TAEYONG is in a reflective mood — digging into the music that soundtracked his younger years and still feeds into what he does now.

The NCT star has been discussing the musical inspirations that have stayed with him, as well as the specific songs he says defined his youth. It’s a nostalgia-heavy look at the kind of tracks that don’t just age well — they get wired into you.

Alongside that trip down memory lane, he’s also spoken about his affection for NCT itself, underlining that his connection to the group hasn’t faded into background noise while he revisits his influences.

Taeyong is known as a rapper, singer and the leader of NCT 127, one of the units within the wider NCT project. In other words: someone whose job description already involves being across a lot of sounds, styles and eras — and who’s had to turn personal taste into something that works for a huge, global audience.

For fans, the appeal here is simple: you get a clearer sense of the musical DNA behind his own artistry, and a reminder that even the most polished idol career is built on the same thing as everyone else’s playlists — the songs you played to death when you were younger.