SM Entertainment is drawing scrutiny for under-promoting one of NCT's Japanese members, Shotaro. Keep on reading for all the details.
SM Entertainment Under Fire for Under Promoting NCT Shotaro
Currently, NCT is the boy group with the largest number of members in K-pop. NCT has 23 members following the addition of Sungchan and Shotaro in 2020. While Shotaro is still considered a rookie since it has only been a year since his debut, the Japanese idol proved his popularity with his fan cam views.
Shotaro is currently promoting with NCT U, appearing with the group on music shows and other activities to promote "Universe (Let's Play Ball)." On December 12, NCT U appeared on "Inkigayo" to perform their song. The music show uploaded individual fan cams on the members, and Shotaro's video reached over 762,000 views in a day, the highest among the nine members. Shotaro's video has 8.6 times higher than the members with the lowest views.
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Shotaro is often dubbed the "fancam king" of NCT, proving his popularity. Due to how famous he is, many wonder why SM Entertainment has been under-promoting Shotaro since his debut. Shotaro first debuted with NCT in 2020, promoting their NCT 2020 project with the group. The company then waited a year for Shotaro to come back, including him in their NCT 2021 project.
His last activity was at the 2020 KBS Song Festival, where he performed GOT7's "Hard Carry" with ASTRO's Moon Bin, Stray Kids' Hyunjin, and THE BOYZ's Juyeon. This was on December 18, 2020, or eleven months ago.
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People demand that Shotaro get more activities, as he has shown potential in dancing. Many have stated that Shotaro has the charm to attract fans if he has more activities and that his schedules are little even for a rookie.
Some of the comments concerning Shotaro's lack of promotions include, "Shotaro has so much potential and has amazing dancing skills. SM should help him develop more," "Shotaro's singing time is so short. What is wrong with SM?" "He is truly the king of fancams. Shotaro has a special charm every time he stands on stage," "Does SM just keep Shotaro in the dark and wait until the end of the year for a new comeback?" and "Actually, Shotaro has few activities, even for a rookie."
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What do you think of the situation? Tell us in the comments below!
NCT Recent Activities
On November 13, SM Entertainment announced NCT's third group project, NCT 2021. They would be making a comeback with their third studio album, "Universe."
On December 14, "Universe" surpassed more than 1.7 million pre-orders on the day of its release. NCT broke their previous record of 1.1 million pre-order for "NCT 2020: Resonance." "Universe" contains 13 songs, including the lead singles "Universe (Let's Play Ball)" and "Beautiful."
ALSO READ: NCT's Third Full-Album 'UNIVERSE' Earns 'Million-Seller' Title After Surpassing 1.7 Million Pre-Order Copies
"Universe (Let's Play Ball)" was pre-released on December 10.
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Written by Alexa Lewis
