When a singer changes up their look after a while and releases new music, the moment is often called a comeback. Mononymous divas Madonna, Rihanna, and Cher are iconic testaments to this periodic phenomenon. For Taeyong, a member of the Korean pop group NCT, dyeing his hair a new color or mixing up the way he does his makeup is basically a monthly occurrence. He’s a chameleon, taking on a new look every time NCT or one of its subunits drops a new music video. This year alone, he’s transformed into at least five different people.

The word “comeback” has a special meaning in the K-pop world. Whenever a group releases an album or single, the first performance is referred to as a comeback. With it, the group takes on a different “concept,” or themed look, like the ‘90s, schoolgirl or boy, or even a tropical vacation.

For boy groups like NCT, a couple of the members will dye their hair a bright color or adjust their smoky-eye look to reflect their latest concept. These hair and makeup tweaks tend to be subtle. However, they’re always drastic for Taeyong. In the last six months alone, his hair has gone from blue to blonde to green to chocolate brown to red to several other shades of brown. His makeup changes with his dye jobs, too, becoming darker, subtler, or sparklier with each one. He's like the Method actor version of a K-pop star, fully embodying each song with his look and attitude.

When I’m on stage and the makeup and the whole look suits me, it boosts my confidence. It reflects what I do onstage and how I perform.

“For each comeback, [our stylists] change up my looks a lot,” Taeyong tells Allure. Because I’m based in New York and he was promoting NCT’s newest single, “Black on Black,” in Seoul, we chat over the phone at 1:30 a.m. ET. Noting that K-pop has so many visual elements like choreography and music videos to represent the music, Taeyong says NCT’s concepts, including hair and makeup, are another important element to reflect the music in a visual way. In fact, his hair and makeup become so ingrained in each song that when he performs them a couple months later with a whole new look, the song has a completely different vibe to it.

The NCT factor

Depending on the group, comebacks typically happen every three to six months. NCT, which stands for Neo-Culture Technology, is an anomaly, though. At the moment, it’s comprised of 18 members from Korea, Japan, Canada, Thailand, China, and the U.S., making it today’s largest K-pop group.

Although nine to 18 members of the group are typically onstage, Taeyong consistently stands out. You can thank NCT style director Ellena Yim for that. She has his look, as well as every member of the group's, down to a science. To put his style simply, she calls it "kaleidoscopic," and I couldn't agree more.

He can pull off bold hair colors and hairstyles, strong makeup, and flashy piercings or chokers all at once without making it feel like it’s ‘too much.’

“It’s usually important to find the right balance when putting hair, makeup, and fashion all together. If the hair is flashy, then makeup or accessories are usually kept minimal so that the overall look isn’t over-the-top,” she tells Allure. “But with Taeyong, we are able to try various styles that might be too bold or daring for others. For instance, he can pull off bold hair colors and hairstyles, strong makeup, and flashy piercings or chokers all at once without making it feel like it’s ‘too much,’” And damn, does he wear a diamond-studded choker well, might I add.

NCT’s extensive lineup isn’t the only aspect that sets it apart from other groups. Bear with me because things get a bit complex from here. To make it as simple as possible, I’ll use NCT’s newest album, Empathy, for context. It’s comprised of songs by not only NCT but also its subunits: NCT U, NCT 127, and NCT Dream. (Subunits are mini groups within a group that release songs and work on separate projects together.)