It’s not uncommon to hear stories of artists being mistreated by their labels or facing conflicts within the company. While some choose to resolve matters privately and through proper legal channels, others decide to speak out after having endured mistreatment for far too long.
Christian Yu, better known as DPR Ian (유바롬), has seemingly reached a breaking point amid ongoing conflict within his label, Dream Perfect Regime (DPR). The artist took to Twitter yesterday (Tuesday, 7th October) to express his frustration, revealing that he had been keeping certain matters to himself for a very long time.
For context, there has been an ongoing dispute among the artists and former artists under Dream Perfect Regime (DPR), particularly between DPR Ian, DPR LIVE (now Dabin) and DPR REM (Scott Kim, former member). The conflict reportedly stems from trademark ownership, with REM holding the rights to the DPR name, a move that prevented co-founder DPR LIVE from using it. DPR LIVE has since left the label, rebranded himself as Dabin, and launched his own label, CTYL.
Since then, both Ian and Dabin have hinted at an internal dispute, but never really provided specific details. On Tuesday (7th October), Ian publicly called out REM on Twitter for his alleged betrayal, suggesting that there was an undisclosed agreement regarding Dabin’s previous stage name without his knowledge. In a series of posts, DPR Ian vented his anger over the situation, expressing feelings of betrayal and frustration towards those he felt had taken advantage of him.
“F*** everyone that takes everything away without even saying thank you behind closed doors, where it really matters,” he wrote. He went on to deny claims that DPR LIVE left because of him, adding that he had always been willing to help his bandmate “at whatever cost”. The artist also claimed he had never gained financially or personally from the situation, allegedly under REM’s jurisdiction, writing, “You think I made money from anything? You think I make money?”.
Ian then called himself the rightful CEO and founder of the DPR brand, stating that he had contributed both creatively and technically to the project, yet had not been fairly compensated for his work over the past decade. Since his emotional outburst online, fans have expressed both sympathy and concern for the singer’s situation and well-being. Ian has previously been open about his mental health struggles, but this marks the first time he has shared such deep distress on a public platform, understandably leaving many fans worried.
At the time of writing, DPR has yet to issue an official statement regarding the conflict. Dabin, REM and DPR Cream have also not responded to Ian’s posts or addressed the accusations and claims of mistreatment within the company. What do you think of the situation?
