Dean

Dean is the stage name of Kwon Hyuk (권혁), a South Korean alternative R&B singer-songwriter and record producer. He is also associated with the name DΞΔN and with the nickname DEAN TRBL.

Background and early career

Kwon Hyuk is born on 10 November 1992. He starts out as a hip-hop artist at 16 and begins performing as part of a crew with rapper Keith Ape. By 18, he turns towards singing and melody-driven songwriting, which becomes central to his later work.

Songwriting and collaborations

Dean writes for other Korean artists as well as performing his own material. His credits include “Unfair” for EXO, “World Tour” for Lee Hi, and “Bingle Bingle” for Block B. He also works with a range of artists and producers including Mr. Camack, DJ esta of Soulection, Anderson .Paak, Eric Bellinger, EXO, Crush, ZICO and Syd.

Solo releases

In July 2015, Dean releases his first English single, “I’m Not Sorry”, featuring Eric Bellinger. His Korean single “Pour Up” features ZICO and wins Best R&B/Soul Song of the Year at the Korean Music Awards. Another single, “What 2 Do”, features Jeff Bernat and Crush and reaches the top tier of the MELON chart in South Korea.

His first EP, 130 mood: TRBL, includes earlier singles “I Love It” featuring Dok2, “Pour Up” and “What 2 Do”, along with four new tracks: “And You? (Outro)”, “Bonnie & Clyde”, “D (Half Moon)” featuring Gaeko, and “21”. The title “130” refers to the number James Dean used on his car, and “TRBL” comes from his nickname DEAN TRBL.

Later activity

Dean reactivates his Instagram account in 2023 and archives its posts. He later releases “Die 4 You”, followed by “3:33 NASA”, with “CTRL” as the B-side.