SBS PopAsia. Popasia. December 24, 2019. from the original on December 25, 2019. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
13. "5월 4주 뮤직뱅크 <k-차트> 순위 세부 사항입니다". KBS (in Korean). from the original on 2021-05-23. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
14. "Watch: NCT 127 Grabs 2nd Win For "Superhuman" On "Show Champion"; Performances By CLC, WJSN, AB6IX, And More". Soompi. from the original on November 18, 2019. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
15. "Billboard Japan Hot 100 2019/6/8". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). from the original on 2021-04-23. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
16. "Digital Chart – Week 22 of 2019". Gaon Chart (in Korean). from the original on September 15, 2019. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
17. "Billboard Kpop Hot 100". Billboard Korea. June 8, 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2019.^{[permanent dead link]}
18. . Billboard. Archived from the original on 2019-06-20. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
19. NCT 127. We Are Superhuman (photobook). South Korea: SM Entertainment, Dreamus.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)