Even though Korean pop music is still becoming more and more popular in America, particularly among college students and younger Americans, I would venture that the majority of Arkansans over 25 are familiar with K-pop. This includes whatever BTS song is currently popular on TikTok, hazy recollections of Psy performing Gangham Style with Madonna in 2012, and (if they are a little hornier on Main) knowledge of Kwon Eunbi’s recent performances at the Waterbomb Festival. Even though the songs are catchy, it’s still difficult to get Arkansans to pay attention.
But that might be about to change—and in the most surprising way possible—when a resident of Northwest Arkansas joins a new K-pop boy band.
Born in California, 24-year-old Nathan Kousolis is of Laotian and Thai heritage. He was raised in Bentonville, where he earned his high school diploma in 2019. In 2020, he started releasing his own music under the stage name Nathan. He was the fifth member of the K-pop trio 1Verse, who released their first single album, The First Verse, last week, after being chosen from a pool of applicants last year.
1Verse pronounced The claim that Universe was the first K-pop group to feature a North Korean defector was untrue. (In actuality, K-pop duo BE BOYS made their debut with their first single on June 18, one month before 1Verse’s debut, after announcing North Korean defector Hak Seong as a member in April.) However, 1Verse stands apart from other K-pop artists due to their diversity.
In addition to Nathan and the two North Korean defectors (the group’s rapper Hyuk and vocalist Seok), 1Verse also features a Japanese-Korean dancer from Japan named Aito and a Chinese-American singer from Los Angeles named Kenny. In K-pop circles, such a diverse background is uncommon enough that Korean media has referred to 1Versea as a truly global K-pop group.
Growing up in Bentonville, Nathan had no intention of becoming a K-pop sensation. Prior to becoming a competitive Super Smash Bros. player, he played tennis. He first encountered K-pop through his K-pop-loving cousins in Texas, and at first he pretended not to understand its allure.
Nathan told the Associated Press that he would “just kind of pretend to be a hater, like urgh, K-pop.” Then, he continued, “I happened to stumble upon EXO’s Growl music video on YouTube.” (The 2013 song “Growl” by the Chinese-South Korean K-pop group EXO is among their most well-known tracks in the US market, per Spotify.)
The rest was history. Nathan started learning how to dance and sing by watching TikTok videos of K-pop performances. After trying out for several possible K-pop boy bands, he was revealed as 1Verse’s fifth and final member in December.
Multiverse, 1Verse’s debut single, was accessible on the majority of streaming services on July 4. Multiverse is a catchy, Korean-language song with a hint of English that primarily draws from the electronic and Western pop elements that form the foundation of a lot of K-pop.
Shattered, the group’s second single, was made available last week as the A-side to Multiverse as part of 1Verse’s album release. Shattered is an English-language pop/hip-hop/dance song that is more catchier than Multiverse. It is evocative of mid-period N*Sync, which is actually a compliment.
Will Arkansans begin to listen to K-pop just because one Lao-Thai from Bentonville is featured? Most likely not, not at first. However, considering how fond this state is of everyone from Sister Rosetta Tharp to Amy Lee and from Bankroll Freddie to Glen Campbell, it’s easy to see a time in the 2020s when Nathan is brought up by Arkansas music aficionados as evidence of the state’s impact on K-pop.
It’s dragon-slaying time!
The Arkansas Times, which relentlessly defends the fundamental rights and liberties in our community, stands as a light of truth in an era when critical voices are being silenced more and more. Our commitment to provide uncompromising journalism has never been more important, especially with Arkansas in the center of a broad culture war that is impacting our libraries, schools, and public conversation. We can’t accomplish our goals of defeating dragons and holding those in positions of authority responsible alone. You can guarantee that independent journalism in Arkansas not only endures but flourishes by making a contribution today. We can join the fight and make a difference together.
