Fresh off their win at the 2022 Seoul Music Awards and on the heels of their comeback set for March 2022, NCT DREAM snagged two awards at the 11th annual Gaon Chart Music Awards. Held on January 27, 2022, the ceremony celebrated chart-topping Korean music released between December 1, 2020 to November 30, 2021. The “triple million sellers” took home the trophies for Top Kit Seller Award for Hello Future and Artist of The Year (Physical Album) for the second quarter with Hot Sauce.
A Chart-Topping Year
The Gaon Music Chart Awards are based on album and song performance on the national Gaon Chart. With Hot Sauce’s success, it’s no surprise that the album earned NCT DREAM the Artist of the Year (Physical Album) second-quarter award. The septet’s first full-length album launched the group into the multi-million sales category. The album and its title track of the same name broke numerous records, some within just hours of the release. Equal parts energetic and spicy, Hot Sauce allowed NCT DREAM to present listeners with a sound that was a little more mature, but still highlighted the group’s quintessentially youthful vibe.
For their second award of the night, the group’s first album repackage, Hello Future, took the title of Top Kit Seller for its Kihno versions. The repackage, released in June, included two new songs–the titular “Hello Future,” and the bright, summery “오르골 (Life Is Still Going On).” Achieving 1 million cumulative copies in album sales with Hello Future, NCT DREAM became the first SM Entertainment artist to achieve the million mark with a repackaged album. They are the fourth K-pop artist to have multiple albums surpassing one million sales, joining the ranks of BTS, EXO, and SEVENTEEN.
While accepting both awards, the group made sure to thank their fans first. Mark, the leader of the group, started his speech by saying, “I would really like to thank our fans last year, for the big big milestone for us as a team.” He also hinted at the impending comeback saying, “our next album is coming soon! We’ll work hard on preparing it so let’s meet again!”
Heating Up the Stage
In addition, NCT DREAM lit up the stage during the ceremony, performing both “Hello Future” and “Hot Sauce,” much to the excitement of NCTzens in the audience.
After an energetic performance of “Hot Sauce” in regal blue and gold outfits, the group changed up the introduction to “Hot Sauce,” utilizing a prop dining table before taking to the stage in classy black and silver.
2021 has been a busy year for NCT DREAM–after Hot Sauce and Hello Future, the group participated in various songs on the NCT 2021 ensemble album, Universe. It looks like 2022 is no different, as the group has assured fans, they’re ready to keep growing.
Listen to Hot Sauce and Hello Future on Spotify. To keep up with NCT DREAM, make sure to follow the subunit’s official Instagram and Twitter accounts.
Want more NCT content? Read about NCT 127 winning at the Gaon Chart Music Awards here!
