The Dean

Korean alt-R&B singer-songwriter and producer Dean infuses atmospheric textures with a '90s-influenced sound. Born Kwon Hyuk in Seoul, he was a fan of hip-hop from a young age, secretly writing songs in his bedroom. In 2008, he made his first foray into the music business performing with rapper and fellow Korean Keith Ape. He began songwriting under the moniker Deanfluenza -- influenced by the rebel image of James Dean -- eventually shortening it to the simpler stage name of Dean. In 2012, he joined a songwriting team in Los Angeles, penning tunes for K-pop acts like EXO and VIXX. He made his solo debut in 2015 with the single "I'm Not Sorry," featuring singer/songwriter Eric Bellinger (Chris Brown, Usher, Trey Songz). That year, he also hopped onto tracks with Mila J ("Here and Now") and Anderson Paak ("Put My Hands on You"). Before the year's end, he returned to Korea to make his hometown debut with the single "Pour Up" with Block B's Zico. His first EP, 130 Mood: TRBL arrived the following year, debuting at number three on Billboard's World Album chart. The next year, he released the singles "Limbo" and "Love" with Syd. © Neil Z. Yeung /TiVo