Exclusive: NCT DREAM Dishes On Tight-Knit Friendship, Different Thoughts On MBTI, And More At "ISTJ" Press Conference

Jul 17, 2023

NCT DREAM is here with their highly-anticipated “ISTJ” comeback!

On July 17, NCT DREAM held a press conference ahead of the release of their third full-length album “ISTJ.” During the press conference, the members discussed their goals, team work, and the concept behind their latest album. NCT’s Doyoung also served as the MC for the event.

To kick off, NCT DREAM touched upon their recent milestone of surpassing over 4 million stock pre-orders. Mark shared, “I’m very grateful to NCTzens (NCT’s official fan club).” He shared that he prepared with an enjoyable mindset, explaining, “This is the mindset we always prepare with, and NCTzens always give back way more than what we’ve prepared.”

The members also discussed their B-side track “Like We Just Met,” which all the members participated in writing the lyrics for. Chenle shared, “It’s a ballad song, and the melody is really nice. It’s the first time we all wrote our own lyrics, but considering that it’s our first time, I think we did a really good job.” When asked which part of the lyrics he liked the most, Chenle answered that he enjoyed the part he wrote the most, adding, “I’m a foreigner, but I was very satisfied with [the Korean lyrics] that I wrote.”

Regarding the MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) concept of “ISTJ,” Mark explained that NCT DREAM represents an ENFP persona in the song who is in love with an ISTJ persona, which represents NCTzens.

Renjun elaborated, “To talk a bit more about the concept, ISTJ is the opposite of ENFP. Since they’re opposites and so different, they wonder why they’re attracted to each other and why they love each other. I think it’s a very refreshing concept.”

Haechan mentioned, “I recently participated in a video call [fan sign], and I already knew the title track at that point. The fan told me that their MBTI is ISTJ, so I gave them a small spoiler by telling that that they will be very happy when they find out about our comeback.”

When asked what goals NCT DREAM wants to achieve for this album, Haechan shared, “I don’t think that we receive love because our results our good but rather, our results are good because we receive so much love,” emphasizing that he felt it was important to return that love to NCTzens.

NCT DREAM also recently held their second world tour. When asked what they gained from the world tour, Renjun replied, “The first thing that we gained is that we could meet NCTzens from all over the world. What I also learned is that while performing on stage, the emotions are conveyed better if I immerse myself even more in the performance.”

Jisung also talked about not losing the initial mindset he had when he started off as an artist. He remarked, “Seven years have passed, but we’re still more passionate than ever, so I think we’ve changed for the better, and I think there will be greater changes going forward.”

On how they chose the concept of MBTI for their album, Mark jokingly mentioned, “The MBTI of KENZIE (the composer and lyricist for “ISTJ”) is ISTJ, but I’m not sure if that’s related.” He shared, “When we received KENZIE’s idea, we all thought it was very refreshing at first.” Renjun added, “MBTI is really popular in Korea, so we wanted to show these fun elements to people around the world.”

On their secret to success and tight-knit friendship, Jeno dished, “Honestly, while promoting with the members for seven years, I think I’ve been really happy because we’re so close and because we know each other so well. I think while promoting music together for seven years, we had great synergy. Rather than when we are separated, I think fans enjoy when we’re together.”

Mark added, “I think there’s the right timing to grab on to an opportunity,” explaining that he thought it was very lucky and fascinating that the seven of them have gathered together and explaining it as the reason behind their success.

Going further into the MBTI concept of their album, Jaemin joked, “I personally don’t think you should define a person with their MBTI.” Renjun also confessed, “I actually haven’t done the MBTI test, and I’m a person who doesn’t like defining a person with four letters since everyone is different,” but Renjun still added that MBTI is a fun test that he wants people around the world to learn more about.

Regarding what they want NCT DREAM to be known for, Jisung added, “I want to be known as a group whose future is highly anticipated.”

On a memorable moment while preparing for the upcoming album, Jeno shared that although they discussed staying on the topic of “love” when writing the lyrics to “Like We Just Met,” Jeno mentioned, “We all wrote along the same lines, but Jisung brought some mysterious lyrics,” explaining that he wrote with a concept slightly different from the other members. Jisung explained, “Honestly, I was being a bit ambitious.”

Renjun also compared their group meetings to seven chicks chirping all at once, and Jaemin revealed that their meetings last three to four hours on average.

On the member most interested in MBTIs, Haechan shared, “I think it’s me. I have 4 MBTIs. I started off with ENFP, and now I am ESFP. Every time it changes, I think I can see my mindset at the time.”

Finally, the members talked more about their teamwork and growth. Renjun said, “It’s lucky that seven strangers from different places [came together] and fit so well. Although we have fought before, these fights allowed us to get closer. We’re family. I think we are just really lucky.” Jeno added, “The way we think of each other is special,” and Jaemin remarked, “I think we will mature even more. I’m not sure how many times I’ve said this before, but I think this is just the beginning for us.”