NCT WISH and Mark Top Hanter Chart’s April Monthly Album Rankings, Reaffirming NCT’s Strong Brand Power

The boy group NCT WISH and Mark dominated the music scene in April. According to the Hanter Chart’s April monthly album rankings released on May 1, NCT WISH’s second mini-album “poppop” ranked first, while Mark’s first solo album “The Firstfruit” came in second. Released on April 14, NCT WISH’s “poppop” became a million-selling album thanks to its initial weekly sales figures. After topping major domestic album charts, winning three awards on music shows, and reaching number one on Korea’s Apple Music Top 100, it also secured two consecutive weeks at number one on China’s QQ Music K-pop weekly chart, number one on Japan’s AWA real-time rising chart, number one on Japan’s YouTube trending videos chart, and number two on Korea’s YouTube trending music chart, thus solidifying its status as the top artist of 2025. The title track “poppop” earned the title of “ultimate refreshing track” with lyrics that depict the excitement of first love like a fairy tale, a melody filled with extreme freshness, and a stunning performance. On April 14, the day the album was released, the chat event hosted on China’s QQ Music received over 500,000 comments, setting a new record for K-pop artists. Mark, who released his first solo album “The Firstfruit” on April 7, achieved half-million sales. He topped major domestic album charts, won three awards on music shows, ranked first on China’s QQ Music digital album sales chart, number one on Japan’s Oricon daily album chart, and number one on Japan’s AWA real-time rising chart. He also appeared on Spotify’s Top Albums Global Debut chart and the UK Official Charts’ download and single sales charts. With the title track “1999,” Mark introduced himself as a new pop star by blending a grand yet lively sound with his birth year, name, and aspirations as an artist. Mark and NCT WISH are set to perform at “SMTOWN LIVE 2025” in Mexico City on May 9 and in Los Angeles, USA, on May 11. Meanwhile, NCT WISH will hold its first photo exhibition, “NCT WISH THE 1ST PHOTO EXHIBITION [ONE SUMMER WISH]”, from May 15 to June 1 on Itaewon-ro in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. After the Seoul show, the exhibition is planned to take place in Tokyo, Japan as well. The first photo book accompanying the exhibition, “ONE SUMMER WISH,” will be available for purchase at the exhibition site starting May 15, with pre-orders opening online on May 23.