SEVENTEEN's DINO debuts trot alter ego '피철인' on solo album

SEVENTEEN's DINO — the youngest of the group's 13 members — dropped a solo album earlier this month built around a trot song. He's not promoting as DINO, though. Instead, he's stepping into the skin of an alternate character named 피철인 (Picheorin).

The concept runs deep. DINO describes 피철인 as someone with a strong "let's all live the same way — just have fun and enjoy life" mindset, and says he found himself comforted by lyrics he wrote himself. "I wanted a fresh challenge," he said. "An idol promoting through an alter ego is a platform that's never been tried before."

The album isn't straight trot. DINO frames it as EDM-mixed, blending what he calls the current era and an older one. He calls it a Gilboard album—something that can speak across generations.

SEVENTEEN debuted in 2015 and has placed 6 albums in the top 5 of the Billboard main album chart. The group's global footprint makes DINO's pivot to trot—a genre rooted in Korean domestic pop tradition—a notable left turn.

K-pop has seen trot before. BIGBANG's DAESUNG has performed it. Some members of Girls' Generation recently showed contrasting sides through the '효리수' project. DINO's fully developed alter-ego persona, though, is a different approach.

This week, DINO holds his first solo concert. He plans to move between his main persona and 피철인 on stage.