After releasing four albums in Korea and one in Japan, pop and R&B artist Se7en rolls the dice on his biggest undertaking yet: crossing over to the U.S.

For his first American album, which will be released this summer, the South Korean megastar has teamed up with power producers Mark Shimmel (who’s worked with Usher), Rich Harrison (who’s worked with Beyonce) and Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins (who’s worked with Michael, Janet and Whitney).

But don’t expect a complete Hollywood transformation. “I don’t want to be someone else,” says the 23-year-old in near-perfect English (he studies with a language teacher for three hours each day). “I don’t want to be fake. I just want to be Se7en.”

How did you get your start?  
When I was 5, my dad introduced me to Michael Jackson’s music. After that, end of story. I knew I wanted to be a singer.

Was it a difficult journey?
When I was 14, I started training [under the label] YG Family. During that first year, I was almost only just cleaning. After [hip-hop duo] Jinusean would practice, I had to get the room clean. Then I would practice until morning. I worked very hard.

Why did you decide to cross over to the U.S.?  
There’s no big-time Asian singer in the U.S. I want to be the first Asian singer to break in.

What do you think it will take to be successful in America?
The most important thing is good music. If I have good music, a good face and a good performance, race doesn’t matter.

How is the U.S. industry different from the industry in Korea?  
In the American music industry, the hip-hop style is to not think of [recording sessions] as work. The producers make it really relaxing and comfortable. It’s like playing. In Korea, recording is work.

In the U.S., you’ve been compared to another hallyu star, Rain. What do you think when you hear that?
We went to high school together. We were close. I never thought of us as rivals. He’s a great entertainer. Maybe we’ll work together someday.  

How did you get your name?
It’s simple. Lucky seven. Nobody hates seven. When you listen to the album, I’ll give you luck.