Note: I made all the moodboards for the concepts of the songs please don’t use them for anything it would be kind of weird if you did.
Hold Up (Ft. SHINee’s Key)
Hold Up was released on April 20, 2015. The members included in this particular song were only Kangwoo and DeeD. It also had Taeyong and Hansol. This song started the storyline of NCT Ice. Hold Up is a dance based song so it has a dance version and a music video. The MV shows the LIGHT side of their storyline.
Basics of the music video:
The MV would show the boys laughing and having fun, being boys if you will. They jump around and shoot each other with water guns, but then the screen goes black. “Hold Up” is written as the breakdown starts and the concept seems to turn dark. The water guns flickered from being “real” to being regular water guns again.
The screen goes black, “hold up” is written again. The boys drop their water guns and run into each other's arms. Kangwoo runs into DeeD’s arms, Hansol into Taeyong’s. As soon as they get to each other Hansol and DeeD turns to dust. The screen flickers and the words, “really come back to me” appear and disappear.
When the screen stops flickering it shows DeeD and Kangwoo crying as Hansol and Taeyong seem to have disappeared. The words “hold up” appear on the screen yet again. Hansol and Taeyong have come back to the other two boys. They reunite with a hug.
The screen turns black and the music stops. Kangwoo is speaking to DeeD. “We shouldn’t of come here, this was not meant to happen. We aren’t supposed to be here”
During most of the music, video Key seemed to be watching the boys in a way that could be deemed as “stalking.” Key also seemed like he was a voice in the boys’ heads.
The video ends with a black screen that says “The story has only just begun.”
Family (Kangwoo X Kang Daniel)
Family was released October 12, 2015, a whole year before NCT Ice’s official debut. The song consisted of only Kangwoo and his little brother Daniel. The storyline of this one shows more of Kangwoo’s side and the song is kind of dark. Kangwoo has admitted that the lyrics are a lot lighter than what the music video shows, however, it is also important to show it. This song was purely story driven and there was no dancing showed at any point in the music video. The song has more of the traditional NCT pop/hip hop sound to it.
Basics of the music video:
It starts the way it began, Daniel desperately trying to reach for his brother as he cries, when it starts there is no sound but rain and weeping. The scene switching back and forth between a hospital scene and the scene before, of the crying younger boy.
Once the music starts, everything seems to go back but it’s eerie as if it wasn’t really how things should’ve happened. Daniel and Kangwoo are playing video games but the screen is static and their eyes looked fixated on each other instead of the screen. Kangwoo throws the controller at Daniel then the scene changes.
The boys are now standing in the street as rain pours down on them, hands interlaced with one another as if they are scared to lose each other. Kangwoo’s eyes seem to darken as the two of them are shaken up. Suddenly the two are ripped apart by an unseen force causing Kangwoo to panic, he clearly doesn’t want to lose his younger brother.
The scene switches, Kangwoo is on his knees, screaming. He’s begging for something. The screen goes black for a moment as the song says “but our love is forever, for we are family.”
It turns back time, Kangwoo is holding a sick Daniel in his arms. He’s running to the hospital with his little brother in his arms, fearful of what may happen. The screen goes black again.
This time it shows Kangwoo in the hospital bed, he’s not bleeding but there is clearly something going wrong, then the music video ends saying “our family is forever.” as it shows the same scene as in the beginning, the crying being drowned out by a wave of text saying “this isn’t over yet.”
Hold Me (Mini ft TWICE’s Momo)
Hold Me was released on August 21, 2016, with NCT Ice member Mini and TWICE member Momo. In this song, the video shows strictly story much like Family did. Momo and Mini play a couple in the music video. The song has more of a slow-paced rock sound different for both Momo and Mini at the time. Both the song and music video are a bit dark, a lot of fans were shocked by the music video, especially TWICE fans as it’s something Momo has never done before. During an interview Mini actually admitted it was him who asked Momo to be on the song as he didn’t like the options SM brought up to him since he knew what the idea was for the music video.
Basics of the music video:
The music video starts with Mini covered in blood and a high pitched sound with bright white lights beaming in the young boy's eyes. He holds his arm over his eyes slightly to cover them from the insanely bright light before him. There’s a loud crashing sound. The scene cuts and when it comes back the two are running through the woods holding hands tightly.
As the two of them are running through the woods you can hear their heavy breathing. Momo trips and Mini instantly stops to help the girl up, not wanting to leave her behind for some reason. They are clearly running away from something, but what? The two of them are bloody as they keep running.
The scene cuts and the music starts, dark and oddly soothing. It shows Momo looking over Mini as he’s staring at his hands, he’s covering up his arms quickly when he sees her. He smiles and kisses the older girl lightly on her cheek. She’s crying at the sight of him, he’s weak and sickly looking.
Momo guides the sick boy downstairs where they sit and eat. He picks at his food as he gets lost in thoughts, the scene cuts and goes into the past to the memory that Mini was reliving.
Mini is laying in the hospital bed as Momo is looking terrified. Mini reaches his hand for her with blurry vision but the doctors won’t let her near him no matter how hard she fights them.
The scene cuts and Momo is now holding the boy in her arms. He’s shaking and bloody. The scene cuts again and it shows the couple in a recording studio. It cuts back to the scene before shortly after, where Mini was shaking and bleeding.
The scene cuts again and they are on a date. They are watching a movie and cuddling, everything seems to be good in this memory but it’s not. They seem to be internally battling with one another as they are cuddling.
The scene cuts and it’s back to the scene of Momo and Mini eating, he suddenly stands up and pulls Momo to her feet as he holds her. The scene cuts and shows Mini in a hospital bed yet again but this time Momo isn’t anywhere to be seen.
The scene then cuts back to the very beginning with Mini covered in blood and covering his eyes with his arm then quietly cuts back to another hospital scene for a short moment you can’t see who is in the hospital bed but something obviously happened to one or both of them.
The music video ends with the sound of a flat line and Mini and Momo having a conversation in weak voices.
Mini: I love you, please forgive me... Momo
Momo: You’ll always be forgiven by me, my love
Mini: This shouldn’t have happened... Not yet
With that, the music video turns into a black screen that says “I trusted you.”
Heartbroken was released January 28, 2019, with NCT Ice members Justin, Haru, and Kangwoo. The storyline is pretty straight forward with this song, it doesn’t follow their normal storyline though, but the story is told fully in one song so it isn’t one that needs to take a series of music videos like their storyline does. Suran is not in the music video but she does sing in the song.
Basics of the music video:
It’s kind of a stereotypical heartbreak song. The three boys were in love with the same girl and she didn’t love them. It’s clear that she was using the trio and trying to turn them against each other.
The three boys were always fighting each other and at each other's throats because of this girl. They didn’t realize it at first, they just thought they fought a lot because they were falling out of the friendships they had.
The three boys seemed to snap out of it and they collectively kicked her out of their lives while being heartbroken, but it’s what they needed to do.
Don’t Stop The Music (ft. EXO’s Chanyeol)
Don’t Stop The Music was released March 1, 2019, with NCT Ice members DeeD, Haru, and Mini. Chanyeol actually picked the members he wanted to perform this song with as he and DeeD were the ones who wrote and produced it. Kangwoo and DeeD made a demo of the song for Chanyeol and Chanyeol picked who he thought best fit the song, and SM agreed with it. The song doesn’t completely follow their concept, but there are some scenes that do.
Basics of the music video:
The song is very fun but the notable scenes are the ones that showcase NCT Ice’s storyline.
Haru and Mini are holding hands as the wind picks up and DeeD comes out of nowhere, he seems to be wanting the younger two boys to follow him. When they do they are transported to a forest, Mini seems to recognize the place as he grips Haru’s hand and starts to run. DeeD chases the younger boys with a strange glint in his gaze. The scene switches back to the boys having fun with Chanyeol.
When it switches back to the boys, DeeD is gone again and Mini and Haru are panting as they hide behind a tree. They look scared but Haru smirks and shoves the younger boy over, Mini weakly falls over and glares at the older boy, he goes to throw dirt at Haru but he seems to fade away with the dirt as it blows away in the wind. The scene goes back to the fun music video aspect of it.
When it switches back Mini is alone in a dark alleyway looking for Haru and DeeD, he seems to be calling for them but with no luck, he ends up tripping and cracking his head open, the music video then switches back to the fun aspect yet again and it doesn’t switch back again.
The music video ends with Chanyeol looking sad and alone, he seems to be a new part of the storyline suddenly.
