Dean

Growing up as Kwon Hyuk in Seoul, Dean cultivated an early devotion to hip-hop, quietly composing material inside his bedroom. The Korean alt-R&B singer-songwriter and producer layers atmospheric textures over a sound recalling the 1990s. His first industry involvement occurred in 2008 when he performed alongside fellow Korean rapper Keith Ape. Writing under the name Deanfluenza, chosen for its nod to James Dean’s defiant persona, he eventually trimmed the moniker to Dean. In 2012 he entered a songwriting collective based in Los Angeles, where he supplied material to K-pop acts such as EXO and VIXX. Dean’s solo career began in 2015 with the single “I’m Not Sorry,” which featured singer/songwriter Eric Bellinger (Chris Brown, Usher, Trey Songz). That same year he appeared on Mila J’s “Here and Now” and Anderson Paak’s “Put My Hands on You.” Before the year closed he returned to Korea, issuing his local debut single “Pour Up” with Block B’s Zico. The following year brought his first EP, 130 Mood: TRBL, which entered Billboard’s World Album chart at number three. In 2017 he released the singles “Limbo” and “Love” with Syd.