Lucas

Lucas (루카스), born Wong Yuk-hei, broke into K-pop through NCT in 2018 with the kind of screen presence that made him instantly legible beyond the usual rookie cycle. The Hong Kong rapper and performer moved quickly from SM's expanding NCT system into WayV, then into a more global-facing lane as one of the label's most visible crossover bets.

That early scale is why his later reset carried so much weight. After leaving NCT and WayV in 2023, Lucas stayed with SM Entertainment long enough to launch a solo phase built around Renegade, his April 1, 2024 single project with three English-language tracks. The release framed him less as a returning idol and more as an artist trying to redraw the outline of his public identity.

SM closed that chapter on April 24, 2026 when the company ended his exclusive contract, leaving Lucas outside both the group structure and the agency system that launched him. The first act is well known. The next one now has to stand on its own.