Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, DPR IAN developed a fondness for music and performance at an early age. A childhood fascination with electronic duo Daft Punk's seminal 2001 album Discovery and the musical Cats gave him a keen awareness of the importance of visual presentation. As a teen, he taught himself the drums and started a heavy metal band, playing and writing songs by ear. He was later drawn to b-boying and breakdancing as a form of physical self-expression, skipping class to busk in downtown Sydney and documenting his freestyles on YouTube. His channel gave him an audience, and it even connected him with his future DPR collaborator and friend Hong Da-Bin (also known as DPR LIVE). After graduating from his performing arts school in 2008, he bought a one-way ticket to Seoul to pursue his dreams as a dancer. He debuted as the leader and rapper of K-pop group C-Clown in 2012, performing as Rome. His experience as an idol was short-lived and tumultuous — the unit disbanded in 2015 — but it did give him a better understanding of the industry. So when he synched back up with his friend Hong to discuss making something together, he knew that he wanted the next stage of his career to be rooted in creative freedom, authenticity, and community. That vision ultimately became DPR. "I want to make an impact or nothing at all," he says. "When I set out to do something, I want people to turn their heads and not look away."