SHALALA

The record

SHALALA is Taeyong’s first mini album, released on 5 June 2023 with seven tracks. The title track is ‘샤랄라 (SHALALA)’. It is his solo debut, and NME introduced it as the first official solo release by a member of NCT.

The album introduction on Bugs states that he was involved from the planning stage through the making of the record and took part in writing and composing all seven tracks. The same text describes the title track as hip-hop marked by rhythmic percussion and weighted drums, and ‘RUBY’ as a mid-tempo pop song using strings alongside a hip-hop rhythm, written about the time he spent with a dog that has died. By that account ‘404 File Not Found’ is a mid-tempo pop song built on hollow-sounding drums and bass under a guitar that runs through the whole track, and ‘Back to the Past’ is hip-hop that lays scratches and retro synths over boom-bap drums recalling the 1980s and 1990s.

Reviews

Carmen Chin of NME read the record, in her review of 9 June 2023, as the chance Taeyong had waited for. She wrote that it “offers a unique kaleidoscope of self-produced, self-written tracks in NCT’s signature sound, while also giving listeners a deeper glimpse into who he really is”. Of the second half of the album she wrote: “the remainder of the ‘SHALALA’ album stirs profound emotions and places greater emphasis on vocals – and here’s where Taeyong really shines.” She closed: “With ‘SHALALA’, Taeyong presents a compelling argument for a promising solo career, exhibiting his mastery as a multi-faceted musician. By fusing cyberpunk aesthetics and his down-to-earth songwriting, he forges an unparalleled sonic panorama that pulls you in.”

Among the tracks

Chin picked out ‘Virtual Insanity’ as an electrifying moment on the record, writing that “the abstract, neon-lit stylings of cyberpop illuminate Taeyong’s musicality and visual style here” and that the lyrics carry a depth beyond the earlier version of the song, showing his growth as a songwriter. Of ‘404 File Not Found’, which takes up the same cyber motif, she wrote that it “articulates the universally relatable experience of feeling adrift amid the uncertainties of young adulthood, drawing parallels to the frustration of encountering a missing webpage”.

Of ‘관둬 (GWANDO)’ she wrote that it “sets the tone with delicate guitar strings, evoking the essence of springtime”, and she described ‘Move Mood Mode (Feat. 웬디)’, made with Red Velvet’s Wendy, as a mid-tempo song about the difficulty of confessing feelings. She called ‘RUBY’ the most heartfelt song on the album, and wrote of the closing track ‘Back to the Past’ that “the vulnerable tapestry he weaves grounds him in a profound sense of humanity”.

Numbers

The album introduction to the second mini album, TAP, states that this record passed half a million sales and reached the top of the iTunes top albums chart in 31 territories and of the worldwide iTunes album chart. The introduction to his 2026 single puts the same record’s sales at more than 500,000 copies.

Around it

The second mini album TAP followed eight months later, and the first full-length album WYLD came in May 2026. The music video went up on the official SMTOWN channel on the day of release.