K-pop boy band AMPERS&ONE / Courtesy of FNC Entertainment
Rookie stars hope to become more approachable to fans
By Dong Sun-hwa
Beginnings can be difficult. This was the case for the seven members of rookie K-pop boy group AMPERS&ONE, who had to calm their nerves during an interview with The Korea Times a few days before their debut on Nov. 15.
The septet — Kamden, Brian, Jiho, Siyun, Mackiah, Kyrell and Seungmo — set foot inside a studio in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, with glowing smiles and a friendly greeting, but could not hide their nervousness. Nonetheless, they tried their best to answer all questions without rambling, offering a sneak peek into their upcoming musical journey.
“The adjective ‘friendly’ best defines us,” said leader Jiho, who appeared on the 2023 audition program, “Boys Planet” with his bandmate Kamden. “People often find celebrities inaccessible, but we hope we can make them feel comfortable approaching us, as if they were making real friends.” The group’s name is the combination of the word, “ampersand” — formerly the 27th letter of the English alphabet, meaning “and” — and the word “one.” As the name implies, the group intends to become a team of different “ones” who chase their dreams together. AMPERS&ONE is the first K-pop act formed by FNC Entertainment following its launch of boy group P1HARMONY in 2020. The label previously gave birth to a legion of prominent stars including F.T. Island, CNBLUE, AOA and SF9. AMPERS&ONE has an international flavor with members Mackiah and Brian hailing from Australia and Canada, respectively. Both Kamden and Kyrell lived in Seattle before heading to Seoul, and they have mutual friends. Jiho, Siyun and Seungmo are Korean nationals. Asked about the reason for pursuing a career in the K-pop industry, Mackiah said he first applied for an audition after making a deal with his mother. “My mother wanted me to become a celebrity, so she suggested I take part in a K-pop audition in exchange for pocket money,” the 17-year-old recalled with a playful smile. “So I gave it a shot and passed it in one go. Now, I am really thankful to my mom for leading me to the K-pop world. I also got my allowance.” For Kyrell, Jungkook of Grammy-nominated boy band BTS inspired him to become a K-pop star. “After watching Jungkook’s videos on YouTube, I thought he was really cool and I wanted to follow in his footsteps,” he said. “I also became more interested in K-pop, so I applied for an audition while I was preparing for college. I passed it and that’s how I came to Korea.” In the case of Kamden and Jiho, the pair made their names known to the public on “Boys Planet,” which helped them delve deeper into themselves and undergo positive changes. “I had my first-ever camera rehearsal on the program and learned different ways to be seen as more attractive on the screen,” Kamden revealed. “With this opportunity, I realized that the left side of my face looks better and that I look less visually appealing when I smile widely. But more importantly, I grasped the chance to sing and dance in front of the crowds for the first time and learned how happy I feel when performing on stage.” Echoing this sentiment, Jiho added, “Before appearing on ‘Boys Planet,’ I often got nervous on stage. But thanks to the show, I came to enjoy performing and gained more confidence as well. I could witness how my mindset has changed in a positive way.” Built up experience, the seven AMPERS&ONE members arrived on the K-pop scene with their self-titled debut album, “AMPERSAND ONE.” “Our album signals the beginning of our musical journey,” Jiho explained. “It is fronted by the lead single, ‘On And On,’ an easy-listening pop dance track with a refreshing vibe. But its choreography is not so easy to follow and is very energetic.” According to the boys, its lyrics show their determination to proceed despite the hurdles. The album also carries two other tunes — “Sweet & Sour” and “Sheesh” — characterized by sweet and breezy sounds. During the 30-minute interview, the fledgling stars also shared some interesting yet unknown facts about themselves to whet their fans’ appetite. Kamden, for instance, is a tidy person who always keeps the group’s dormitory clean, while Jiho is an outstanding bowling player. Kyrell has been playing golf for six years and Brian loves swimming. As soon as Siyun said he excels at grilling meat — especially samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly) — Kamden chimed in, saying, “He garnishes his dish so beautifully that I often feel sorry about eating it.” Mackiah, who used to live in Korea’s southeastern port city of Busan, can speak the dialect of the region. “I was born in Australia, but my family moved to Busan soon after my birth,” he explained. “Since I lived there for about seven years, I know how to speak the Busan dialect.” Seungmo said his cheeks often turn red. Although AMPERS&ONE knows that surviving in the competitive K-pop industry is not a piece of cake, they still think big and aim high. Siyun, for example, hopes his team can take the stage at the renowned halftime show of the Super Bowl, the annual championship game of the National Football League (NFL). Brian’s dream is to perform at Times Square in New York City. “It will be great if AMPERS&ONE becomes the group that first pops up in people’s heads when they think of K-pop,” Jiho added. Revealing that his group does not have a specific role model, Kamden noted he has been learning a myriad of things from different stars. “In the case of P1HARMONY, its members have taught us how we can perform better on stage and how we should talk and communicate,” he said. “Another big goal of mine is to maintain a good relationship with our followers for a long time.” ! function(f, b, e, v, n, t, s) { if (f.fbq) return; n = f.fbq = function() { n.callMethod ? n.callMethod.apply(n, arguments) : n.queue.push(arguments) }; if (!f._fbq) f._fbq = n; n.push = n; n.loaded = !0; n.version = ‘2.0’; n.queue = []; t = b.createElement(e); t.async = !0; t.src = v; s = b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(t, s) }(window, document, ‘script’, ‘https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js’); fbq(‘init’, ‘2240470362946308’); fbq(‘track’, ‘PageView’);
