NRG debuted on October 28, 1997 on the cable music program "Music Tank" (ko) with the single "I Can Do It" (할 수 있어). Two weeks after their debut, the group held an MC spot for ten weeks on the show. Their first album "New Radiancy Group" sold over 200,000 copies in South Korea. At the 1998 SBS Popular Song Awards, NRG won the New Face Award (Best Male New Artist). According to H.O.T members Moon Hee-joon and Tony An, they had initially considered NRG their professional rival rather than Sechs Kies as NRG introduced acrobatic stunts into their choreography, which was considered groundbreaking at that time.