NCT member Doyoung has to his credit some beautiful melodies, including OSTs for K-dramas like ‘See You in My 19th Life’. Here are the top songs by Doyoung.
South Korean singer Doyoung, who made his debut with the rotational unit NCT U and later went on to become the main vocalist of the popular K-pop group NCT, has to his credit some of the most beautiful songs in the Korean music industry.
Born in Korea’s Gyeonggi-do province, Kim Dong-young aka Doyoung was shortlisted to be a trainee under the music label SM Entertainment through the singing contest recruit programme in 2013. After his debut in April 2016, the vocalist also became a member of the K-pop band’s sub-units NCT 127 and NCT DoJaeJung, besides NCT U.
While Doyoung is yet to make his official solo debut, the multi-hyphenate is constantly grabbing headlines for his acting chops, fashion moments and music collaborations outside his group. The singer’s first solo endeavour since debuting with NCT was his song with Shinee’s group member Key, “Cool”. The track was released on 11 July 2016 as a part of the original soundtrack (OST) of the crime drama 38 Squad.
Other popular Doyoung OSTs include “Here With Me” for the 2023 hit K-drama, See You in My 19th Life and “Beautiful Day” for the medical series, Dr. Romantic 3 (2023).
Doyoung is also quite popular among NCTzens for his cover songs. Some of these include his idol IU’s “I Give You My Heart” and American singer Sam Smith’s “Lay Me Down”. The singer also collaborated with Kim Minha from the Pachinko fame for the 2022 track “Fallin”.
In a 2018 L’Officiel Hommes interview, Doyoung shared that as a singer, he wanted his voice to be “instantly recognisable”. He has surely achieved that with his discography so far.
Unmissable songs by NCT singer Doyoung you need to add to your playlist
Here with me
While the 2023 tvN original See You in My 19th Life grabbed headlines for the brilliant performances by actors Ahn Bo-hyun and Shin Hye-sun, it was also praised for its soulful original track “Here With Me”.
Performed by the NCT vocalist, the song narrates the intertwined destinies of the drama’s protagonists Ban Ji-eum (Shin) and Moon Seo-ha (Ahn). It was released on 23 July 2023 and is the sixth part of the K-drama’s OST lineup.
An official statement said that with this song, Doyoung “surpasses various vocal ranges and boasts a wide spectrum of vocal skills”. It added that “Here With Me” is meant to further heighten the “immersion of the drama”.
Beautiful Day
When the original soundtrack for the Korean drama, Dr. Romantic 3, was released on 12 May 2023, fans were quick to elect NCT singer Doyoung’s “Beautiful Day” as the best one of the lot.
The lyrics tell the story of moving on from one’s memories. The compositions and production convey the suppressed emotions of Dr Kim (Han Suk-kyu) and his teammates, who relentlessly work to save the lives of patients at Doldham Hospital.
Along with the release of the original soundtrack, a behind-the-scenes video was also dropped, where fans could see a very serene and confident Doyoung perform the song at a recording studio.
A Little More
It was on 22 February 2022 that Doyoung released this beautiful ballad as a part of the OST for the Disney+ K-drama Soundtrack #1. The show stars BTS Jungkook’s “Seven” music video fame Han So-hee and ZE:A’s Park Hyung-sik.
Before the official release, the NCT singer had taken to his Instagram to post a live performance teaser.
“A Little More” — a mellow song about the desperate desire to hold on — is the seventh track released as part of the romance K-drama. Other idols who lent their voices to the OST of Soundtrack #1 include Kyuhyun of Super Junior and the South Korean pop duo Davichi.
To You, Who Can’t Love
Along with playing the lead Jung Si-ho in the 2022 TVING original romantic comedy, To X Who Doesn’t Love Me, NCT singer Doyoung also lent his vocals for one of the most popular songs on the K-drama’s OST — “To You, Who Can’t Love”.
Composed by Moon Kim and KYUM LYK of the Korean music publishing company 153/Joombas, the pop ballad starts with a calm piano melody backed by heavy instrumentals. It was released on 22 July 2022.
The official music video for the track has more than 350k views on YouTube.
Like a Star
Composed by EastWest, YOSKE and Yeul (1by1), “Like a Star” is a pop love song that has been used as the theme tune for the main characters in the K-drama Yumi’s Cells (2021).
While fans were teased with multiple previews of the song prior to its release, “Like a Star” was officially dropped on 1 October 2021. According to Korean media outlets, it was to provide a pleasant viewing experience to the audiences.
With this track, Doyoung joined the lineup of iconic musicians like Red Velvet’s Wendy, Korean-American singer John Park, and indie rock star Black Skirt, who lent their voices to the OST of Yumi’s Cells.
Night Air
Doyoung’s second-ever release as a solo performer was the sweet rock ballad, “Night Air”. The song dropped on 19 February 2021 as part of the original television soundtrack of the fantasy drama Midnight Cafe Season 3: The Curious Stalker.
The melancholic track portrays the protagonist Kim In-yi’s (Kang Sun-min) longing for Son Ji-woo (Doyoung) and makes viewers wonder if she would get a second chance with the love of her life.
Additionally, the MBC Dramanet original series served as Doyoung’s debut as a lead K-drama actor.
Hard For Me
While this track was originally sung by South Korean singer Cheeze for the 2018 K-drama Rich Man, Poor Woman, Doyoung decided to release his own reimagined version on 9 June 2018.
“Hard for Me” marks the fifth part of the OST lineup for the MBN drama starring his labelmate, EXO’s Suho and has more than 3.5 million views on YouTube.
The track serves as the theme song for the protagonists Lee Yoo-chan (Suho) and Kim Bo-ra (Ha Yeon-soo), who are destined to be together.
(Hero and featured image: Courtesy NCT/Twitter)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
– Are Doyoung and Taeyong close?
NCT bandmates Doyoung and Taeyong are close friends. Taeyong has also mentioned in multiple interviews that Doyoung helps him with his leadership duties.
– Where was Kim Dong-young born?
Kim Dong-young, aka Doyoung, was born on 1 February 1996, in Guri, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea.
– Who are the members of NCT 127?
NCT 127 is the second sub-unit of the K-pop boy group NCT. The sub-unit consists of 10 members: Taeil, Johnny, Taeyong, Yuta, Doyoung, Jaehyun, Winwin, Jungwoo, Mark and Haechan.
– Which sub-units are Doyoung a part of?
NCT’s Doyoung is a part of sub-units NCT U, NCT 127 and NCT DoJaeJung.
A PhD research scholar, Sushmita is a full-time writer and a part time poet. Notepads are Sushmita's one true love -- the unbothered victims drowned in the ink of her pen. An avid fan of K-pop and K-dramas, she mostly writes about Korean culture and entertainment. When not writing, Sushmita is dancing, reading, collecting books, learning about fashion, art, motion pictures, and appreciating BTS.
