1VERSE Step Outside the Loop of Labels: “We Want People to Feel Seen”

Born from evenings spent playing claw machines, 1VERSE’s second single album turns repeated attempts into perseverance.

Kenny, Nathan and Aito speak to CZMOS about what they would never give up and the identity they hope to protect as the group continues to grow.

A claw machine rarely gives up its prize on the first attempt. You insert another coin, reposition the claw and try again, even when the object appears determined to remain out of reach.

This everyday experience became the starting point for LOOP, the second single album by 1VERSE.

Behind the colourful setting of an arcade, the group develops a broader reflection on perseverance: continuing to pursue something even when the result still feels distant.

During a group press interview, CZMOS Magazine met Kenny, Nathan and Aito to discuss how the song was created, what they would never abandon and the identity they want to protect as 1VERSE continues to grow.

A Song Born Through Play

The idea behind LOOP did not begin with a concept planned in advance. Before an instrumental track even existed, the members found themselves talking about what they had been doing and experiencing at the time.

It was almost like a therapy session.

Their conversations eventually turned to their visits to arcades and the many hours they had spent playing claw machines. From there, transforming that routine into a song felt natural.

Kenny, Nathan and Aito participated in the writing and composition process. They worked from something they knew personally, without trying to make it more complicated than necessary.

Sometimes everything does not have to be so complex

If they wanted to write a fun song, the process behind it needed to preserve some of that same lightness.

That atmosphere followed them onto the music video set. The three recalled becoming so involved in the games that they occasionally forgot the cameras were still recording.

The machines continued making noise during filming, and the crew eventually had to unplug some of them.

The video does not simply reconstruct the visual language of an arcade. It preserves part of the genuine enjoyment from which the song emerged.

Continuing Even When the Prize Slips Away

In LOOP, trying one more time becomes a metaphor. The group takes an action that could resemble an obsession and reframes it as perseverance: knowing what you want and continuing to pursue it despite the distance.

The song also develops the story that began with What If. While the previous track conveyed the feeling of falling without knowing where to go, the direction now appears clearer.

Now we know where we want to go, and we are going to keep going until we reach it

When CZMOS asked what they would never give up on, their answers revealed three very different sides of the group.

Aito chose the violin and his desire to keep practising and improving. Kenny mentioned acting and writing, two creative languages he would like to develop alongside music.

Nathan remained faithful to the world of LOOP: claw machines. Once he has spent money trying to win a prize, he explained, he finds it difficult to stop before finally claiming it.

Even the most playful answer contains the same logic as the song. Trying again does not always have to involve an enormous dream. It can also appear in the small challenges that reveal how difficult it is to leave something unfinished.

Who Decides What Makes a Group Different?

1VERSE brings together five members from different countries and backgrounds. Hyuk and Seok were born in North Korea, Aito comes from Japan, while Kenny and Nathan grew up in the United States.

This composition has shaped much of the conversation surrounding the group since its debut. Yet when we asked what truly makes 1VERSE different, their answer did not attempt to produce a slogan.

Honestly, we do not know. We would like to let the fans decide what makes us different to them.

It is a significant position within an industry where a group’s identity is often introduced through an immediately recognisable concept. 1VERSE would rather concentrate on the relationship it wants to build through music.

Our goal is to help people feel seen and to put something authentic into the world. Someone might listen to us and think, ‘I’m going through this too.’ That can make them feel less alone.

For 1VERSE, standing out should not become a competition. Difference can emerge naturally when artists speak honestly about their experiences and allow listeners to recognise themselves within them.

Protecting Ambition Without Being Consumed by It

What Kenny hopes to protect as the group grows is not limited to its sound. It also involves time and the opportunity to understand what kind of artist he wants to become.

My main goal is to find a balance between work and my personal life. Ambition can exclude many other things, and pursuing this career requires a lot of sacrifices.

As the group’s path begins to develop a more consistent rhythm, he wants to learn how to slow down and examine the possibilities in front of him. He is thinking beyond the next song or album, exploring creative writing, acting and other forms of expression that could also inform his musical identity.

I tend to overthink things that could be simpler. I am trying to slow down because life does not necessarily have to move so fast.

This awareness introduces an important nuance to the message of LOOP. Continuing to try does not mean running without stopping.

Perseverance can coexist with the need to pause, protect one’s balance and decide which direction is genuinely worth pursuing.

Finding Inspiration in Italy and Måneskin

The group’s connection with Italy emerged through music and performance. During his years in a choir, Kenny sang several pieces in Italian, although he admitted with some amusement that he no longer remembers their titles and often performed in the language without fully understanding it.

Among contemporary references, the members mentioned Måneskin. The Rome-based band, which won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2021, caught their attention through the way it brings rock to the stage and creates a distinctive visual presence.

Rather than identifying a single influence, however, the members emphasised their curiosity about creative work emerging from different cultures and disciplines.

Whenever we see something interesting coming from another culture, from music to fashion, we become fascinated by it. Anything that requires creativity can become an inspiration.

A Loop That Moves Forward

Behind the humour, the claw machines and conversations that repeatedly turn into jokes, 1VERSE holds onto a clear belief: music can create a space in which very different experiences no longer have to represent distance.

Their multicultural story will inevitably continue to attract attention, but the group does not want to be reduced to the combined origins of its members. It wants to be recognised for what it creates through those differences.

Their relationship with one another also required time. As they explained while speaking to their fans, getting along was not always easy at the beginning precisely because they came from such different realities.

Growing as a group meant learning to accept those contrasts without expecting to understand or appreciate every difference in exactly the same way.

LOOP captures this point in their journey.

1VERSE has not yet reached all of its ambitions. Nathan hopes to perform on a stage like Coachella one day, while Aito is looking towards the Tokyo Dome. The distance, however, does not appear to intimidate them.

The song does not promise that every attempt will be the right one. It simply suggests that when something truly matters, it is worth repositioning the claw and trying again.

Special thanks to Singing Beetle for organising the group press interview with 1VERSE and making this conversation possible.