AMPERS&ONE IS GREAT

Creative Direction & Photography / Lauren Nakao Winn

Words / Christine Terrisse

Production Assist / Jovita Kartika

Shot at DWNTWN Studio.

“Why didn’t I get to know them sooner? AMPERS&ONE is great.” Australian-born Mackiah doesn’t mince words when asked what impression he wants people to have after experiencing his group live. They have, he would argue, many things setting them apart from the competition, aside from being one of two fifth-gen K-pop groups to include a Latin logogram in their name. 

 

There’s the fact that the seven members come from three continents and speak five languages between them. Rapper Kamden and vocalist Kyrell are from the Seattle area in the U.S., vocalist Brian comes from Vancouver, Canada while rapper Mackiah is from Sydney, Australia. Jiho, Siyun and Seungmo all hail from Korea while Jiho lived abroad in Boston for a year. 

 

Although young both in age and career (they debuted at the end of 2023), their experience extends into the years spent training before they hit the global stage. A former YG Entertainment trainee, Siyun trained for five years while Kamden, Brian and Jiho are former participants in the popular idol-forming series Boys Planet. 

 

Since finding a home in P1Harmony’s company FNC Entertainment, they’ve fused their considerable individual talents blazing through four albums: two full albums and two EPs. With their fifth and latest release Loud & Proud, they’ve finally hit their stride, landing on a signature brash and funky sound. It sold 100,000 copies in its first week, an all-time high for the group. 

 

what is your favorite word or phrase in English, Korean or any other language: no regrets 후회하지 않아

 

The lead single “That’s That” with its addictive horn intro has racked up 11.3 million views and it’s safe to say that not playing it safe is working out. Asserting creative independence, Kyrell and Mackiah wrote lyrics for every track on Loud & Proud, while Seungmo is plotting a producing turn. 

 

When we first met them in New York, they took initiative during the photoshoot, suggesting poses, monitoring the screen and working together to get the best shot. Despite how busy their day of promos and meetings were, they gave a traditional greeting, then quickly got to work. 

 

Having embarked on their own North American tour earlier this year, they are looking forward to performing in Seoul for their dedicated fans called Andears on the occasion of their second anniversary November 16th. 

 

Meanwhile, they took a novel turn for a K-pop act: by joining P1Harmony on their Most Wanted Tour, which was going great until they hit an unexpected snag, as visa issues led to the cancellation and rescheduling of the Toronto show. 

 

That cancellation kickstarted a conversation with us on how unexpected moments are a test of resilience and dedication. And while some members spoke more than others, they were all engaged and connected to each other—you can expect nothing less from a group with togetherness built into their name. 

 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Individual member questions are inspired by James Lipton’s Inside the Actor’s Studio questionnaire.

 

Have you become better at handling the unexpected? And are some of you better at that than others? 

 

Mackiah: On our first U.S. tour, we learned how to overcome unexpected events. Now, we expect the unexpected. You know, like when they say, “Think of the worst, hope for the best, or expect the best.” That’s a big part of being a performer because you never know what’s going to happen. But if something goes wrong and you’re expecting it, I think it’s good preparation. 

 

Kyrell: Yeah, Mackiah is absolutely right. There are so many moving parts when it comes to preparing a performance, or anything really, including filming content. There are so many different people involved and details we need to take care of. 

 

I think it’s important to always have a positive mentality and always be thinking, “What’s the best thing we can do in this circumstance?” So, I think as a team, we’re pretty good at handling it. And we also have very good staff and managers who help us get through these situations pretty smoothly. 

 

what color or texture best represents you: green.

 

Has there ever been one of those unexpected, unplanned moments onstage that has turned out to be magical? 

 

Brian: Seungmo got injured one time, and we were singing “Fly” together. And I feel like, at that time, emotions were up, and everyone was brought together because of Seungmo. We hugged together, and he was crying. 

 

Jiho: Yeah, it was cute. 

 

How would you describe yourselves to someone who knows nothing about you? 

 

Kyrell: I have a keyword that I really like to use for our team, and it’s funloving. I think we’re a team that likes to have fun everywhere we go, whether we’re on stage or practicing, whether we’re exploring the city or filming TikToks. We’re always trying to have fun and enjoy what we’re doing. And I think that’s also a big reason why I wanted to be part of a group, because I really like having fun with people. 

 

Jiho: And also, I like to explain AMPERS&ONE as an ocean. Nobody knows how deep the ocean is, and we haven’t even discovered all the things inside. And if you keep discovering, you’re gonna know more and more. 

 

Kyrell: That was crazy. 

 

what sound or noise do you love: I really love the sound of running water.

 

All of you have been honing your artistry for a long time, even before your debut. What is something you learned early on from your pre-debut days that you still carry with you? 

 

Mackiah: For me, I think it’s respect. In Korea, respect is very… It’s taught very early on to especially respect your elders. And then, while I was training, we always learned to respect the staff and other people…it always leads to a better relationship with each other. I think that helps in preparing things, it becomes smoother and more efficient. And I think having a loving energy around you is helpful. 

 

Kamden: Greeting people, I think that’s what decides the image…the first impression of you. So I think, greeting the people you’ve never met [before], you’ve got to greet them so that [they know] who we are, [so it] will last a long time. 

 

You’re an international group. I’m sure you’ve had moments where you’ve had to adapt to each other’s cultures and learn from each other’s differences. How do you think that translates to your audience, and how does culture come into play in your group chemistry? 

 

Kyrell: I think we’re always learning new things about each other. Like, especially with Mackiah, I have no experience with Australia. I don’t know much about it, so whenever he tells me about how he grew up and how he used to hang out with his friends, the places he would go, the food he would eat, all those things are so interesting to me. And I learned a lot from the Korean members about what school was like in Korea and how they would hang out with their friends, the music they would listen to, or what they would do in their free time. All those little things make up what each of us is…it helps me open my perspective to all these different cultures and I think it helps me approach new people with a more open mind. 

 

what inspires you creatively, spiritually or emotionally: BTS sunbaenim. I love their music a lot. 

 

Do you have any practices you put into place to fuel your creativity, especially when you have a full schedule?  

 

Seungmo: Ah. Recently, I’ve been making beats. I want to create beats and make our music. Also, my goal is to have my own song be our title track one day. 

 

What program are you using? 

 

Seungmo: Logic Pro. 

 

Kyrell: I have been really impressed with Seungmo these past few months because it’s a big goal of his, and I’ve been seeing him working on beats on bus rides while we’re on tour, on the plane, in the hotel…he’s at his MacBook all the time, so I really want to shout him out. He’s been working really hard, and seeing other members do the same is an inspiration to me. 

 

what profession other than your own would you like to attempt: actor

 

How do you see your music evolving from Loud & Proud? 

 

Kyrell: We’re definitely thinking about the next one [album]. We’re always trying to understand how fans respond to the music that we release. As we’re promoting Loud & Proud we’re always trying to see how fans react…see what they like, what they don’t like and then see what we liked about it and see what aspects we can incorporate into the next one and what new, fresh things we can mix in. 

 

Has there been an ANDEAR (AMPERS&ONE’s fandom name) reaction or even a response from a friend or family member to the new sounds off of Loud & Proud, particularly the title track “That’s That” that has stood out to you? 

 

Mackiah: This album was a much more strong album in terms of musicality, I think it is a much more powerful album with the different types of beats and flows of the songs. Our last album was a transition into this album. I think with this album we were worried that maybe fans would think that we were going…

 

Brian: Too strong. 

 

Mackiah: Yes, too strong. This is the first time we released an album full of powerful songs so we were unsure with how they would react but actually everyone had such positive comments and reactions about this album. When the reaction was positive, that gave us validation and happiness because this was the music that we liked and I think that is so good because we can go on with this type of music. 

 

Some of you participated in lyric writing on Loud & Proud, right? 

 

Kyrell: Yeah, that’s our rappers Mackiah and Kamden. 

 

Mackiah: We participated in every song for this album. 

 

what is your least favorite word: no

 

What is a lyric or songwriting contribution you are most proud of on this album? 

 

Kamden: For me, I like this lyric on “I’m Down” that goes “Yo, hello y’all it’s nice to meet you,” because it tells the audience it’s my part, that my part is starting right now. The tone is what I’ve never done before. It sounds very silly I think. 

 

Brian: Playful. 

 

Kamden: Very playful, in my opinion and after I listened to the final version of “I’m Down” I’m glad it came out the way that I wanted. I can’t wait to perform it on stage and show more of my playful side. 

 

Mackiah: We’re always trying out new styles and flows. 

 

Speaking of rap flows. Who, in your opinion, are the all-time rap GOATS? Your biggest inspiration? 

 

Kamden: I would say Eminem. 

 

Mackiah: I’ll go with my GOAT. He’s actually a Korean rapper. He inspired me to start rapping. There’s a guy called Haon. He has a lot of lyrics that are meaningful and deep and playful. When I was young, I started watching a lot of Korean TV shows and he was a part of them. He’s my GOAT because I get inspiration from him. 

 

You’re all great dancers. When you were recording Loud & Proud did your mind automatically go toward potential choreography and stage moves? 

 

Kamden: Yeah, when we got the [lead song] for our album, we were playing it in our dance practice room and I remember Brian was making this move (he laughs, while moving his hands in a circular motion.) It was really funny. We were all dancing because the beat was crazy. We couldn’t wait to perform the actual choreo. 

 

what piece of art (movie, film, artwork) do you identify with the most: “The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly”

 

Did some of that messing around make it into the actual choreo? 

 

They all laugh. 

 

Kamden: That was just for fun. 

 

Brian: For fun. 

 

Mackiah: When we record and when we first receive the demos, we’re grouped up in our practice room playing the songs out loud and we have these expressive bursts of energy. And we are like “Yo, that was pretty good, maybe we should use that later.” Feedback that we give each other sometimes gets incorporated into our own gestures. 

 

If you had no constraints, budget or otherwise and could go anywhere to record or work on your next album where would it be?

 

Kamden: It’s kind of funny but I was watching Jungkook sunbaenim’s behind-the-scenes recording of Seven. It was a famous studio but I can’t remember which one. The vibes were pretty…

 

Brian: The carpets were really…

 

Kamden: I think the vibe is really important when you are recording. 

 

What’s untapped skill, an instrument you play or language you speak or another creative pursuit that you would like to one day incorporate into your work? 

 

Kyrell: (raising his hand) I have one! I really like to draw and one day I would like to draw an album cover. 

 

Mackiah: That would be fire. 

 

I hope it’s the one where Seungmo will have the title track he produced.

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