Vernon, the 28-year-old rapper best known as a member of K-pop powerhouse Seventeen, has dug into the sonic groundwork for V8, the new duo album he made with fellow group member The 8. In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Vernon outlines how the project started, why hyperpop played a central role and how an unlikely viral shuffle helped shape the choreography for the album's lead single, "Singasong."
From a unit idea to a hyperpop record
Vernon said the unit concept was initiated by The 8 and that he accepted because he felt the two of them shared musical tastes distinct from Seventeen's usual sound. The result is a record that leans into the exaggerated textures and brisk tempo changes associated with hyperpop, a genre Vernon says he loves.
The pair chose to depart from Seventeen's more typical sonic palette to pursue a concentrated set of references and experiments. Vernon explained that when he works on songs he often compiles playlists to isolate sounds and pull references from a range of tracks — a practice that helped guide the V8 sessions.
Playlist as studio toolkit
Vernon supplied a playlist to The Hollywood Reporter illustrating the artists and records that informed the duo album. The selection leans into electronic, experimental pop and hyperpop touchstones and illustrates the reference points used while writing and producing.
| Selected playlist artists |
|---|
| Jack Ü |
| Bladee |
| Mechatok |
| 100 Gecs |
| Blur |
| Madeon |
| LMFAO |
Vernon told the outlet he often lets algorithmic recommendations influence what he listens to: "I frequently shuffle or just let the algorithm take me wherever it does." That willingness to follow disparate references is apparent in the playlist, which moves between mainstream party anthems and avant-garde electronic producers.
Choreography, school hallways and a shuffle revival
The lead single, "Singasong," recalls a more playful side of pop in its choreography. Vernon cited LMFAO's early-2010s hit "Party Rock Anthem" as something that left an imprint on his school experience in Korea. He said the tune's shuffle became a familiar ritual during class changes — a cultural memory that he brought into the record's visual and performance choices.
"After finishing our song, 'Singasong,' I knew we had to dance for this, but I kept contemplating what kind of dance we should do," Vernon said. "Then I saw Romance Planet, which is a different musician who shuffles to his own music, and that really inspired me to maybe just bring back the 'Party Rock Anthem' shuffle."
That reference to Romance Planet — a creator known for shuffling — shows how online clips and niche creators continue to shape mainstream K-pop choreography. For Vernon and The 8, the shuffle was both nostalgic and freshened by the album's hyperpop production.
Where K-pop's sound is headed, from Vernon's perspective
Vernon also reflected on the broader course of K-pop's sonic evolution. While he did not offer sweeping declarations, his choice to pursue a hyperpop-oriented unit project illustrates how individual members of large groups are exploring subgenres that diverge from their main act's identity. Such offshoots allow artists to surface personal influences and test new combinations of sounds in a global market increasingly receptive to genre-mixing.
- V8 is a duo album by Vernon and The 8 that emphasises hyperpop textures.
- The pair used carefully curated playlists as a reference tool during production.
- Choreography for "Singasong" was inspired by both a schoolyard memory of "Party Rock Anthem" and contemporary shuffling creators.
With V8, Vernon and The 8 contribute to a trend in K-pop where members branch out to pursue concentrated artistic statements, borrowing from niche international genres to reshape their public personas. The project highlights the porous boundaries between the pop mainstream and online-born microcultures — an exchange that continues to drive the music's evolution.
For Vernon, who grew up between cultures and sounds, the album is both a nod to personal influences and an experiment in stretching K-pop's palette.
