MARK’S THE FIRSTFRUIT NAMED BILLBOARD’S BEST K-POP ALBUM OF 2025 Mark Lee of NCT has reached a defining moment in his career with The Firstfruit, his first solo full-length album, which Billboard has named the best K-pop album of 2025 in its annual staff picks list. Released in April, the thirteen-track album traces Mark’s personal journey across the cities that shaped him, including Toronto, New York, Vancouver and Seoul. Rather than presenting a conventional pop release, The Firstfruit is structured as a cohesive narrative, grounded in reflection, movement and emotional continuity. Billboard highlighted the album’s sincerity, noting how themes of homesickness, identity and personal growth are expressed with clarity and restraint. The project’s reception positions Mark not only as a successful group member branching out solo, but as an artist capable of sustaining a complete and thoughtful body of work. The track “+82 Pressin’,” featuring Haechan, has also drawn international atte...