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DPR Ian

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DPR Ian
유바롬
DPR Ian in 2023
Born
Christian Yu[1]

(1990-09-06) 6 September 1990 (age 34)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Other namesYu Ba-rom, Rome[2]
Occupations
  • Singer
  • rapper
  • visual director
Years active2012–present
Musical career
OriginSouth Korea
GenresR&B
InstrumentVocals
LabelsDream Perfect Regime
Formerly ofC-Clown
Korean name
Hangul
유바롬
Revised RomanizationYu Ba-rom
McCune–ReischauerYu Parom

Christian Yu (born 6 September 1990), known professionally as DPR Ian,[3] is an Australian singer, rapper, and director[4][5] based in Los Angeles. He is a former member of Yedang Entertainment boy group C-Clown, which was active between 2012 and 2015. Yu made his solo debut under his co-founded label Dream Perfect Regime (DPR) with the digital single "So Beautiful" on 26 October 2020. His first studio album Moodswings in to Order was released on 29 July 2022.[6] He was the 10th most streamed Kpop Male Solo Artist Globally on Spotify in 2022.[7][8][unreliable source?]

Early life

[edit]

DPR Ian was born in Sydney, Australia on 6 September 1990. His parents separated when he was young, and he was raised by his mother. He attended Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts and played in a heavy metal band, where he was influenced by the musicals and circuses he attended as a child.[9][10] In 2008, when he was 18, he started uploading videos to his YouTube channel, going by the name of B Boy B.yu. After graduating from high school, Yu studied science and art at the University of Sydney for one year before dropping out. He then moved to South Korea to pursue dancing, initially having no intention of becoming a K-pop idol. However, this changed when he was street cast by an entertainment agency; when he auditioned, he couldn't sing but he was able to impress with his dancing abilities.[3]

Career

[edit]

Yu debuted as the leader of K-pop group C-Clown under the stage name Rome, which was derived from his Korean name "Ba-rom". The 6-member boy group debuted in 2012 and was the first idol group created by entertainment agency Yedang Entertainment, which would later be renamed Banana Culture Entertainment.[3] After C-Clown disbanded in October 2015, Yu along with Live, Cream, and REM established the label Dream Perfect Regime, all of whom attach the label's acronym—DPR—to their names.[11][12] In 2021, he released his debut extended play Moodswings in This Order.[13] He released his first studio album Moodswings In To Order in 2022.[14]

Yu is behind the visual arts for the DPR crew and directs all DPR music videos such as Live's "Jasmine", "Legacy", and "Yellow Cab" along with his own songs, like "So Beautiful", "No Blueberries", and "Ballroom Extravaganza". He has also directed and edited music videos for artists outside of DPR including Bobby's "HOLUP", Mino's "Body", and Taeyang's "Wake Me Up".[15] In 2020, DPR Ian appeared in the music video for "5 Stars" by CL.[16] They also collaborated in "So Beautiful" and "No Blueberries" that year.[17]

In 2021, DPR Ian and Live released the track "Diamonds + and Pearls" as part of the soundtrack to the Marvel Film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. This marked the duo—along with fellow artists on the album—becoming two of the first Korean artists to participate in a Marvel soundtrack album.[18] In 2024, DPR Ian directed and appears in the music video for "Shopper" by IU.[19]

Artistry

[edit]

DPR Ian was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when he was a teenager, then later in his twenties with dissociative identity disorder (DID).[20][10] He later created an alter ego, Mito, to reflect the low episodes of his mental disorder. In an interview with Billboard, he said that "I wanted to portray a character dealing with various mental disorders which may be deemed negative or dark in a realistic sense but at the same time can also be seen as superpowers in a different light".[21] He talks about a personified version of his high manic episodes named 'Mr. Insanity' with his album, Dear Insanity, saying, "I thought it had to be about someone that represents my utmost manic highs, but all in all I've always thought Mr. Insanity to be more of a scary character. You're not sure what he's capable of".[22]

Discography

[edit]

Studio albums

[edit]
Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales
KOR
[23] 		US
[24]
Moodswings in to Order 30 146

Extended plays

[edit]
Title EP details Peak chart positions Sales
KOR
[23] 		US
[26]
Moodswings in This Order
  • Released: 12 March 2021
  • Label: Dream Perfect Regime, Kakao M
  • Formats: CD, digital download
 40 — __
Dear Insanity
  • Released: 6 October 2023[27]
  • Label: Dream Perfect Regime
  • Formats: CD, digital download
 31 138
Saint
  • Released: 7 June 2024[29]
  • Label: Dream Perfect Regime
  • Formats: digital download
 — —

Singles

[edit]
Title Year Album
"So Beautiful" 2020 Moodswings in This Order
"No Blueberries" (featuring CL, DPR Live)
"Ballroom Extravaganza" 2022 Moodswings in to Order
"Peanut Butter & Tears"[27] 2023 Dear Insanity
"So I Danced"/"Don't Go Insane"
"Saint"[29] 2024 Saint

Filmography

[edit]

Music video appearances

[edit]
Year Title Artist Note Ref.
2020 "5 Star" CL [16]
2024 "Shopper" IU also directed the MV [19]

Tours

[edit]
  • The Regime World Tour (with DPR Live & DPR Cream) (2022-2023)
  • The Dream Reborn World Tour (with DPR Cream & DPR Artic) (2024)

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Award Year Category Nominee Result Ref.
Korean Hip-hop Awards 2022 R&B Album of the Year Moodswings in This Order Nominated [30]
2023 R&B Track of the Year Ballroom Extravaganza Nominated [31]
Music Video of the Year "Miito Movie (Part 1)⁣" Nominated [32]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Anderson, Daniel (29 July 2022). "Genre-defying singer DPR Ian debuts first studio album 'Moodswings In To Order'". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  2. ^ Glasby, Taylor (28 July 2022). "How DPR Ian Went From Korean Idol to Genre-Defying Pop Star". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "Diving deep into DPR Ian's past and present". MoinNet. 28 November 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  4. ^ Partridge, Ken (27 July 2022). "DPR IAN Adds To His Mystique With New Single "Ballroom Extravaganza"". Genius. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  5. ^ Yeo, Gladys (26 July 2022). "DPR IAN drops brand-new song 'Ballroom Extravaganza'". NME. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  6. ^ Yeo, Gladys (14 June 2022). "DPR IAN announces first studio album 'Moodswings In To Order'". NME. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  7. ^ "@dprianupdates". Twitter. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  8. ^ "2023 Spotify Wrapped: Most-Streamed Kpop Artists and Songs - KPOPPOST". 2 December 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  9. ^ Wilder, Gabriel (7 December 2013). "Putting the 'popular' into K-pop". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  10. ^ a b Mulenga, Natasha (23 April 2021). "DPR Ian and the DPR Crew Are Building a Music Industry Blueprint". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  11. ^ Siroky, Mary (29 July 2022). "DPR Ian Breaks Down New Album Moodswings In To Order Track by Track: Exclusive". Consequence. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  12. ^ Singh, Lavanya (3 October 2018). "DPR: 'We Did this Ourselves From the Ground Up'". Rolling Stone India. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  13. ^ "DPR IAN, 오늘(12일) 첫EP 발매…독창적 세계관". Herald. 12 March 2021.
  14. ^ "The Mythology of DPR IAN: Korean-Australian Idol to Pop World Creator". Rolling Stone Australia. 29 July 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  15. ^ "10 Music Videos You Might Not Have Known Were Directed By DPR IAN". Koreaboo. 21 September 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  16. ^ a b Kim, Yeeun (6 November 2020). "CL Unveils Love-Filled Music Video for New Single "+5 STAR+"". Hypebae. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  17. ^ "DPR Ian drops new single 'So Beautiful' with music video – watch". Bandwagon Asia. 26 October 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  18. ^ maylkm (28 November 2021). "Diving deep into DPR Ian's past and present". MoinNet. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  19. ^ a b Ziwei, Puah (14 February 2024). "IU drops teaser for 'Shopper' music video, narrated by DPR Ian". NME. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  20. ^ "TikTok - Make Your Day".
  21. ^ Mamo, Heran (26 March 2021). "DPR Ian Is Reframing Mental Disorders as 'Superpowers': Emerging Artists Spotlight". Billboard.
  22. ^ "DPR IAN's 'Dear Insanity' Chooses The Unpredictable Path | GRAMMY.com". www.grammy.com. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  23. ^ a b "Moodswings In This Order". Circle Chart. 14–20 March 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  24. ^ @billboardcharts (8 August 2022). "Debuts on this week's #Billboard200 (2/2)..." (Tweet). Retrieved 9 August 2022 – via Twitter.
  25. ^ "Moodswings in to Order". Circle Chart (in Korean). 6 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  26. ^ @billboardcharts (16 October 2023). "Debuts on this week's #Billboard200..." (Tweet). Retrieved 17 October 2023 – via Twitter.
  27. ^ a b "DPR IAN Reveals EP 'Dear Insanity' & Shares 'Peanut Butter & Tears' Single". Broadway World. 4 August 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  28. ^ "CIRCLE CHART - 써클차트". Circle Chart. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  29. ^ a b "DPR IAN drops otherworldly music video for new single, 'Saint'". NME. 7 June 2024. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  30. ^ "Korean Hip-hop Awards 2022 Nominees". Korean Hip-hop Awards.
  31. ^ "후보 소개: KOREAN HIPHOP AWARDS 2023". koreanhiphopawards.com. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  32. ^ "후보 소개: KOREAN HIPHOP AWARDS 2023". koreanhiphopawards.com. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
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