DPR IAN has sat down with Rolling Stone Korea for an exclusive interview, opening up about the journey that took him from a K-pop idol trainee system to the artist he is today.
The interview, shared on r/kpop, finds the 35-year-old Korean-Australian singer-songwriter reflecting on his years as an idol from 2012 to 2015, when he performed under the name Rome. He spoke candidly about the harsh idol management system and the extreme stress of the industry, which he says led to a dissociative identity disorder diagnosis in his 20s.
The piece also revisits his public discussion of the bipolar disorder he was diagnosed with as a student. That experience was projected through the persona MITO on his first EP and the 2022 studio album ‘Moodswings In This Order,’ and through 2023’s ‘Dear Insanity.’ He told the magazine that he never truly stood on stage as his unfiltered self, having always performed through characters, and that the question “who is the real Ian?” is one he keeps returning to.
The interview also touches on the darker chapter of last October, when he made public accusations against former DPR member DPR REM, claiming betrayal and exploitation and saying he had not received fair compensation over a decade.
Music remains his way through. The article introduces his recent single “The Show,” an electric jazz-pop-rock track about life itself being a show, built from the same pain that has fueled his songwriting for years.
The full interview is available on Rolling Stone Korea.
