1Verse debuts with diverse background, single vision

1Verse, another ambitious rookie group, embarked on a musical journey on Friday with its first album “The 1st Verse.”

The five-member group consists of Hyuk and Seok -- both of whom were born in North Korea and later defected to South Korea -- along with Japanese member Aito; Kenny, who is Chinese American; and Nathan, a Laotian-Thai American.

The group name, 1Verse, means each member brings their unique “verse” to form a unified “universe” of stories and identity. “It can be lonelier as a verse, but together we can form a song. It means we each bring stories and verses from our lives, and make our own universe together,” said Kenny during the press conference held in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Friday.

“Shattered,” the main track of the group's debut single "The 1st Verse," blends hip-hop energy with pop sensibility, featuring aggressive rap verses, catchy hooks and emotional melodies. The group said the song expresses the chaos and confusion one feels when “the whole room seems to fall apart.”

“We tried to depict that through raw lyrics and explosive sounds,” said Kenny, who participated in the songwriting.

Hyuk added with a smile, “Our CEO made me record the rap verse 11 or 12 times. It was fun, but painful.”

“Everyone goes through a moment when their world feels like it’s falling apart. Our members have been there too, and we tried to reflect that in the lyrics,” he said.

Prerelease track “Multiverse,” which was released on July 4, is a retro-flavored, bright pop track. Hyuk participated in songwriting and lyric writing, while Aito created choreography.

“The message of this song is 'I will love you in every version of the world, in every version of you.' It’s something we want to say to ourselves, but especially something we want to tell our fans. You deserve to be loved,” explained Aito.

Though not included in the album, the group also performed “Ordinary Person,” a track composed by Hyuk and originally released as a mixtape on YouTube before the group's debut. The song reflects his powerful desire to “live like an ordinary person” after defecting from North Korea.

Hyuk defected from North Korea in 2013 at the age of 13, while Seok defected in 2018, when he was 18.