K-pop band 1VERSE debuts with 2 North Korean defector members

With two out of five of its members North Korean defectors, the K-pop group 1VERSE is breaking new ground as it debuts its single album Friday. The band represents an unusual convergence of backgrounds: North Korea-born rapper Hyuk and singer Seok join Nathan from Arkansas, Kenny from Los Angeles, and Aito from Japan. While not the first K-pop act to include North Korean defectors — BE BOYS' Hak Seong debuted earlier this year — the diversity of the group's members add a rare dimension to the genre's growing global diversity. The group debuts Friday with their single album "The 1st Verse" under Seoul-based label Singing Beetle. Their title track "Shattered" features lyrics co-written by Hyuk and Kenny. "With members from different countries all coming together as 1VERSE, I just thought ‘we can do this regardless of background’ going forward," said Aito, the group’s youngest member from Chiba, Japan. Hyuk, who lived in North Korea’s North Hamgyong Province until age 12, defected to the South in 2013. His journey to K-pop stardom began while working in a factory in South Korea,Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times