K-pop singer Samuel releases new EP "Samuelito"

K-pop singer Samuel released his new EP, "Samuelito," on June 8, a four song set that marks his first record sung predominantly in Spanish. Born Samuel Kim Arredondo and raised in Los Angeles's Koreatown to a Korean mother and Mexican father, the 24 year old wrote the release with two other credited writers, a rarity in an industry where songwriting credits are often crowded.

Samuel trained for years at Pledis Entertainment, the label behind K-pop group Seventeen, and appears in early footage from the group's reality show even though he did not make its debut lineup; he later competed on the competition show "Produce 101" and released his solo debut album, "Sixteen," in 2017. After leaving his prior label, he launched his own company, Samuel Music Group, and built a following blending pop styles across Korean and Spanish-language music.

The new EP, which joins the release calendar as his second release since going independent, follows his 2024 project "Now" and leans on what Samuel calls a "K-tone" sound, a fusion of Latin and reggaeton rhythms built on his K-pop training. The song "Never Say Goodbye" carries an unspoken tribute to his late father, Jose Arredondo, a Bakersfield car dealership owner who died in a 2019 case that made national headlines; Samuel says the record is not a direct tribute but that his father's spirit runs through its lyrics.

Canadian Mexican songwriter Andrea Rocha, one of the EP's three credited writers, helped Samuel put Spanish lyrics to melodies he had already structured, saying she was surprised by his ability to sing back a melody suggestion perfectly on the spot. Fans have responded to the fusion approach too; listener Liz Zeledon of Oceanside wrote online that "Korean Latines are so underrepresented in the Korean music industry," a gap Samuel has echoed in describing his own mixed heritage.

Samuel now splits his time between Seoul and Los Angeles, where Koreatown remains his home base, and continues visiting his father's family in Bakersfield. The interview does not mention specific tour plans behind "Samuelito," though Samuel says he hopes eventually to collaborate with Latino pop artists who have crossed over culturally, naming Selena Gomez, Camila Cabello and Rauw Alejandro as inspirations.