DPR IAN

Blurring the lines between R&B, hip-hop, and electronic, Australian-Korean artist DPR IAN is a member of the multimedia collective DPR (“Dream Perfect Regime”). After breaking into the industry in the early 2010s as part of K-pop boy band C-Clown, he later branched out to focus on his own work, which he debuted in 2020 on the laid-back “No Blueberries,” which appeared on his first EP, 2021′s Moodswings in This Order. A companion full-length, Moodswings in to Order, arrived in 2022, and a second EP, Dear Insanity, appeared in 2023.
Born Yu Ba-Rom in Sydney, the singer/songwriter (who also goes by Christian Yu) first came on the scene as a member of the short-lived C-Clown, performing as Rome. When that group disbanded in 2015, Yu pivoted to the Seoul-based DPR, a multi-genre music and video group formed with DPR Cream, DPR Live, and DPR Rem. In addition to serving as a director and editor for the collective, Yu also recorded his own music. In 2020, he teamed with DPR Live and CL for the hit “No Blueberries.” That track landed on his debut EP, Moodswings in This Order. For the project, Yu personified his inner struggles as the titular character “Mito,” aiming to reframe mental struggles as superpowers. Upon release, the set debuted at number five on the U.S. Heatseekers chart. In July 2022, he delivered his first full-length album, Moodswings in to Order, which performed even better, hitting 30 on the Gaon Album chart and landing on the Billboard 200. The 2023 single “Peanut Butter & Tears” preceded his second EP, Dear Insanity. ~ Neil Z. Yeung