Biography of Hyuna
Kim Hyun-ah, better known by her stage name Hyuna, was born in South Korea on 6 June 1992. She is a singer-songwriter, rapper, and model. In February 2007, she made her debut as a member of the girl group Wonder Girls. She eventually left JYP Entertainment and joined the girl group 4Minute, which is under Cube Entertainment, after leaving the group shortly after. The girl group 4Minute made their debut in June 2009 and went on to become one of the most well-known in the nation.
Hyuna started a solo career with a music style she described as “performance-oriented music” in 2010. Her solo debut song, ‘Change’, peaked at number two on the Gaon Digital Chart in South Korea.
With the release of her first extended play ‘Bubble Pop!’ in 2011, She gained more widespread public recognition. More than three million digital copies of the song’s title track were sold, and she became the first female K-pop solo artist to reach 100 million views on a single music video on YouTube. Later that year, she joined forces with former Beast member Hyunseung to form the duo ‘Trouble Maker’, which went on to release the popular single ‘Trouble Maker’.
She participated in a well-received duet performance of Psy’s international hit song ‘Gangnam Style’ in 2012, and she subsequently released her second extended play, ‘Melting’, which included the top-charting song ‘Ice Cream’. The chart-topping singles ‘Red’ and ‘Roll Deep’ were produced by her two subsequent extended plays, ‘A Talk’ and A+.
After several internal disputes, Hyuna terminated her contract with Cube Entertainment in 2018, and the following year she joined Psy’s P Nation. She entered the US Billboard World Digital Song Sales’ top ten with her seventh top-ten single, ‘Flower Shower’, her first digital single under P Nation. ‘I’m Not Cool’, Hyuna’s seventh extended play, was published in 2021.
Early Life and Education
Hyuna was born in Seoul, South Korea, on June 6, 1992. She went to Korea High School of Music and Arts and Choongam Middle School. She earned a degree in Contemporary Arts from Konkuk University and was given special admission to the institution.
Career
She was the 2006 primary rapper of The Wonder Girls (2006) and a member of the JYP Entertainment-managed girl group. ‘The Wonder Begins’, the group’s debut mini-album, featured Hyuna. It was released in February 2007.
She took part in MTV Wonder Girls for two seasons, and from May 12 to June 30, 2007, she co-hosted ‘Show! Music Core’ with Wonder Girls’ Sohee and Fly to the Sky singer Brian Joo. As a result of her parent’s concern for her health, particularly her chronic gastroenteritis and dizziness spells, Hyuna was removed from Wonder Girls. She joined Cube Entertainment in 2008.
Hyuna made her debut as a member of the girl group 4Minute in May 2009. The group also made its debut with the single ‘Hot Issue’.
Solo Debut and Success
Lee Gi-kwang and Hyuna worked together to create the song ‘2009’ for their joint album ‘First Episode: A New Hero’. She also made an appearance in the music video for Lee Gi-kwang’s ‘Dancing Shoes’, on 30 March 2009. She rapped for Navi’s song ‘Wasteful Tears’ and appeared in the music video as well. She was also a part of the song ‘Bittersweet’ by the Brave Brothers. She joined Han Seung-yeon, Uee, and Gain in the promotional group ‘Dream Team Girl Group’ for the Samsung Anycall phone.
On 6 October 2009, their first digital single, ‘Tomorrow’, was released. She released a personalised version of the music video. She also took part in Invincible Youth, a South Korean variety show. On 11 June 2010, Hyuna, however, left the programme because of some scheduling issues with her group’s international promotions.
She released the single ‘Change’ on 4 January 2010. With 2,469,354 sales, the song peaked at number 14 on the Gaon 2010 digital annual chart. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family flagged the ‘Change’ music video with a 19+ rating ten days later for being inappropriate for minors.
The music video would be re-edited and submitted for approval, according to Cube Entertainment. The music video would still be accessible to all audiences, according to MBC, but broadcast station SBS announced that it would be restricted to a 15+ audience instead.
Comeback with 4Minute
In 2011, Hyuna made an appearance on Dancing with the Stars in the Korean version. In 2011, she released ‘Bubble Pop!’, her debut mini-album, which included five brand-new songs, including the title track. The song was a worldwide hit, and after receiving one million views in just two days, it topped YouTube’s “most watched today” chart. Eventually, it passed 100 million views, making it the first K-pop artist music video to do so. She came in at number 17 on Billboard’s staff-compiled list of notable young acts, ’21 Under 21′, while ‘Bubble Pop!’ came in at number nine on Spin magazine’s list of the “Best 20 Songs of 2011”.
On 24 November 2011, Cube Entertainment made it known that she and Hyunseung of BEAST would be in the co-ed unit Trouble Maker. ‘Trouble Maker’, Trouble Maker’s debut mini-album, featured solo songs by both Hyuna and Hyunseung in addition to a dance track and an emotional ballad. She joined ‘The Birth of a Family’ in March 2012, an initiative to promote animal rights where idols adopt stray animals and care for them for a set amount of time. She announced the launch of her brand ‘Hyuna x SPICYCOLOR’.
She also made an appearance in Psy’s popular music video for ‘Gangnam Style’, having been personally chosen by him during the early stages of production. The K-pop music video with the most views, ‘Gangnam Style’, contributed to Hyuna gaining recognition across the globe. In August 2012, Psy released ‘Oppa Is Just My Style’, the female version of ‘Gangnam Style’, which included Hyuna’s own additional vocals.
On 21 October 2012, Hyuna released her second mini album, ‘Melting’, which featured the song ‘Ice Cream’ as its lead single. It was the first time the producer and Hyuna had worked together as a solo artist. The song was produced by Brave Brothers. Psy makes a cameo appearance in the video for Ice Cream, which was released on 22 October 2012.
After receiving coverage from numerous international media outlets, ‘Ice Cream’ attracted attention on a global scale. It received a record number of YouTube views and broke the previous record for the fastest Korean music video to 20 million views. She joined four other K-pop stars, including Hyolyn from Sistar, Jun Hyo-seong from Secret, Nana from After School, and Nicole from Kara, to form the project group ‘Dazzling Red’. At the 2012 SBS Gayo Daejeon, the group gave a performance.
On May 24, She worked with makeup artists Son & Park to launch a series of charitable events called ‘Kiss of Hop’, the proceeds from which were given to fund children’s education in underdeveloped nations. She started working as a spokesmodel for the 2013 Toyota Corolla in March. She gave a performance at the K-Pop Night Out at SXSW in Austin, Texas. She travelled to Los Angeles to participate in a Funny or Die sketch with Rita Ora, a British singer.
On 2 April 2014, the ‘Better Walk’ video featuring the two celebrities aired on ‘Funny or Die’. They released the single ‘Now’, which peaked at the top of ten of Korea’s most major music charts and was labelled an All-Kill. It also topped the Billboard K-Pop Hot 100 chart as well. She released her third album, ‘A Talk’, along with its lead single, ‘Red’, in July 2014.
Hyuna participated in her own reality show, ‘Hyuna’s Free Month’, which featured various facets of her daily life, to promote the album. They released the single ‘Now’, which peaked at the top of ten of Korea’s most major music charts. It also topped the Billboard K-Pop Hot 100 chart as well. She released her third album, A Talk, along with its lead single, ‘Red’, in July 2014. She participated in her own reality show, Hyuna’s Free Month, which featured various facets of her daily life, to promote the album.
Soloist Success and Upcoming Projects
4Minute made the decision to split up on 13 June 2016. The only group member to have her agreement with Cube Entertainment renewed was Hyuna. With the release of her fifth mini album ‘A’wesome’ and its lead single ‘How’s This?’ on August 1, 2016, she resumed her solo career after the dissolution of the group.
On her independent reality show HyunA X19, she showed behind-the-scenes footage of the recording of her album. The album debuted at the top of nine regional music charts. Hyuna made a North American fan-meeting tour announcement to commemorate her tenth anniversary. In February 2017, she travelled to ten different cities. On August 29, 2017, Hyuna released her sixth mini album, following, along with the album’s lead single, ‘Babe’. The rapper performed her single ‘Lip & Hip’ at the 2017 Melon Music Awards on 2 December 2017. Two days later, it received its official release.
On 2 August 2018, images of Hyuna and E’Dawn from the Pentagon were released publicly. However, she and E’Dawn held an interview with Yeonhap News later that day, admitting to their relationship, which started in May 2016, after they had gotten to know each other through their project group Triple H promotions. Cube Entertainment denied the rumours that they were dating.
Following Hyuna’s denial of the dating rumours, the company reacted by postponing all of Triple H’s previously scheduled performances, on-air appearances, and fan events. The event drew mixed reactions from fans, with some demanding that E’Dawn be removed from the Pentagon. Using the excuse that they could not “maintain trust” with them, Cube Entertainment announced that they would be breaking their contracts.
The company, however, stated that they would continue to speak with both of them until further notice. In its official statement, Cube Entertainment stated that the reason for the expulsion was “loss of trust”.
She joined P Nation on 27 January 2019, the brand-new company Psy founded after he left YG Entertainment in May 2018. She debuted with P Nation with the release of the single ‘Flower Shower’ on 5 November 2019. With the release of her seventh EP ‘I’m Not Cool’ and its title track, which was released on January 28, P Nation announced Hyuna’s first comeback since ‘Flower Shower’ in January 2021. Hyuna and Dawn collaborated to release their duet EP 1+1=1 on 9 September 2021.
Achievements
Hyuna is a widely recognised singer-songwriter, rapper and model. She gained popularity with her extended play ‘Bubble Pop!’. With her singles and collaborations, she has won numerous awards. Here are some of her notable achievements:
- In 2020, Hyuna won the ‘Oustanding Singers of the Year’ at the Asia Artist Awards.
- in 2021, she won the ‘People’s Choice Award’ (overseas), ‘Top 20 Albums of the Year’ (overseas) and ‘Top 20 Albums of the Year’ (overseas) at the Asian Pop Music Awards.
- Hyuna won the ‘R&B Hip Hop Award’ at the 2022 Seol Music Awards for her collaboration ‘I’m Not Cool’.
- In 2011, she won the Popularity Video Award at the 2011 YouTube K-pop Awards for her single ‘Bubble Pop!’.
- At the 2017 Melon Music Awards, she won the ‘MBC Music Star Award’.
- At the 2021 Weibo Starlight Awards Hyuna won the ‘Starlight Hall of Fame’.
- She is the brand ambassador of multiple brands including ‘Loewe’, ‘Puma’, ‘Calvin Klein’ and ‘MCB’.
Endorsements
Hyuna assumed her role as brand ambassador for the German company Puma on March 15, 2018. On 19Â March 2019, Hyuna released a photo and a video for the “Puma Light Sandals” campaign, in which she co-starred with Dawn as a brand ambassador.
Later in 2019, Hyuna signed a new endorsement agreement with the company, and for the company’s “Trail Fox” campaign, she produced an image gallery and a video. She was named the ‘CK ONE’ collections’ ambassador by Calvin Klein in March 2020. She was chosen by the Spanish fashion house Loewe to represent her as their new global ambassador on July 13, 2021.
Personal Life
Hyuna’s net worth is approximately 12 million USD, according to Wealthy Persons. Her work as a singer, songwriter, model, and dancer accounts for the majority of her net worth. Her company ‘HyunA x SPICYCOLOR’ also generates an income for her.
Awards
- Asian Pop Music Awards (2022)
People’s Choice Award (Overseas) Nabillera (2022)
Top 20 Albums of the Year (Overseas) Nabillera (2022)
Top 20 Songs of the Year (Overseas) Nabillera (2022) - Asian Pop Music Awards (2021)
People’s Choice Award (Overseas) (“I’m Not Cool”) (2021)
Top 20 Albums of the Year (Overseas) “Ping Pong” (with Dawn) (2021)
Top 20 Songs of the Year (Overseas) (‘I’m Not Cool”) (2021)
Best Collaboration (Overseas)”Ping Pong” (with Dawn) (2021) - Asia Artist Awards (2020)
Outstanding Singers of the Year (2020) - COSMO Glam Night (2019)
COSMO Camera Award (2019) - European K-POP / J-POP Music Award (2015)
Best TV Stage Performance (2015) - Seoul Music Awards (2015)
Dance Performance Award (2015)
R&B Hip Hop Award (2022) - Mnet Asian Music Awards (2015, 2012)
Best Collaboration (2012)
Best Dance Performance – Solo (2015) - Golden Disc Awards (2014, 2012)
Digital Bonsang Red (2014)
Best Dance Performance (2012) - Weibo Starlight Awards (2014)
Starlight Hall of Fame (Korea) (2014) - YinYueTai V-Chart Awards (2013)
Best Korean Female Artist (2013) - Herald Donga TV Lifestyle Awards (2012)
Hot Icon Award (2012) - Melon Music Awards (2012)
Hot Trend Song MBC ‘Trouble Maker’ (with Hyunseug) (2012)
MBC Music Star Award - Mnet 20’s Choice Awards (2012)
20’s Performance (2012) - YouTube K-pop Awards (2011)
Popularity Video Award (2011) - Gaon Chart Music Awards (2010)
Streaming Award Change (2010)
Interesting Facts about Hyuna
- Due to her parents’ concerns for her health, Hyuna left Wonder Girls in 2008.
- Hyuna is a member of Trouble Maker.
- She attempted 50 acting auditions when she was 7 years old, but she failed each one.
- Hyuna is scared of bungee jumping and chickens.
- She can make a good impression on Pikachu.
- Hyuna’s parents are divorced.
- On October 15, 2018, Cube Entertainment announced that Hyuna left the company.
FAQ’S
- Have Hyuna and Dawn broken up?
Officially, Hyuna and Dawn are no longer together. On November 30, Hyuna posted a message on her Instagram account announcing their breakup. - Who is the female dancer in Gangnam Style?
Hyuna is a female dancer in the Gangnam Style. - What is Hyuna’s Instagram ID?
‘hyuna_aa‘ is her Instagram ID and she has 18.6 million followers. - What are Hyuna fans called?
The official pseudonym for Hyuna’s fandom is ‘A-ing’. - What does Hyuna’s tattoo say?
The Latin words ‘Tempus’ on her right inner arm, which translates to “time”, and ‘Fatum’ on her lower back, which translates to “fate”, are the tattoos she has.
