by martina rexrode
photo courtesy of fnc entertainment
The current generation of K-pop is full of multifaceted, diverse talent unlike anything the industry has seen before in such a large quantity. AMPERS&ONE is one such group. Consisting of members from South Korea, Canada, Australia, and the U.S., the seven-member boy group utilizes their multicultural identity to their full advantage — catering both their music and their imagery to fans from all over the world. We spoke to AMPERS&ONE about their fourth mini-album, DEFINITION, how they define themselves over two years into their career, and their upcoming U.S. tour.
How are you all feeling with your fourth mini-album, DEFINITION, dropping in just over a week?
KAMDEN: “Super hyped to be back after eight months, and I'm really curious about how the ANDEARS would think of our new album.”
BRIAN: “I'm feeling super excited and nervous at the same time. We made a comeback in over eight months, and we hope this comeback will do well!”
JIHO: “We’re really excited as the comeback gets closer day by day, especially since we put so much effort into preparing this album. We’ve practiced a lot, so we feel confident—and honestly, we can’t wait to come back.”
SIYUN: “I’m incredibly excited and thrilled to finally show everything we’ve prepared.”
KYRELL: “Very excited but also very nervous. It’s always nerve-wracking towards the end because you never know how people will respond when they first hear the album.”
MACKIAH: “I’m very excited for this album because it has been eight months since our last comeback! I’m excited to be back on stage and to be able to meet our ANDEAR again!”
SEUNGMO: “Since it’s our first comeback in eight months, we’re really eager to show our performances to our fans as soon as possible. All of the members worked incredibly hard on this album, so we’re even more excited for what’s to come.”
Do you feel that this mini-album presents AMPERS&ONE in a different light? Did it allow you to dive into new sounds?
KAMDEN: “It's a very new sound that we have never shown before, so in that way, kinda nervous to show it to ANDEAR, but at the same time, we are really confident with the new album.”
BRIAN: “I think this album definitely shows us in a different light because we've never done this type of concept before. The sounds in this album are pretty unique in my opinion, so I can't wait for people to listen to it.”
JIHO: “We believe this comeback marks a new chapter for us. Musically and performance-wise, it’s a fresh and highly conceptual album, so we’re excited to show a completely new side of AMPERS&ONE.”
SIYUN: “Starting from the intro of the title track, the drum sounds and overall production really highlight a new side of us.”
KYRELL: “Absolutely, I think this mini album presents a much more mature side of AMPERS&ONE. We tried some new sounds as well. Our title track, ‘GOD,’ is a great example of that as it incorporates a blend of traditional Korean instruments with modern sounds.”
MACKIAH: “Definitely! This album has many unique sounds, and I think the most unique would be our title track, ‘GOD.’ We’re always trying new sounds, and I’m excited for the reaction of our fans to this album!”
SEUNGMO: “It’s a concept we’re trying for the first time, and it incorporates traditional Korean sounds, which makes it feel even fresher. It was definitely a new challenge for our team.”
What is each of your favorite tracks and why?
KAMDEN: “Personally, my favorite one is ‘All Eyes On You’ because it makes me really happy and warm when I listen to it.”
BRIAN: “My favorite track in the album is ‘All Eyes On You’ because I like more of a pop/bright sound rather than the other tracks, which are kind of more serious and hip hop.”
JIHO: “My favorite track is ‘My Way.’ I run quite often, and whenever this song comes on, it naturally boosts my energy and motivation. It also made me think how fun it would be to perform this track at concerts, which is why I grew to love it even more.”
SIYUN: “My favorite track is ‘Tears In Your Smile.’ It’s a genre I really love, and the lyrics are so beautiful that I naturally became attached to it.”
KYRELL: “I like ‘All Eyes On You!’ It’s a fun song that’s easy to sing along to and just makes my day better when I listen to it.”
MACKIAH: “My favorite track on the album right now would be ‘My Way’ because it has such an exciting vibe to it, and I personally like the rap part, which I wrote. :)”
SEUNGMO: “My favorite track is ‘Tears In Your Smile.’ It’s a genre I usually enjoy singing, so I felt confident while recording it. It’s also a style of music I personally listen to often, which makes me like it even more.”
Why did you decide to name the mini-album DEFINITION?
KAMDEN: “We wanted to show that we, the team, make identity and direction ourselves, also the future that we will see from now on.”
BRIAN: “We decided to name this mini album DEFINITION because we think this album really defines us as a group, and also because of the various genres of music in this album. This correlates to the previous albums.”
JIHO: “Through this album, we wanted to establish our identity and define a new side of ourselves. That’s why we chose the title DEFINITION.”
SIYUN: “We wanted to clearly establish our direction and identity as a team, so we chose the title DEFINITION to represent that.”
KYRELL: “We felt like this mini-album acted as a stepping stone into a new beginning for our team. From here, we are going to be ‘redefining’ what it means to AMPERS&ONE. We wanted to capture the process of evolving and finding a clear direction.”
MACKIAH: “We decided to name this album DEFINITION because it is the story of how we are defining ourselves and finding who we truly are.”
SEUNGMO: “AMPERS&ONE has explored a wide range of genres and concepts so far, and this album represents a new phase where we establish and redefine our identity as a group.”
How would you define AMPERS&ONE to those who are interested in diving into your music?
KAMDEN: “We have very different genres so far, so if you are interested in listening to our music, it would be easy to approach.”
BRIAN: “We definitely have a song for everyone. From cute to cool to sad and more. So, I am certain that we have music to your liking.”
JIHO: “We’re a team that constantly challenges a wide range of concepts and fully makes them our own. If you check out our comeback title track ‘GOD,’ you’ll definitely feel how fresh and unique we are.”
SIYUN: “We’re a team that showcases a wide spectrum of sounds and concepts. If you listen to our albums starting from our debut, you’ll be able to feel how we gradually build and define our unique color.”
KYRELL: “I would define our group as multicolored. We have music spanning various genres, and our members are also from around the world. I think that is the greatest strength.”
MACKIAH: “AMPERS&ONE is a group that has many different styles of music, and there is definitely a track for anyone and everyone! I would say our music has a very encouraging message of pushing forward through hardships, and I hope it can help listeners gain confidence and strength.”
SEUNGMO: “As a multinational group, we bring together diverse musical cultures from each member. I’d describe us as a group with a wide spectrum, capable of connecting people from all around the world through music.”
Your U.S. Born To Define tour begins on May 8 — and it’ll be here sooner than you think! What are you most excited about for your return to the States?
KAMDEN: “Showing our new album to the ANDEAR. For sure, the ANDEARS are gonna have so much fun with the new album.”
BRIAN: “I'm definitely excited to meet our fans and also just walking around the cities.”
JIHO: “We’re excited to show how much we’ve grown through even more fun and powerful performances. We’ll also be visiting cities we didn’t get to go to before, which makes this tour feel even more new and exciting.”
SIYUN: “I’m especially excited about hearing the fans’ cheers during our performances. Their energy really gives me strength on stage.”
KYRELL: “I’m most excited to see ANDEAR! We haven’t seen them in so long!”
MACKIAH: “I’m definitely excited for the love energy from all our ANDEAR!! The last tour was so much fun, and we were able to meet so many great people on the journey, which made it even better! I can’t miss out on the food, though, I’m waiting to have In-N-Out again!”
SEUNGMO: “When we went on our previous North America tour, the fans’ energy and support were incredible, and it left such a strong impression on me. I’m really looking forward to experiencing that again.”
What can you tell ANDEAR about what they might see on this tour?
KAMDEN: “Just us having so much fun that the crowd could also automatically just move with their body.”
BRIAN: “You can expect to see some new songs and covers, which I would say is the highlight of our concert.”
JIHO: “There are a lot of songs we haven’t performed before, and we’re also preparing some surprise stages beyond our own tracks. We hope everyone looks forward to it.”
SIYUN: “We’ll be showing a slightly more mature and refined charm—something clean, sharp, and subtly sexy, rather than just a typical ‘hip’ vibe.”
KYRELL: “Lots of new performances that they have never seen before. And some really fun cover songs!”
MACKIAH: “ANDEAR can expect to see new stages which we haven’t performed before, and there may also be some special stages to look out for too!! 😉”
SEUNGMO: “The stages will have a different vibe compared to our previous tour, and since this is our first official concert, fans will get to see many performances that haven’t been revealed before.”
After debuting in late 2023 as a prominent multinational K-pop group, how do you think you’ve grown in the last two-plus years?
KAMDEN: “I feel like the attitude that we put during each stage has changed a lot. We know how to control different moods and styles, which has become very natural.”
BRIAN: “We've definitely matured a lot as a group, knowing when to help each other and give each other real feedback. So I think we grew a lot as a team.”
JIHO: “We’ve grown a lot in terms of stage presence—our immersion, gestures, and understanding of how to perform in a way that translates well on camera have all improved significantly.”
SIYUN: “All of our members have developed stronger stage attitudes and a clearer sense of individuality. Over time, we’ve grown into artists who actively try to express our own colors, and we’ll continue to improve in our respective roles.”
KYRELL: “I think we’ve become a lot more confident, we’ve become more sure of ourselves and of each other. I think a key point is overall teamwork and communication as well.”
MACKIAH: “In the last two years, we have been able to perform on many different stages with many different styles of music, and through the journey, we’ve grown our confidence on stage as well as our performances.”
SEUNGMO: “Since we’re a team made up of members from different countries, communication could have been a challenge at first. But by spending time together and sharing our cultures every day, we’ve become much more in sync. Our communication has improved, and our teamwork on stage has grown even stronger.”