Samuel's 'SAMUELito'

Samuel Management & Entertainment Music Group

Musical artist Samuel has been through a lot in his young life.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, the 24-year-old Mexican-Korean American singer knew he wanted to pursue a career in entertainment. His parents knew there was something special about their only son, and at 11, he moved to South Korea to become a trainee at PLEDIS Entertainment, where he trained alongside members who would eventually form SEVENTEEN. He left the trainee group in 2013, formed a hip-hop duo in 2015, and then competed in the second season of Produce 101 before debuting as a solo artist with Brave Entertainment in 2017. After issues with the company, Samuel went through a lengthy legal battle to be released from the contract. It was also during that time in 2019 that he tragically lost his father.

After taking some time to grieve, Samuel released an EP, Now, in 2024, under his newly formed company, Samuel Management & Entertainment Group. Yet, he still struggled with how he defined himself as an artist and took time to reflect on how he wanted to present himself. Now, he seems to know that with his newly released album, SAMUELito.

“I’ve been in the music industry for a very long time,” Samuel says over Zoom from Seoul. “I started very young, and I just felt like I’m coming back to where I first started, when I was born, growing up, what I ate, the environment, the people I was with, and the music I listened to.”

As one of the few Latino-Korean artists in K-pop, Samuel embraced his unique background. He grew up in Los Angeles, surrounded by Latin music and Mexican culture, and was given the endearing nickname “Samuelito” by his loved ones on his dad's side. He decided that was the perfect title for the album, which blends Latin rhythm and reggaeton energy with his experience in the Korean pop music scene.

“I just felt this would be a fresh way that I could show my true identity,” he shares. “Not showing that, ‘Hey! I’m [Latino and Korean].’ The strong and direct way I could say that was SAMUELito. I love this album, which I also made. This is my favorite album out of everything that I’ve made.”

With four tracks on the EP, Samuel was actively involved in producing, writing, and the performance direction, ensuring it was his own narrative. It’s why the album features a mix of English, Spanish, and Korean, showcasing his versatility. After years of training in the Korean music system, he knew the structure of K-pop music and the performance aspects surrounding it. It was all about how to add those elements into the Latin beats and reggaeton.

“Why not do the languages that I was born with?” Samuel explains growing up with a Korean-speaking mother and a Spanish-speaking father. “I feel like the languages are a good way of representing me as well – the true me. I’ve always wanted to do Spanish music, and it just felt like now was the perfect time to do this.”

In recent years, K-pop has begun to embrace Latin beats and elements in its music. So many groups have incorporated Latin music into their songs, including NMIXX, KARD, NCT 127, and ATEEZ. Now, Latin pop group Santos Bravos, which used the K-pop training model, has begun expanding into Asia. Samuel has seen the global expansion of both K-pop and Latin pop in real time and fully embraces it.

He expresses his excitement for it, “When K-pop first opened in the American market, nobody thought it was going to be this global. It was just unexpected. Same thing with Latin pop. Latin pop was global already, [and has begun reaching] K-pop idols in their songs. Santos Bravos is good quality music. I love their concert as well. I’m happy good music is going global.”

Samuel shares that he was deeply inspired by Latin and reggaeton artists like Daddy Yankee and Rauw Alejandro while creating the album, especially for his title track, “ZIGI-ZIGI-ZIGI.” He’s always been a fan of dance music, especially the elements of drums and other musical instruments. He credits Daddy Yankee and Alejandro for influencing the track's structure.

“The song’s whole concept goes with the title – ardiendo, which means I’m on fire or burning [or ablaze],” Samuel notes. “The Zigi came from what I mumbled, because if you go to the campfire, you’ll hear the sounds of the fire’s ashes and embers. It sounds like ‘Zigi.’ That’s why I just came out with the mumble word – no dictionary vocabulary word. It was just a concept.”

As for his other songs, they have all been inspired by Latin music, mixed with some R&B pop that Samuel is known for. One song that is particularly meaningful to him is meant to be a tribute to his father, “Never Say Goodbye.” He has a music video planned, which he says will help people understand the real meaning of his album. He hints, “If you watch the ‘Never Say Goodbye’ video, then you’ll realize why I put this picture as the album, and what the lyrics really mean.”

The main image of the album features a toddler-aged Samuel, wearing a bandana and holding a toy horse, while living in Los Angeles. He admits the album is also a reflection of his youth before he entered the industry and of the loss of his father at a young age. He’s had to grow up so fast in a tough industry, often doubting himself and having to figure a lot of things out himself.

“There were times when I really was having a hard time,” he says. “Like, ‘where is this not going right? Why is this not doing well? Why is this process not working?’ I’ve had times where I was saying a lot of negative things to myself.”​

He’s had to learn many lessons, succeed and fail, to get to where he is now. He understands it’s a process of building yourself up to become stronger, and learning from the next time. He admits, “Next time, if this was weak, I’ll do this next time and focus on this. Failing is important for me, especially because that’s how I learn. My dad passed away seven years ago. I was a young boy. I really didn’t have much time to learn what a boy or man goes through, but this experience made me who I truly am to this day. I’ve learned that just being honest and being true [to yourself] is a safer and better way [of living] than trying to be perfect and look good every time.”

Samuel had a close relationship with his father, recalling their time together, living in LA, and going golfing. He remembers being a kid, unable to hold the golf clubs, but he went along anyway to spend time together. His dad would play Spanish music as they rode in the golf cart.

“It was just vibes,” he says, affectionately. “The environment and the feeling of listening to the music, it just felt good. Hearing Latin pop or any Latin music just hits differently. It doesn’t have to be a fast, dancing song. It could even be a slow song that has a good groove. I just wanted to bring back what felt good, and the feelings and texture of things that I was thankful for.”

That’s how he hopes the album will make audiences feel. He didn’t want it to feel like Americanized reggaeton or forced Latin music blended with K-pop. He personally picked the sounds, rhythm, and vocals to keep it fresh and authentic to him, so that others can resonate with it.

He explains, “It was a good blend. My brain and heart kept telling me that now is the time to do this music. Your body is telling you, you have to do it. Nobody told me to do this. I don’t know. It might be my dad in heaven telling me, ‘You got to do this.’ I don’t know. My mind kept reminding me, now is the time.”

Samuel’s SAMUELito is out now on all streaming platforms.