1Verse

South Korean boy band June 2025 1Verse 1VERSE in 2025 - 02 (cropped).jpg 1Verse in 2025L–R: Aito, Seok, Hyuk (top row);Kenny and Nathan (bottom row) Seoul, South Korea K-pop 2025–present Singing Beetle Hyuk Seok Aito Kenny Nathan 1Verse (유니버스; pronounced universe and stylized in all caps) is a South Korean boy band formed by Singing Beetle. The group consists of five members: Hyuk, Seok, Aito, Kenny and Nathan. Two members of the group (Hyuk and Seok) are from North Korea, making them the first South Korean boy group with North Korean defectors. They debuted on July 18, 2025, with the single album The 1st Verse. History Pre-debut Two of the five members of the band are North Korean defectors.https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c99vxpg55zmo BBC News How a North Korean went from begging to K-pop Ku, Yuna February 10, 2025 February 15, 2025 February 15, 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20250215184304/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c99vxpg55zmo live Yu Hyuk, one of the members, is from North Hamgyong Province and grew up with his father and grandmother, after his parents separated and his mother defected to South Korea. His family was poor and as a child he worked odd jobs, begged on the streets and sometimes stole food to survive.https://www.wsj.com/world/asia/north-korean-escapee-who-begged-on-the-streets-chases-k-pop-stardom-bc344958 The Wall Street Journal archive.today North Korean Escapee Who Begged on the Streets Chases K-Pop Stardom November 15, 2023 Sohn Jiyoung Yoon Dasl https://archive.today/20231120210100/https://www.wsj.com/world/asia/north-korean-escapee-who-begged-on-the-streets-chases-k-pop-stardom-bc344958 2023-11-20https://www.bbc.com/korean/articles/cpdqn418znyo BBC News Korean ko:'탈북 아이돌' 탄생할까...'거리의 꽃제비'가 무대 위에 서기까지 Will a "North Korean idol" be born? – From street begging to rising star ko September 23, 2024 February 15, 2025 October 7, 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20241007154340/https://www.bbc.com/korean/articles/cpdqn418znyo live He said that he usually ate only one meal a day and he never heard of K-pop music while in North Korea. Hyuk was contacted by his mother, who requested he join her in South Korea, and he undertook a six-month journey through several countries to escape, arriving in Seoul, South Korea, at age 13, in 2013. After arriving in South Korea, he became interested in K-pop, joining a music club in his first year of high school and writing rap lyrics.https://www.chosun.com/national/national_general/2024/09/25/LP6PRX5ON5AILN7JLYUKTOEIWY/ The Chosun Ilbo ko ko:쉰밥 훔쳐 먹던 꽃제비서 래퍼로… 탈북민 출신 아이돌 연말 美서 데뷔 September 25, 2024 A North Korean defector-turned-rapper who stole rice from a flower shop... Idol to debut in the US at the end of the year Hye-seung, Choi September 25, 2024 February 15, 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20240925005103/https://www.chosun.com/national/national_general/2024/09/25/LP6PRX5ON5AILN7JLYUKTOEIWY/ live The other North Korean member, Kim Seok, grew up in a region near China and was from a "relatively better-off family." He was able to listen to K-pop and watch South Korean television shows that were smuggled in with USBs and SD cards. He defected to South Korea in 2019 after several of his uncles had done so.https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10011859 The Korea Herald Meet 1VERSE, first K-pop boy band to feature North Korean defectors Jung-youn, Lee November 28, 2024 February 14, 2025 February 15, 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20250214102437/https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10011859 live He had been a football player in North Korea, but gave up the sport after defecting. In 2020, Hyuk met Michelle Cho, a former representative at SM Entertainment and the founder of independent label Singing Beetle. She offered to provide rap lessons and Hyuk left his job as a factory worker to enter music full-time in 2021. He thus became the first member of the boy group SB Boyz under the Singing Beetle label, later renamed to 1Verse (pronounced "universe"). A year and a half later, Seok was added to the group. Cho, their trainer, described the two as "blank canvases" and complete beginners, noting "they had absolutely no grasp of pop culture," but praised their development and ability to "endure physical challenges." In 2024, Hyuk released a rap song, titled "Ordinary Person" as part of a pre-debut project. By early 2024, the group had added two more members: Aito, who is Japanese and Korean, and Kenny, who is Chinese-American.https://www.chosun.com/english/kpop-culture-en/2024/10/26/GSXH36QT6NF7XOL53324HYGUVM/ The Chosun Ilbo "Won't people's perception of N. Korean defectors change through us?" Mi-geon, Kim October 28, 2024 February 14, 2025 February 15, 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20250214211848/https://www.chosun.com/english/kpop-culture-en/2024/10/26/GSXH36QT6NF7XOL53324HYGUVM/ live A fifth member, Nathan, an American of Lao and Thai descent, joined by the end of the year. On July 4, 2025, 1Verse released their pre-debut single, "Multiverse", co-produced by 1Verse member Hyuk. They also released a music video paired with the song.CHOSUNBIZ 2025-07-05 Multinational boy group 1VERSE pre-releases debut single ahead of July 18 launch https://biz.chosun.com/en/en-entertainment/2025/07/06/Y775ZBSLTJBFPGFOJXJXJ2FZJU/ 2025-07-08 CHOSUNBIZ en 2025–present: Debut On June 20, Singing Beetle announced that 1Verse would debut in July.Lee Jung-youn 2025-06-20 1Verse, K-pop group with North Korean defectors, to debut in July https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10514128 2025-06-25 The Korea Herald en Their debut single album The 1st Verse and the music video for its title track "Shattered" were released on July 18.'탈북민 멤버' 유니버스(1VERSE), 오늘 데뷔…"해외서 활동 시작" : 네이트 연예 https://m.news.nate.com/view/20250718n26657?mid=e02 2025-07-20 네이트 뉴스 ko In September 2025 it was announced via 1Verse official social media channels that Hyuk would be taking a hiatus from the group due to personal and health reasons.Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/DOPrNhfAbe0/?hl=en&img_index=1 2025-10-17 www.instagram.com In October 2025 1Verse announced their first tour titled "Shattered",1VERSE US TOUR 2025 https://1verse.bstage.in/contents/68dea1bd70dd1d273c4df3cd 2025-10-17 1VERSE Official Fan Community en which began in January 2026.Kim Jae-heun A first journey beyond borders https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10658395 The Korea Herald ko 19 January 2026 In January 2026, 1Verse released their first comeback, a single by the name of "WABIF" (Wide Awake Before I Fall). Members Hyuk (혁 no) Seok (석 no) Aito (아이토 no) Kenny (케니 no) Nathan (네이슨 no) Timeline width:900 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:60 bottom:60 top:5 right:0 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:07/18/2025 till: TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom ScaleMajor = unit:month increment:1 start:07/18/2025 gridcolor:black Colors = id:a value:red legend:Active id:b value:gray(0.3) legend:Inactive id:bars value:gray(0.05) BackgroundColors = bars:bars BarData = bar:Hyuk text:"Hyuk" bar:Seok text:"Seok" bar:Aito text:"Aito" bar:Kenny text:"Kenny" bar:Nathan text:"Nathan" PlotData = width:11 textcolor:black align:left bar:Hyuk from:start till:09/06/2025 color:a bar:Hyuk from:09/06/2025 till:end color:b bar:Seok from:start till:05/18/2026 color:a bar:Seok from:05/18/2026 till:end color:b bar:Aito from:start till:end color:a bar:Kenny from:start till:end color:a bar:Nathan from:start till:end color:a Discography Single albums Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales KORhttps://circlechart.kr/page_chart/album.circle?nationGbn=T&targetTime=29&hitYear=2025&termGbn=week&yearTime=3 The 1st Verse July 24, 2025 The 1st Verse Released: July 18, 2025 Label: Singing Beetle Format: CD, digital download, streaming Track listing # "Multiverse" "Shattered" (English version) "Shattered" (Korean version) 39 KOR: 5,598Cumulative Sales of The 1st Verse: https://circlechart.kr/page_chart/album.circle?nationGbn=T&targetTime=29&hitYear=2025&termGbn=week&yearTime=3 Album Chart: 2025 Week 29 Circle Chart ko July 24, 2025 https://circlechart.kr/page_chart/album.circle?nationGbn=T&targetTime=38&hitYear=2025&termGbn=week&yearTime=3 Album Chart: 2025 Week 38 Circle Chart ko September 25, 2025 https://circlechart.kr/page_chart/album.circle?nationGbn=T&targetTime=41&hitYear=2025&termGbn=week&yearTime=3 Album Chart: 2025 Week 41 Circle Chart ko October 16, 2025 https://circlechart.kr/page_chart/album.circle?nationGbn=T&targetTime=44&hitYear=2025&termGbn=week&yearTime=3 Album Chart: 2025 Week 44 Circle Chart ko November 19, 2025 Singles TitleYearAlbum "Multiverse" 2025 The 1st Verse "Shattered" "WABIF (Wide Awake Before I Fall)" 2026 "Loop" Loop References Category:K-pop music groups Category:South Korean boy bands Category:Musical groups established in 2025 Category:South Korean pop music groups Category:2025 establishments in South Korea Category:North Korean defectors