SEVENTEEN - VERNON
We are on February 18th in South Korea, so it’s the birthday of VERNON, member of the group SEVENTEEN. It’s a large group so I suggest you discover a little more each member through their written portraits.
The member in the spotlight today is VERNON, the group’s free-spirited rapper.
VERNON was born on February 18th, 1998 in New York, which he left when he was 5 years old, so he feels more Korean than American. Despite this, VERNON, with his very un-Asian physique, was often treated like a foreigner when he was younger, he became the target of harassment and racism.
However, his status as a mixed-race child allowed him to make himself known through numerous television appearances where he spoke of his experience alongside his little sister.
VERNON is a rather difficult character to define. Very free-spirited, he is often the wrong way round, in addition to that a little “I-don’t care” side and a colorful clothing style all his own that doesn’t allow him to blend in with the crowd. A video of him casually walking around in a rainbow sweater, beanie and glasses has gone viral and has seen him gain recognition for his quirky personality. When members displayed their VERNON phone cases at ISAC 2019, fans wanted the same and some even dressed up as him for KCON in New York.
While growing up VERNON discovered a passion for rap, like his favorite artists Drake and Kendrick Lamar, he wanted to rap. He joined Pledis Entertainment in 2012 and joined the other interns for the SEVENTEEN project. He’s a pretty confident boy we see in episodes of their reality TV show “Seventeen TV”, who manages to win a fan’s heart. The return of the judges from their debut show “Seventeen Project” only confirms this fact: VERNON is talented and attracts audiences, unfortunately it doesn’t always allow the other members to shine.
He therefore debuts with the group on May 26th, 2015 as a rapper and member of the hip-hop unit.
However, less than two months after the group’s debut, on July 3rd, 2015, VERNON was invited to the famous rap show “Show me the money” where his performance created a scandal. He manages to pass the laps despite a lower level than his opponents, the public is unhappy and he says today that he regrets his participation. This real blow in the face transformed the former VERNON into a more talented and humble rapper.
Shortly after the show, on July 11th, 2015, VERNON released a solo mixtape called “Loto” featuring Don Mills. In this mixtape, he expresses his reaction to the haters and his desire to shine. At the first “Boy Wish” concert in 2016, the song will be adapted into a unity song emphasizing the group’s success.
In 2018, he participated with other idols in a program to motivate fans to study called “Tutor” where he taught English to one of his fans. On this show, he shows a new side of himself to fans and wins their hearts.
The same year, during their tour in the United States, VERNON met the American rapper Tobi Lou. From there, will create a friendship without borders: the rapper integrates a character representing VERNON in his clip and comes to several American concerts of the group. On August 1st, 2019, Tobi Lou finally reveals a duet song with VERNON (where he sings in Korean) in his album “LIVE ON ICE” to the delight of fans who have been waiting for him for a long time.
We wish him a happy birthday, hoping that this year will bring him success and happiness, both in his professional and personal life and that the group will have another year full of projects.
Journalist: Emmaa1904
Translator: Shawn
Source: Seventeen Lyrics, Mnet
