AMPERS&ONE Shape Their Own “DEFINITION” of Success and Self-Expression

DEFINITION, the newest EP from K-pop boy group AMPERS&ONE, isn’t just six songs grouped together, but a recharacterization of the group itself. Released on April 8, DEFINITION is an introspective compilation of songs that encompass overcoming self-doubt and unveiling buried feelings. Composed of seven members —KAMDEN, BRIAN, JIHO, SIYUN, KYRELL, MACKIAH, and SEUNGMO — AMPERS&ONE have used the last eight months of their careers thinking about how to move forward creatively. With DEFINITION and their upcoming North American tour, “Born to Define,” they are ready to reveal what they’ve decided upon.

A few days before the EP release,EnVi chatted with AMPERS&ONE over Zoom to learn all about the members’ personal favorite songs, dance moves, and moments on their upcoming tour. With four members sitting in the front row and three in the back, they elatedly waved hello, excited to attest to their hard work and dedication.

The Redefinition of AMPERS&ONE

AMPERS&ONE have used the time between their last release and now to redefine who they are as well as who they want to be moving forward. Where they landed was at underdogs unafraid to pave their own way. Through their title track, “GOD,” they expand on this idea, solidifying the strong stance they hold in their music creation, self-expression, and work ethic. “GOD” is an anthem that displays their passion. 

With this EP, AMPERS&ONE have also taken a moment to breathe and slow down before continuing in the busy music industry. Vocalist KYRELL calmly explained, “I feel like, as an artist, when you debut, you’re really new to everything in the industry, and so I think more than [figuring] out who I am, I was just trying to get a grip on how everything works. Now, two and a half years in, I’m starting to figure out who I want to be and the kind of music and the kind of message I want to share with people.” 

The message they aim share is one of understanding and openness. While going over everyone’s favorite songs, almost every member had a different one, but for good reason. While BRIAN cheekily loves “All Eyes On You” since his eyes are only for their fans, ANDEARs, JIHO and MACKIAH feel connected to “My Way,” a punchy, spirited track that MACKIAH feels particularly proud of. 

When the tracklist was released, it was revealed that rappers KAMDEN and MACKIAH have writing credits on every song. Because of this, they were able to perfect the feeling and message they wanted to convey. While “What You Talking About” is KAMDEN’s personal favorite song because it allows him to show his “husky tone” and confident side, MACKIAH’s verse in “My Way” is his favorite moment of the whole album. Although they all love the studio recording, according to MACKIAH, “It’s going to be a great song for when we get on stage and get hype with the fans.”

The titles and sonic elements of “What You Talking About” and “My Way” both showcase the confidence that the seven members have grown to carry, but this doesn’t come without moments of personal growth. The last song on the EP, “Tears In Your Smile,” presents a plea from the group, asking fans to open up to others and not hide their pain. 

Though MACKIAH had been smiling and talking excitedly with his hands throughout the conversation, he stepped into a moment of seriousness when talking about “Tears In Your Smile.” He opened up, explaining, “Sometimes you try to hide what you’re truly feeling inside, and you have to wear this mask for everyone else, pretending to be okay, pretending that you’re doing fine…so I just want to say, it’s alright to be not happy all the time, it’s alright to be sad, it’s perfectly normal, and it’s an emotion that we should discover more and learn more.”  

For other members like vocalist SIYUN, “Tears In Your Smile” wasn’t only hard to complete due to the emotional weight, but it also presented vocal challenges. Since his part is very high, it took more practice to perfect every note. That said, while recording, he ended up imagining being on stage and letting his emotions take over. So naturally, KAMDEN and BRIAN quickly chimed in, saying, “Look forward to seeing him cry.” 

Dance Flow and Behind the Scenes Fun 

Along with creating all new music came creating all new video content and choreography, and for a dance-heavy group like AMPERS&ONE, this isn’t a simple task. For “GOD,” the group centered on what mattered to them and created choreography from this. 

MACKIAH began by describing, “It’s a very new genre of music and dance, so that was something we really had to work hard for to liquify into our bodies.” A sudden “oh” subconsciously left KYRELL’s mouth before the members began laughing at the word choice and echoing the word “liquify.” However, MACKIAH isn’t far off with this vocabulary, as they move like water with every motion during the chorus of “GOD.” 

As they announce they’re “raising from the underground,” all seven members move in sync with extended arms and waving hands. These movements are drawn from traditional Korean dance and music, equalling a “traditional Korean vibe” in MACKIAH’s words. 

Within the intense dances and powerful lyrics lies a message of deciding upon your own fate. During the music video, members fight one-on-one, not trusting anyone, and find that they can’t even trust their own reflection. The group battles between worlds until, in the end, the camera pans out to show the seven standing over a chessboard, showing that they were always able to choose their own destiny. 

Though these topics come with serious weight, it wouldn’t be an AMPERS&ONE comeback without some fun. Fans can also see BRIAN and SIYUN’s favorite moment, which, of course, was SIYUN hitting BRIAN’s head with a brick. The brick in the scene was made to break, but unfortunately, for BRIAN, it didn’t budge the first time around and had to be done again, resulting in a bruise the next day. During this scene and the recalling of the moment, SIYUN’s face was lit with a smile, and the other members couldn’t help but laugh at his joy. 

Other highlights come during KYRELL’s favorite scene of his fight with SEUNGMO, which he described as SEUNGMO shyly nodded along behind him, and JIHO’s music video performance, which was a standout favorite among the group. 

A Tour for Fans 

AMPERS&ONE have been preparing for DEFINITION’s release for a while, but as they’ve been recording and learning new choreography, they’ve also been curating their second tour, “Born to Define.” The group went on their first tour, “My First,” last year in February, and then later opened for their company seniors, P1HARMONY, in September and October. During this time, AMPERS&ONE were able to find out what worked for them, what they wanted to showcase, and what fans enjoyed most. 

“Born to Define” will contain their most energetic performances yet, including the title track’s choreography with some switches to vocalist JIHO’s parts. From the back row, JIHO piped up, saying, “We practiced a lot, and it’s a kind of new style of dance this time, so I’m so curious about how the fans will react.” The moment this was mentioned, BRIAN automatically began dancing in the front row, teasing the dance fans will soon see live. 

Later, the attention was back on JIHO as the members remembered an exciting switch in his stage performance that differs from the music video. What is that moment? AMPERS&ONE didn’t want to spoil the fun, so fans will have to wait and see during the tour, but they instructed everyone to “keep your eyes on JIHO.”

Moments like these were created specifically for their fans as a way to always be improving and performing to their fullest as a thank you. Through additions and surprises, they are able to curate the exact mood they want for each show. After their previous experience touring, JIHO thoughtfully revealed that they have now gained a greater understanding of how to put the set list in order to have the maximum effect. 

“We set this mood that is just fun for most of the time,” KAMDEN said, his hands moving along as he explained the set list. “We tried to focus on one keyword to let ANDEARs know the concert will show that type of mood.” After they laid out the initial draft of their set list, they met with their concert team to edit and finalize it, making sure their creative vision would come to fruition. 

When asked what ANDEARs should prepare, the group erupted with excited suggestions: JIHO suggesting taking a break before the concert, KAMDEN suggesting wearing something comfy, and MACKIAH noting that fans should take vitamins. 

Fans can expect to be dancing and jumping all night long, as KYRELL enthusiastically said, “When we were preparing this set list, we wanted to make it the most, I guess, exciting set list so far and very high energy, so we hope the fans are ready to match our level of energy. Make sure to stay hydrated. Get some good sleep. Take some vitamins. Prepare for the night of your life.” 

Seven MEMBERS’ Dreams 

AMPERS&ONE are prepared to move into their newly redefined future. Though they may experiment with different genres and choreography, they’ve never been more themselves. 

“Going on, we are definitely going to try new concepts of music that we haven’t tried before. We’re still gonna continue doing the music we’ve already tried and love, so you guys can expect new music as well as music that we’ve already stepped in,” said MACKIAH, happily reflecting on how far they’ve come. He continued, “Just always expect something new. We’re not stopping. We’re always learning. We’re always trying. We want to become a better group as artists.” 

DEFINITION has welcomed in more energy, new concepts, fresh looks, and a whole lot of excitement from AMPERS&ONE. This will soon be translated onto the stage with “Born to Define,” the members are impatiently waiting to see ANDEAR so they can pass on messages in person. In the meantime, the group wanted to remind their fans of a couple things: be you, don’t listen to what other people have to say, and chase your dreams.

Including some final words of wisdom before we had to part, MACKIAH added, “We can all agree that us as a seven, we’re always chasing our dreams and once we accomplish these goals one by one, we’re always setting new ones … Because we chased our dreams, we were able to meet these wonderful people, become friends, and a group together.” 

To be the first to see new content and announcements from AMPERS&ONE, keep up with them on Instagram, X, and TikTok. DEFINITION is now available to stream on Spotify and Apple Music. 

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