For years, Yuta Nakamoto has been inspired by butterflies. He has permanently branded himself with a butterfly tattoo on one hip bone, and performed a song titled "Butterfly" at NCT 127 concerts. As a metaphor for his career as a K-pop star, the butterfly’s cocoon seems to have finally split apart to announce a new stage of life: YUTA's first-ever solo album, Depth.
Performed in Japanese and English, Depth seems an atypical release compared to other solo efforts from many K-pop stars. It’s rock-oriented rather than dance, hip-hop or R&B-focused, a sonic portrayal of the energy and vibrancy YUTA has showcased throughout his career.
In his decade-plus in entertainment, YUTA has metamorphosed multiple times. As a teenager, YUTA moved from Japan to South Korea to pursue a career as a K-pop star, debuting in SM Entertainment’s NCT 127, and the larger NCT team, in 2016. He's since showcased his skills as a dancer, singer, and actor, but did not release any solo music.
YUTA is the fourth of NCT 127’s eight members to release a solo album — Taeyong, Doyoung and Jaehyun have each released stylistically distinct albums — and spent much of 2024 hinting at his first-ever official release that wasn’t a group effort or a cover. In early August, the Japanese social media accounts for NCT suddenly announced YUTA's first-ever solo tour, titled Hope, beginning in Japan in the fall. The tour became a tacit announcement that he would be releasing his first-ever solo songs sooner rather than later.
Depth arrived digitally on Oct. 3, with a physical release to follow on Nov. 13 (delayed digital-physical release dates are common in Japan). The title of the seven-song EP promises a lot, going deeper than ever before, and it has to: After a decade of activity, YUTA has the opportunity to make a new first impression as a solo act.
Depth is the result of years of preparation, fueled by YUTA's own desires for growth and improvement — as a person and performer in the highly competitive K-pop universe. In a 2022 behind-the-scenes video, YUTA revealed that the butterfly metaphor reflected his drive to reach new heights through hard work: "I want to change," he said. "I want to fly up from where I am."
That evolution is apparent throughout Depth, which literally tears "Off The Mask" off his K-pop boy band persona, leaning into the theatricality and energy of Japanese rock. On that track, YUTA aggressively starts this new era on his own terms, stepping out of the more familiar realm of NCT and into the spotlight that he’s made for himself: "Tonight, I’ll show you my other side," he professes as if acknowledging this isn’t a new him, but a part of him he hasn’t had a chance to showcase as much yet.
It’s a dramatic song accompanying a dramatic album, with a music video and album art wrapped in crimson-tinges. With his mask off, YUTA seems determined to bask in the spotlight and revel in his rockstar energy. While Depth doesn’t feel like a total reversal from YUTA's persona and output with NCT 127, it is certainly a revelation of what’s been promised, finally bursting free.
A love of rock music has been a longstanding source of creative and emotional inspiration. In a 2020 interview with Japanese fashion outlet Men’s Non-No, YUTA said, "I feel right when I’m listening to rock music."
Rock is at the heart of Depth; its songs ebb between harder rock and alt-rock, while adding some more pop-ish moments. Over the years, YUTA has frequently referenced acts that inspired his musical tastes, telling Japanese outlet Real Sound in 2021 that he loves iconic Japanese rock bands like ONE OK ROCK and L'Arc-en-Ciel. In an interview with members of NCT 127, YUTA recently told Billboard that he’s been listening to a lot of Linkin Park lately.
Every track on Depth is reflective and sentimental, while holding true to YUTA's rock interests. Rock ballad opener "Last Song" sets the mood with professions of growth coming from past mistakes and regrets, and the assertion that "You can always start over again." Then there’s the anthemic "Save You," in which YUTA shares his intent to chase the future on his own terms. It’s followed by the revelrous "Bad Euphoria," which sees YUTA joyously singing about shucking off stigmas and unleashing desires, and feels like it would fit right in with the late-aughts alt-rock scene.
Learn more: NCT 127 Essential Songs: 14 Tracks You Need To Know From The K-Pop Juggernauts
In 2019, YUTA had told Men’s Non-No about his approach to creative evolution: "I still have a long way to go in terms of dancing and singing, but I want to take on more challenges," he said. "I think the more you do it the more confidence you gain, and once you have confidence, all you have to do is work hard so that you can show it to everyone."
Five years later, that confidence and drive has played out in a way that feels earnest to his personality as the punkish, humorous and artsy member of NCT 127, where he’s often been spotlighted as a dancer more than a singer. "When it comes to performing as a team, we’re able to cover each other in areas we may be personally lacking," YUTA told Teen Vogue in 2022. "But when it comes to solo stages, we’re alone and there’s a lot more we can put into it including our emotions."
As such, it’s impossible not to look into Depth as a reflection, if not autobiography, of the performer.
Prior to Depth, YUTA had never released a song on his own, or even in a duet. While he had released covers of different artists — such as TVXQ! and Bring Me The Horizon — interpretive solo performances of "Butterfly" remained the only showcase of the soloist hidden behind the bright smile and devil may care attitude. Instead, much of YUTA ’s creative expression was visual arts and fashion oriented; he is a Louis Vuitton brand ambassador and has expressed the desire to launch his own fashion line. As tie-in merch for the album, he designed two devil cartoon characters, Yu and Uta, that reflect his personal style and roguish personality.
YUTA's sartorial sensibility appears to apply to how he approaches not only creative arts but the craft of his own music. "I have a clear sense of the style that I want, I don't get swayed by trends, or what's popular," he told Variety earlier this year. That sense of confidence plays out across the album, which doesn’t cater to trends but thrives on its own terms.
All seven tracks on Depth are intensely concerned with themes of perception and growth, self-discovery, and relationships with others. YUTA’s voice is a versatile enhancement of these themes, undulating between his standard rich harmonies and metal-esque wails, as well as energetic pop-rock outbursts.
From among these offerings, it is "Prisoner" that has become a favorite for many of YUTA’s fans thanks to its sweeping rock melodies and its earnest lyrics. "I know I’m not the perfect person, I know I’ll never be," he declares in the opening before spending the rest of the song expressing a desire to be free from expectations, and ultimately just "be myself."
Depth nears its end with the penultimate melancholy of "Goodbye," a song he recalled writing in just 15 minutes while reflecting on thoughts of regrets and wanting to turn back time, and ruminating on what it means to move on. Then, the album ends with a bit of a timewarp itself, closing with "Butterfly," finally releasing that song he premiered three years years ago, moving away from the original electronic aspects and turning it into a full-blown rock track. Like the titular creature,"Butterfly" flutters around in spurts of emotional intensity, driving home the lyrical ideals of evolving and flying as high as one possibly can. The song, and the album, ends with dramatized whispers, as YUTA confirms one last time that he will never stop believing in himself.
A debut album with a decade’s worth of work behind it, Depth ultimately lives up to its titular promise, delving deeper than ever before into YUTA’s artistry and lyrical philosophy.