NCT Mark's Solo Debut Surpasses 540,000 Copies in Initial Week: The Firstfruit Proves His Powerful Influence

NCT Mark's Solo Debut Surpasses 540,000 Copies in Initial Sales: Demonstrating Immense Power with "The Firstfruit"

NCT Mark's solo debut album, "The Firstfruit," surpassed 540,000 copies in initial sales, setting a new record in SM Entertainment's solo artist history. We summarize his achievements, including the global chart success of the title track, ‘1999’.

Table of Contents
Mark's Solo Debut and 540,000 Initial Sales
The Firstfruit in Numbers
Album and Title Track ‘1999’ Characteristics
Global Chart Domination
Mark's Solo Journey
Collected Q&A: Answering Your Questions
Conclusion: Mark's Future

Mark's Solo Debut and 540,000 Initial Sales

NCT Mark's first solo album, "The Firstfruit," released on April 7, 2025, recorded 544,470 initial sales. This is the first time an SM Entertainment solo debut album has exceeded 500,000 copies in initial sales (Hanteo Chart, 2025). The surpassing of 540,000 initial sales demonstrates the fervent support of NCTzen and Mark's musical talent. On X, there was an outpouring of reactions such as, “Mark’s solo is a huge success, making new history for SM.”

The Firstfruit in Numbers

The achievements of "The Firstfruit" are astounding:

First Day Sales: 274,000 copies (Hanteo Chart, 2025.4.7).
Initial Sales: 544,470 copies (April 7-13, Hanteo Chart).

SM Record: #1 in Solo Debut Initial Sales, Breaking Previous Records (BoA, Taemin).

Comparison within NCT: Compared to NCT 127’s ‘2 Baddies’ initial sales of 1.54 million and NCT Dream’s ‘ISTJ’ initial sales of 3.65 million, his solo debut is still incredibly strong.
One fan expressed regret on X, saying, “If it weren’t for the trilogy version counting issues, it could have reached 600,000.”

Album and Title Track ‘1999’ Characteristics

Mark’s ‘1999’ is a hip-hop pop song containing Mark’s autobiographical story, depicting his journey between Toronto and Seoul. "The Firstfruit" contains a total of 13 tracks, including a playlist planned by Mark himself and memories of his time in Canada. NME praised it as an “autobiographical masterpiece” and a “significant work in K-pop solo history” (Korea Herald, 2025). The MV has exceeded 20 million views on YouTube, becoming a hot topic.

Global Chart Domination

Mark's power shone brightly on global charts as well:

iTunes: #1 on album charts in 14 countries (Brazil, Indonesia, Russia, etc.).

China: #1 in QQ Music digital album sales.
Japan: #1 on AWA real-time chart.
South Korea: ‘1999’ #1 on Bugs real-time chart.

On X, congratulatory messages such as “Mark’s global all-kill, NCT’s representative solo artist” continued.

Mark's Solo Journey

Mark, a core member of NCT 127 and NCT Dream, has steadily honed his solo abilities since his debut in 2016:

NCT Lab: Proved his potential with singles ‘Child’ (2022), ‘Golden Hour’ (2023), and ‘200’ (2024).

Lyricist/Composer: Numerous credits including NCT U’s ‘The 7th Sense’ and Dream’s ‘Rainbow’.
Activities: SuperM, High School Rapper, Music Core MC, etc., demonstrating his versatility.
Mark met with fans at the ‘Mark’s Homecoming’ listening party on April 3rd and stated, “I poured my soul into this” (Hollywood Reporter, 2024).

Collected Q&A: Answering Your Questions

Q1: What were Mark’s initial sales?

A: 544,470 copies, the highest record for an SM solo debut.

Q2: What kind of album is "The Firstfruit"?

A: 13 tracks, autobiographical hip-hop pop, including the title track ‘1999’.

Q3: What were the global achievements?

A: #1 on iTunes in 14 countries, topped QQ Music, AWA, and Bugs charts.

Q4: What were Mark’s previous solo songs?

A: ‘Child’, ‘Golden Hour’, ‘200’.

Q5: What’s different from his NCT activities?

A: Emphasis on autobiographical narratives and his personal musical world.

The collected Q&A fully reveals the charm of Mark’s solo debut.

Conclusion: Mark's Future

NCT Mark’s solo debut, with its 540,000 initial sales, has opened up a new horizon in the K-pop solo market. "The Firstfruit" and ‘1999’ have shown his authenticity and musicality to the world. We anticipate even greater strides from him as a solo artist, alongside his activities with NCT 127 and Dream. NCTzen, what did you think of Mark’s solo debut? Please share your thoughts in the comments!