Samuel is an American singer-songwriter and former member of 1PUNCH (원펀치). He was born in Los Angeles, California, to a Mexican father and a South Korean mother. He and his mother moved to South Korea when he was a child, and he graduated from Hanlim Arts High School.

He first appeared on TV as a trainee under Pledis Entertainment during the reality show "Seventeen TV". He was the youngest of the group and could have debuted as part of SEVENTEEN, but he decided to leave the agency in 2013.

He moved to Brave Entertainment (브레이브엔터테인먼트) and debuted in January 2015 (using the stage name Punch) as part of the hip-hop duo 1PUNCH with their first single album, "The Anthem". The pair didn't release any new material after that, as rapper One was signed by YG Entertainment only 8 months later.

He collaborated with American rapper Silentó and released the single "Spotlight" in 2016, for which they won the 26th Seoul Music Award for Global Collaboration.

He made his debut as a solo artist in August 2017 (now using his real name) with the mini-album, "Sixteen". He debuted in Japan in February 2018 with the Japanese version of his Korean debut.

However, he had many issues with Brave Entertainment as his musical style clashed with the vision of the company. In June 2019, he announced he would work independently and establish his own one-man company. By November 2021, he filed a lawsuit seeking the termination of his contract with Brave Entertainment.

He went on hiatus due to the lawsuit and because his father was murdered in July 2019 in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The police opened an investigation and arrested a family acquaintance who was responsible for the murder.

After 5 years, he made a comeback in April 2024 with his self-produced EP titled "Now". He is now represented by the Samuel Management & Entertainment Music Group.

(Source: MyDramaList) Edit Biography