It’s been a whirlwind year for K-pop boy group AMPERS&ONE. The seven-member group embarked on their first-ever world tour, Born To Define, bringing their music to fans across North America, Asia and Europe. The tour supported their fourth mini-album, [DEFINITION], released in April.
Since debuting in November 2023 under FNC Entertainment, the label behind P1Harmony, AMPERS&ONE have steadily shaped their musical identity, by taking an increasingly active role in songwriting and the creative direction of their projects.
Known for their high-energy blend of dance, rock, and pop, AMPERS&ONE also stand out thanks to their multicultural lineup: Kamden and Kyrell are Korean-American, Brian is Taiwanese-Canadian, Mackiah is Korean-Australian, and Jiho, Siyun, and Seungmo are South Korean. Their name combines "ampersand" (&) and "one," symbolizing the members' shared goal of coming together to pursue their dreams.
Ahead of their performance at 82WORLD: LA, Music Connection sat down with the group to discuss life on the road, how their backgrounds influence their music, and their growing involvement in the creative process. The conversation also offers a glimpse into the personalities and teamwork as they prepare to take their next step with the release of their first full-length studio album, PATHFINDER, out November 17.
The group has been busy touring across the world. How does it feel to perform for so many different fans?
Kyrell: I really love going on tour because we get to experience the different energy that the fans bring. We experience different cultures, do sightseeing as well. A big thing is realizing how much music connects people. I think that's something that always hits home for me. Even when we're so far away from our homes, being with these people, they're all here to cheer for us and they all take time out of their day to come cheer for us, even though we live like miles apart, so I'm always touched by that.
Since you’ve been busy traveling, what are some travel essentials?
Mackiah: Face masks, because you get sleepy, and your skin also gets a little sleepy. And a pillowcase, like a one-time use pillow cover. I always pack that. I have one at the hotel right now. I always pack some Korean snacks as well. Just in case I miss it, because in Korea we always have 24-hours convenience stores, but that's not really the case when we go overseas, so I like to pack some Choco Songi.
Kyrell: The first thing I always pack is my swimsuit because the saddest feeling is having a swimming pool at the hotel, but then not being able to swim because you forgot your swimsuit. So even if there's no swimming pool, just in case, I always pack it.
How would you describe your sound and performance style to someone who has never heard your music?
Brian: AMPERS&ONE's sound is very diverse, our discography has many different songs and different genres. If you listen to our songs, there's got to be one song that you will like. We got hip-hop, we got pop, we got EDM, R&B, we got ballads and rock. There's a little bit of everything.
Is there one song in particular you would recommend to a first time listener?
Brian: For me, a first starter song would be "He + She = We." It's a very cute song.
Mackiah: "My Mistake," it's a beautiful song. You know when you just listen to a song and you're like, "Ah, this song is beautiful, I want to listen to this again." I think "My Mistake" has all the parts of a song that makes it beautiful. From beginning to end, there's so many ups and downs, and there's these little breaks and times when we all sing together, I think that's very beautiful.
You guys all come from diverse backgrounds—Canada, Australia, the US. How does that influence the way you guys make music?
Jiho: That connects to what Brian said, our music is diverse because we have a diverse group of global members.
Mackiah: Everyone grew up with different music. Like, let's say, Kamden and Kyrell growing up in Seattle would probably have grown up with different music to what I've listened to in Australia. The same goes for the members in Korea and Canada. I think everyone has different favorite artists, and through each other we discover different genres of music. For example, they could recommend an American artist that I've never heard about, but after I listen, I really enjoy it, and then I could get inspired by that artist to create something similar. I think having that circle of different ideas is very good for the pool of AMPERS&ONE ideas.
Kyrell: That actually goes into the studio as well. When we're recording, and there's a certain part that we want a certain vibe to come out of that sound, it's like, "Hey, remember this artist, sing it like this person." So having listened to diverse artists allows us to apply those different styles and sounds. And more specifically, even with pronunciation, when you sing, people don't really pronounce the -ing all the way, right? It's like "thinkin'" instead of like "thinking." Those are the kind of things we help each other out with.
A few of you help write and compose, how does it feel to have that kind of creative freedom?
Mackiah: Kamden and I, we're the rappers of AMPERS&ONE. We really enjoy writing rap because we can express how we want to do it. We're very thankful to our company for allowing us. For the past few albums we've been able to participate, and honestly, it's great. I like to express myself and changing my rap style for different types of genres helps me improve as a rapper. It helps me want to discover more.
Kamden: Whenever I make a rap for our songs, I always imagine myself on the stage with this verse. I show it to Mackiah, and I actually play it on my AirPods maybe like 20 times a day so that I can get used to it.That's a really fun part for me.
Do you both ever experience writer's block?
Mackiah: Usually when I get blocked, I go on my phone for like 20 minutes...
Kamden: ..or eat something.
Mackiah: Yeah, but then that 20 minutes turns into like 2 hours.
Kamden: And just move on to the next one.
Mackiah: Yeah, and then I probably stop writing on that song. I feel like once I get stuck, I just need to take a break from that song, so I'll go on a different song, or I'll just go home. (laughter)
Kamden: Me too, so there are days where my idea comes out really well. But if I can't think of anything, then I’ll just stop and just go home and just come back the next day.
Any fun hobbies?
Seungmo: Watching baseball games.
Kamden: …and playing baseball games.
MC: Do you guys play together?
Mackiah: Kyrell got a a Wiffle ball set for Seungmo for Christmas. And we've played it a few times, but Seungmo is always on his phone playing his mobile games. He loves baseball, so it's really interesting.
MC: Anyone else have any other hobbies?
Kyrell: Reading, I've been reading a lot of Webtoons. I also recently bought a book with Mackiah, we're going to try and read Atomic Habits. I like drawing as well.
Mackiah: He's so good at drawing, this year for every member's birthday, he drew all of us.
Last question, anything you want to promote or tell your fans?
Mackiah: AMPERS&ONE comeback, full album, baby!
Kyrell: Yes! Our first LP, baby, let's go!
Mackiah: It's about to go crazy. We participated a lot in this album compared to our other ones. I think it's an album that really represents our hard work, and the choreographies for this album are very satisfactory to us as well. I think we're very proud of what we've done, what we've practiced. We're excited to show it on stage, and I hope the ANDEARs will enjoy this album. As we said before, a lot of diverse music, so tell us your favorite and share it with your friends and family.
