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For K-pop fans, concerts are often seen as a place to find belonging and community with people who enjoy the same artist. But during NCT 127’s March 5 concert at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena, the event held extra meaning. It was one of Canadian pride.
That’s because it was the first time in six years since member Mark Lee—known professionally as Mark—was returning to his home country to play a show.
“Seeing [Mark] back home feels more patriotic,” says longtime fans of NCT—also known as NCTzens—like Shekinah Reign.
In the days leading up to the concert, Reign tells RepresentASIAN Project that she prepared for the concert by attending fan-organized gatherings known as cupsleeve events held in Mark’s honour at local cafes and K-pop stores. She even signed her name on a giant Canadian flag, greeting Mark and his NCT 127 bandmates—Johnny, Yuta, Jungwoo, Haechan and Doyoung—to Toronto.
Reign, who has been a fan of NCT since their debut in 2016, describes Mark as “humble and genuine”, despite the fact that he has become one of the most popular K-pop stars in the world. “Whenever he speaks about Canada, it feels so familiar, like someone I would just encounter in daily life,” she says.
Mark was born in Toronto on August 2, 1999 and lived there until he was seven. He later moved to New York, before settling in Vancouver. Though since passing an audition with SM Entertainment in 2012, he moved to Seoul to pursue his dream of being a K-pop idol. He officially made his debut in NCT in 2016.
For those unfamiliar to the world of NCT, the band features 25 members. The large group is divided into six different sub-units: NCT U, NCT 127, NCT Dream, WayV, NCT DoJaeJung and NCT Wish. Sub-units are common in the world of K-pop, and are essentially a subdivision of a band featuring groups of two or more to create new music.
Because of Mark’s versatile skills in singing, rapping and songwriting, he has often been described as one of the busiest men in K-pop. He’s a key member of NCT, performing in the sub-units NCT 127 and NCT Dream. For this reason, fans often joke that Mark appears to be everywhere all at once due to his full schedule of touring and performances.
Michelle Barut, who became a fan of NCT in 2019, says Mark was one of the first members she noticed because of his ability to bridge his Korean heritage alongside his Canadian sensibilities to international fans.
“I love how Mark is authentically himself and is still so down to earth no matter what scale of stardom he has reached,” Barut says. “He represents the embodiment of talent and pride for our Asian Canadian community. Although there aren’t many Canadian K-pop idols, Mark was able to achieve this in a highly competitive field.”
During the NCT 127 concert, Mark paid homage to his home country multiple times, proclaiming Toronto as the city he was born in.
He noted his love of Tim Hortons, even taking his bandmate Doyoung along for breakfast that morning. The show was made even more meaningful as both Mark and Doyoung’s parents travelled to Toronto to see NCT 127 perform.
“Shout out to my parents who came all the way to Toronto to give birth to me,” he says encouraging fans to greet his family.
Throughout the concert, people carried Canadian flags with Mark’s face printed on it, while others brought fan signs saying, “Welcome home Mark!”
Chari A. and Momo J., who organize K-pop fan events in Toronto as Realm of REM, handed out red and white banners for NCTzens to hold up during the concert in an attempt to catch Mark’s attention. The plan worked. Early on in the show, Mark looked into the crowd and read it out loud. “Our Canadian national treasure!” Fans across the arena screamed in response.
“I just started sobbing, and I cried for the next two songs,” Chari says. “I feel like my entire life was made.”
Chari’s day was made even better later that night, when she was able to take a selfie with Mark during a meet and greet at the end of the show.
“Our intention was just to have him feel the love, and welcome him and the guys back,” Momo adds. “I never thought in a million years Mark would have our banner in his hand.”
But beyond getting noticed by NCT 127, Chari and Momo say it was more important for them to build a sense of community with fellow NCTzens through their efforts. Leading up to the concert, the pair also hosted a K-pop cupsleeve event in honour of their favourite band.
“We just love NCT 127 so much,” Momo says. “We literally do this because we want to provide a space for K-pop fans to come and meet up with other people and make new friends.”
But while many fans like Chari and Momo were overjoyed to see a homegrown artist like Mark finally return to Canada, none were more emotional than the NCT performer himself.
During his final speech of the night, Mark’s bandmates chanted “cry, cry, cry!” in an attempt to catch him off guard. In response, Mark often found himself speechless, repeatedly saying, “I’m so happy!” And while he acknowledged that he didn’t get to spend much time in Toronto growing up, Mark says the city will always have a special place in his heart.
“I’m just really really proud to be standing on the stage as a Canadian!” he said before the show ended. “Now when I think of Toronto, I’ll always think of my NCTzens.”
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