Former NCT member Mark Lee starts solo era with independent label Upper Room

Mark Lee released his new single My Friend on Thursday, marking his first release under Upper Room and the start of his independent solo chapter. The track favors restrained production and was written, composed and arranged by Lee. Its music video, directed by Gus Black, also keeps a minimalist visual style. Lee also launched an official fan community on Weverse Wednesday, adding a Voice Mailbox feature.

My Friend is Lee’s inaugural release under Upper Room, the creative company he founded.

Lee contributed to the songwriting, composition and arrangement of the track.

The song uses a nostalgic guitar loop and a mid-tempo pop arrangement.

Director Gus Black handled the music video, which avoids computer graphics and artificial staging.

Lee launched an official fan community on Weverse Wednesday with a Voice Mailbox feature, and his Laylo launch drew over 42,000 fans within the first hour.

Published Sep 10, 2026 11:44 am KST

The cover image of Mark Lee's new single "My Friend" / Courtesy of Upper Room

Mark Lee — the artist and rapper best known as a core member of the global supergroup NCT — released his new single “My Friend” Thursday, marking a pivotal departure from the glossy mechanics of mainstream pop and laying the cornerstone for a new independent chapter.

The track serves as his inaugural release under Upper Room, a creative company founded by Lee. Rather than leaning on maximalist production, “My Friend” leans comfortably into restraint. Built over a nostalgic, lingering guitar loop, the mid-tempo pop track wrestles with a timeless late-summer question: What does the highest form of love actually look like?

Mark took the reins across every stage of the track's creation, contributing to the songwriting, composition and arrangement. The result is less of a commercial product and more of a personal diary entry — a gentle reflection on closing one chapter of life to step quietly into the next.

That ethos carries directly into the song's accompanying music video.

Steering entirely clear of computer graphics or artificial staging, director Gus Black — known for his recent work with American singer-songwriter sombr — focuses on space, sound and the artist himself. The visual treatment mirrors the track's understated tone, capturing Lee without the usual pop star armor.

The release comes alongside a rapid expansion of his direct-to-fan universe.

Lee launched an official fan community on the global platform Weverse Wednesday, debuting an interactive "Voice Mailbox" feature that allows listeners to leave spoken messages. The move follows his recent launch on the communications platform Laylo, which drew over 42,000 fans within the first hour.

In an industry dominated by high-concept visual productions, the release takes a minimalist approach. By focusing on stripped-back instrumentation and personal songwriting, "My Friend" reflects Lee's transition from group performer to self-directed artist with direct creative control over his catalog.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.

Mark Lee于周四发布了全新单曲《My Friend》，这是他加入Upper Room厂牌后的首支单曲，也标志着他独立单飞生涯的正式开启。这首歌曲制作风格简约，由Lee亲自创作、谱曲和编曲。其MV由Gus Black执导，同样采用了极简主义的视觉风格。此外，Lee还在周三于Weverse平台推出了官方粉丝社区，并新增了语音信箱功能。

《我的朋友》是李在自己创立的创意公司 Upper Room 旗下发行的首张专辑。

Lee参与了这首歌的词曲创作、作曲和编曲。

这首歌采用了怀旧的吉他循环乐段和中速流行乐编曲。

导演格斯·布莱克负责执导音乐录影带，该录影带避免使用电脑图形和人为布景。

Lee 于周三在 Weverse 上推出了官方粉丝社区，并配备了语音信箱功能，他的 Laylo 上线后，在第一小时内就吸引了超过 42,000 名粉丝。

发布于2026年9月10日上午11:44（韩国标准时间）

Mark Lee新单曲《My Friend》的封面图片/由Upper Room提供

Mark Lee——这位以全球超级组合 NCT 核心成员而闻名的艺术家兼说唱歌手——于周四发布了他的新单曲《My Friend》，这标志着他与主流流行音乐光鲜亮丽的机制有了重大的转变，并为新的独立篇章奠定了基础。

这首歌是他加入Upper Room厂牌后的首支单曲，Upper Room是由Lee创立的创意公司。与追求极致的制作风格不同，《My Friend》采用了克制的编曲方式。这首中速流行歌曲以一段怀旧而悠长的吉他循环为基础，探讨了一个永恒的夏末问题：爱的最高境界究竟是什么？

马克全程掌控了这首歌的创作，参与了词曲创作、作曲和编曲。最终的作品与其说是商业作品，不如说更像是一篇个人日记——温柔地反思着人生一个篇章的结束，以及悄然迈入下一个篇章的过程。

这种精神也直接体现在歌曲的配套音乐视频中。

导演格斯·布莱克（Gus Black）——他曾与美国创作型歌手sombr合作——完全摒弃了电脑特效和人为的舞台布景，而是专注于空间、声音和艺术家本人。视觉呈现与歌曲低调的基调相呼应，展现了卸下流行巨星光环的李的真实一面。

此次发行正值他面向粉丝的直接营销体系迅速扩张之际。

李安周三在全球平台Weverse上推出了官方粉丝社区，并首次亮相了互动式“语音信箱”功能，允许听众留言。此前，他刚刚在通讯平台Laylo上线，并在短短一小时内吸引了超过4.2万名粉丝。

在以高概念视觉制作为主导的行业中，这张专辑采取了极简主义的风格。通过精简的乐器编配和个人化的歌曲创作，《我的朋友》体现了李从组合成员到独立音乐人的转变，他现在能够直接掌控自己的作品。

本文由生成式人工智能协助发布，并由《韩国时报》编辑。