1VERSE Member Profiles, Ages & Facts (2026 Updated)

1VERSE (유니버스) is the K-pop group everyone is talking about right now – and for good reason. Pronounced “Universe,” this 5-member multinational boy group is doing things no K-pop act has ever done before. From North Korean defectors to a self-taught dancer from Arkansas, 1VERSE brings together stories that feel bigger than music. Under Singing Beetle Entertainment, they officially debuted on July 18, 2025, with their single album The 1st Verse – and they haven’t looked back since.

If you’ve been searching for the ultimate 1VERSE member profile breakdown – covering everything from birthdays and nationalities to fun facts and positions – you’re in exactly the right place. Let’s dive in and meet the five stars of 1VERSE’s universe: Hyuk, Seok, Kenny, Aito, and Nathan.

Band Information

Here’s a quick checklist of everything you need to know about 1VERSE before we get into the individual member profiles:

• Official Group Name: 1VERSE (유니버스)
• Pronunciation: “Universe”
• Former Name: SB BOYZ
• Label: Singing Beetle Entertainment
• Debut Date: July 18, 2025
• Debut Album: The 1st Verse (single album)
• Debut Title Track: “Shattered”
• Pre-Debut Single: “Multiverse” (July 4, 2025)
• Number of Members: 5
• Fandom Name: 5TARZ (스타)
• Fandom Color: Pantone 3262C
• Group Name Meaning: “A verse of our lives, a verse in our song. Alone we are verses, together we are a song.”
• Fandom Name Meaning: 5TARZ combines the number 5 (for the five members) with the word “stars” – because fans are the stars of their universe
• Official Greeting: “Hello! We are 1VERSE!”
• Group Type: 5th Generation K-pop Boy Group
• Origin: Seoul, South Korea
• Genre: K-pop
• Official Social Media: Instagram (@official1verse), X (@1VERSE_official), TikTok (@1verse_official), YouTube (@1verse_official)
• Notable Distinction: The second K-pop group to debut with North Korean members, and the first multinational K-pop boy group to feature two North Korean defectors
• Founded By: Michelle Cho, renowned A&R songwriter (known for work with SEVENTEEN, EXO’s Baekhyun and Kai, Produce 101, Queendom Puzzle)

1VERSE Member Profiles

Ready to get to know each member on a deeper level? Here’s a full table with all five 1VERSE member profiles, followed by 10 fun facts about each of them.

Hyuk (혁) – Main Rapper

Hyuk is the oldest member and the heart-and-soul rapper of 1VERSE. Born in Kongsong, North Korea, his journey from defector to K-pop idol is nothing short of extraordinary.

Hyuk

He was born in Kongsong, North Korea and escaped to South Korea at the age of 13.

He is the very first trainee ever signed by Singing Beetle Entertainment.

Before becoming a K-pop idol, Hyuk worked at a Samsung semiconductor factory after dropping out of arts college due to debt from a scam.

His role models are Jimin and Suga from BTS – fitting choices for a rapper who pours raw emotion into his lyrics.

Hyuk says he can eat a whole crate of eggs – the members know not to leave the fridge unguarded.

He lived in the USA for one year and is working hard to get his English to idol-level.

In the group dorms, he is roommates with Aito – and Aito didn’t realize Hyuk was a rapper until he noticed how much he talked.

Hyuk co-wrote the lyrics for the debut title track “Shattered” alongside Kenny.

His favorite music genre is hip-hop, and the first K-pop song he ever heard was “Growl” by EXO.

He co-produced the pre-debut single “Multiverse” and released a solo mixtape called Ordinary Person in March 2024.

Seok (석) – Vocalist

Seok is the quietly intense vocalist of 1VERSE. Also from North Korea, he moved to South Korea around 2018–2019 and found music as his way of expressing himself.

Seok

His full name is Kim Seok (김석), and he was born in North Korea, relocating to South Korea at around the age of 19.

His love of music was sparked by watching BIGBANG’s Taeyang perform “Eyes, Nose, Lips.”

He is a die-hard fan of the Tottenham Hotspurs and his favorite player is Heungmin Son – a man of great taste.

He is a multi-sport athlete skilled in table tennis, badminton, volleyball, and footvolley.

Seok is roommates with Kenny, and the two have become close through their shared love of League of Legends.

His MBTI type is INFP-J, making him one of the more introspective and artistic members.

He chose an eagle as his representative animal – which feels just right for someone with his quiet strength.

The first K-pop song he ever heard was “Man Man Ha Ni” by U-Kiss.

His role model is SHINee’s TAEMIN – one of K-pop’s greatest performers.

Seok once had to live in Daehongdan, North Korea for 10 months as part of a “reality assignment” because his father worked as a prosecutor there.

Kenny (케니) – Vocalist

Kenny (real name Hao Ruiran, English name Eric Hao) is the Chinese-American member of 1VERSE known for his cooking, his passion for storytelling, and being the unofficial social glue of the group.

Kenny

His birth name is Hao Ruiran and he goes by Eric Hao in English – but in 1VERSE, he’s just Kenny.

He is 178 cm (5’10”) tall and is taller than both Hyuk and Seok.

He was a former SM Entertainment trainee – alongside Aito – before finding his home at Singing Beetle.

He also competed on Asia Super Young but had to withdraw early due to a broken foot injury.

Kenny is known as the chef of 1VERSE – he loves cooking for the members and buying them food, even though he says he’s “horrible at fashion.”

He has a cat allergy (ironic, given that his groupmate Aito owns a cat named Chimi).

His all-time favorite movie is “The Devil Wears Prada” – yes, he has range.

He was the one who introduced Aito to Michelle Cho at Singing Beetle and encouraged him to audition.

Kenny has a strong passion for acting and has turned down roles in the past, but hopes to pursue it in the future.

If he ever went into academics, he said he’d study medicine – specifically brain disorders and diseases.

Aito (아이토) – Main Dancer, Maknae

Aito is the youngest (maknae) and main dancer of 1VERSE. A former dance instructor from Japan, he brings a blend of polished technique and quiet charisma that makes him impossible to look away from on stage.

Aito

He was born and raised in Japan and began breakdancing at the age of six years old.

Before joining 1VERSE, Aito worked as a dance instructor in Japan – he came with his skills fully developed.

He was also a former SM Entertainment trainee alongside Kenny – the two have been close since their pre-debut days.

His favorite color is sky blue, and his hobby is drawing – a more artistic side fans love discovering.

He has four sisters and is the only son in his family.

His pet cat is named Chimi – and yes, Kenny is jealous of Chimi’s existence due to his allergy.

He got into K-pop after hearing Super Junior’s “U” – a classic that sent him down the K-pop rabbit hole.

Aito had actually given up on his dream of becoming an idol before Kenny and Michelle Cho talked him into auditioning for Singing Beetle.

He assumed Hyuk was the group’s rapper simply because “he talked so much.”

In the dorms, Aito is roommates with Hyuk, and the two have become an unlikely but iconic duo.

Nathan (네이슨) – Vocalist

Nathan Kousol is the final and fifth member to join 1VERSE – introduced on Christmas Day 2024. Born in Orange County, California, and raised in Arkansas, Nathan is 75% Laotian and 25% Thai, and entirely self-taught as both a dancer and singer.

Nathan

His full name is Nathan Kousol, and he grew up in Arkansas, USA – making him, in his own words, proof that dreams don’t care where you’re from.

He is 75% Laotian and 25% Thai by ethnicity, and his nationality is American.

Nathan thought the Singing Beetle audition was a scam and almost didn’t apply – he only realized it was real at the very last moment.

He is entirely self-taught in both dancing and singing, having started in 2016 with no formal training.

He used to play Super Smash Bros competitively in tournaments before his K-pop journey began.

His first and last online audition was a dance to “Growl” by EXO – the same song that first inspired Hyuk.

He is a huge fan of EXO, NCT, and BTS and started listening to K-pop in 2016.

Nathan became famous pre-debut for posting dance and singing cover videos on TikTok.

One of his all-time favorite songs is “Up to You” (feat. NCT DREAM) by PRETTYMUCH.

He wears magnifying glasses – something fans adore as part of his signature look.

Achievements

1VERSE is still early in their career, but they’ve already made headlines around the world for breaking barriers in the K-pop industry:

• Historic Debut: 1VERSE is the second K-pop group to debut with North Korean members and the first to feature two North Korean defectors, with both Hyuk and Seok openly sharing their stories.
• Global Media Coverage: Their debut was covered by major international outlets including the Associated Press, The Korea Herald, and Rappler, shining a spotlight on the diversity of the modern 5th generation K-pop landscape.
• Chart Entry: Their debut single album The 1st Verse charted on Korean music charts, with debut sales of 5,598 copies.
• Viral Pre-Debut Presence: Members like Nathan built dedicated followings on TikTok before ever stepping on a K-pop stage.
• Songwriting Credits: Hyuk and Kenny co-wrote the lyrics to “Shattered,” establishing 1VERSE as a group invested in telling their own stories.
• First Comeback: On January 21, 2026, they dropped their first digital comeback single “WABIF” (Wide Awake Before I Fall), proving their debut was just the beginning.
• First World Tour: Their Shattered tour launched in early 2026, expanding across North America and Europe – a remarkable feat for a group less than a year into their career.
• Former SM Trainees in the Lineup: Kenny and Aito are both former SM Entertainment trainees, bringing elite-level training to the Singing Beetle roster.

Discography and Music Videos

Here’s a full look at 1VERSE’s discography so far:

Albums & Singles

Music Videos

“Multiverse” (2025): Released on July 4, 2025, just two weeks before their official debut, “Multiverse” gave fans their first real look at 1VERSE in action. The track was co-produced by Hyuk – a major signal that this group intends to have a hand in shaping their own sound.

“Shattered” (2025): The official debut music video for “Shattered” dropped on July 18, 2025, alongside the full debut album The 1st Verse. The lyrics were co-written by Hyuk and Kenny, making this track deeply personal for the group. It’s the song that introduced the world to 1VERSE’s raw energy and tight performance style.

“WABIF” (Wide Awake Before I Fall) (2026): Released January 21, 2026, this first comeback single showed growth and ambition from the group. The full title standing for “Wide Awake Before I Fall” adds emotional depth that fans have latched onto immediately.

Live Performances and World Tours

2026 is the year 1VERSE took their show global. Their first-ever official tour – titled “Shattered” – kicked off in North America before expanding to Europe in April 2026. Here’s the full breakdown:

1VERSE Shattered Tour 2026 – Dates Table

North America Leg

Europe Leg (April 2026)

Tour Notes:

• The European leg was organized through a fan-demand ticketing model via Kooky – cities only got a show if they hit a 200-ticket threshold. It’s essentially fans voting with their wallets, and it worked beautifully.
• VIP packages included Hi Touch, Sound Check Party, Group Photo, and even 4-selfie “Everything” packages.
• In September 2025, Hyuk announced a temporary hiatus from group activities for personal and health reasons. The tour continued with 4 members during certain dates.

What started as a scrappy K-pop debut has turned into a full-blown world tour story in under a year – and 5TARZ around the globe are showing up.

Why 1VERSE Matters

You don’t have to follow 5th generation K-pop closely to understand why 1VERSE is significant. Here’s a group where every member has a real story – about sacrifice, culture clash, chasing dreams in your 20s, and finding family in people from the other side of the world. From Hyuk’s harrowing journey out of North Korea to Nathan nearly passing up his audition thinking it was a scam, 1VERSE isn’t just performing concepts – they are the concept.

As Kenny put it: members are coming into the industry equipped with years of real life experience, and that adds a depth and nuance to the stories they tell through music that few groups can match.

That’s what makes the 1VERSE member profiles more than just stats and birthdays. Each verse they sing is part of a bigger story – one that’s only just getting started.