Attention NCTzens: Mark’s debut solo album, The Firstfruit, is finally here! Mark’s been in the K-pop scene for a while now, first debuting in 2016. Though he’s released solo singles and worked on a TON of other projects (writing songs for NCT and being a brand ambassador for Polo Ralph Lauren, Espoir, and Tim Hortons, just to name a few), fans have eagerly awaited his first solo album for quite some time. Mark also dropped a music video for the track “1999,” and eagle-eyed fans noticed some Easter eggs that you might’ve missed.
The Firstfruit is an especially personal release, with Mark describing it as “autobiographical” and noting that he “truly poured everything into it.” The album follows the singer throughout his life, tracing his experiences through the four cities he’s lived in: Toronto, New York, Vancouver, and Seoul. The Firstfruit has a total of 13 tracks, including the pre-release singles “Fraktsiya,” “+82 Pressin,’” and “200.” “1999” is the album’s first track, which references the year that Mark was born in Toronto.
SM Entertainment (Mark’s record label) described “1999” as a “pop genre song that creates a lively atmosphere with its grand orchestration.” The song’s music video is an entire experience in itself, in which viewers see Mark dressed as various alter egos. As an alien spaceship (driven by one version of Mark) invades a city, other versions of Mark step in to save the day. Overall, the “1999” music video is super detailed, studded with references to Mark’s career and life. Here are some of the subtle details that you might’ve missed.
His Merch
As the video opens, viewers see keys with various keychains laying in a car. Fans will recognize these keychains as Mark’s merch, including his NCT 127 starfish and his NCT Dream character, “boohoongie.”
References to Canada
Mark was born in Canada and has lived in both Toronto and Vancouver (as referenced in the tracks “Toronto’s Window” and “Raincouver”). As the UFO ascends over the city, you may not have noticed that it’s shaped like a hockey puck — as a nod to his time in Canada. This reference comes back later in the video, as Mark and a younger version of himself are wearing hockey uniforms.
His Albums
mark with a bunch of nct albums he’s on + him holding his firetruck photocard 😭🫂#MARK_TheFirstfruit #MARK_1999 #마크의_1999_솔로데뷔 pic.twitter.com/TI9s2W8Yrz
— ْ (@dreamleeline) April 7, 2025
Mark’s been nicknamed “the busiest man in K-pop,” and for good reason. He’s a member of three groups: NCT 127, NCT Dream, and SuperM (and has written songs for all of the above). At one point in the video, Mark poses behind a table with several of the albums that he has released with these groups. To call him busy is an understatement.
Fraktsiya Reference
Prior to The Firstfruit, Mark released a music video for the song “Fraktsiya,” featuring Youngji. In the music video, he and Youngji play spies, with nods to the Men in Black series. In the “1999” music video, one of Mark’s alter egos is labeled “Agent Mark from Fraktsiya,” playing seemingly the same character.
Childhood Photo
In one scene, a child stands next to Mark wearing overalls and holding a watermelon. The boy is wearing an outfit meant to recreate a childhood picture of Mark. The watermelon is a reference to Mark’s love for the fruit, which has become a running joke amongst his fans.
City Landmarks
the details !!
namsan tower, seoul > harbour centre, vancouver > statue of liberty, new york pic.twitter.com/LYUgO8K7IB— 247 (@skymlees) April 5, 2025
This part of the video goes by fast, so let me break it down for you. The hockey puck UFO flies through the sky and passes major landmarks in the cities he has lived in, including N Seoul Tower, the Statue of Liberty in New York City, and Harbour Centre in Vancouver.