Hyuna is the mononym or a single name of a known South Korean rapper, model and a singer whose real name is Kim Hyun-ah.
South Korean artists have been a big hit lately, so that’s one of the reasons why she has been growing lately as well!
Hyuna became popular as being one of the most talented members of a South Korean hit female group who made their first debut in 2007.
Today she is a solo artist and is very successful both in her career and in her private life since she is in a very happy relationship with a known Korean singer called E-Dawn.
Early years
She was born as Kim Hyun-ah on June 6, 1992, in Sangsu Dong, located near the capital city of South Korea. It is also the largest city in the country. She says that life in South Korea can be a bit tough because it’s private and closed up, but she says that she is still connected to that place.
She was a pupil at the Choongam Middle School after which she enrolled an arts high school located in Seoul named Korea High School of Music and Arts. She said that the teachers there motivated her to move further in her career and that she was very happy to be working with everyone there.
She was a very talented student and even then her teachers used to tell her parents that she is in the way to become a star. Her parents were worried about her at first because they suspected that she won’t make it, but they were later sure that their little girl is very talented!
Hyuna herself believed that she could succeed in becoming a popular singer but she was often under a lot of stress which caused her to fall in depression. She struggled with mental health issues and wanted to keep on with her career, but she just had to take a break sometimes.
After finishing high school Hyuna enrolled the Konkuk University, which is a top-rated private university in Seoul. She graduated from Contemporary Arts. She said that college was a very fun experience and that she enjoyed learning and hanging out with her friends.
In 2006 her career started evolving when she became a member of Wonder Girls. This girl group was gathered together and created by JYP Entertainment, one of the biggest Korean conglomerate involved in entertainment.
Hyuna was very happy to work with such talented girls and even learned a lot from them since every single girl had her talent to show. The group grew very quickly and she was very happy because of it.
Hyuna became the main rapper of the „Wonder Girls” group. In 2007, the group has released a small album called „The Wonder Begins”, which eventually led to MTV Wonder Girls TV show where she sang and performed alongside her female co-workers. The reality show was quite popular and it aired for 2 seasons.
Hyuna left the group in July the same year. Her parents urged this decision because they were very worried about her issues with health. Hyuna suffered from chronic gastroenteritis and needed time to heal at home. This was a result of all of the stress she was exposed to because of her mental illness.
Career development
In 2008 she became a new protege of Cube Entertainment Inc, which is a company that works as a talent agency music production house as well as a record label.
Cube Entertainment realized her possibilities but neede time to find a project that would work for her and the 4Minute group came to life. She wasn’t so sure about this decision because she had left the previous group for health reasons and she was afraid that it was going to happen again.
One year later she has become a new member of 4Minute girl group consisted of five members. The genre of this group was the dance-pop style. The group was very popular after the release of their first single called „Hot Issue”:
In 2009 she appeared as a guest on the Leo Gi-Kwang album and in the music video made for his next single called „Dancing Shoes”. In August she appeared in the music video for „Wasteful Tears” performed by Navi and rapper through the song.
Samsung company hired her to be a member of their promotional group for Anycall phone. This contract with Samsung was very lucrative for her and she had earned a lot of money from that commercial. She helps her family financially which is a lovely gesture.
In October 2009 the 4Minute girl group released their new single „Tomorrow”.
For a short period, she participated in „Invincible Youth”, a popular variety show.
In 2010, Hyuna released her single called „Change” which came very high on the chart. Her other singles from 2010 were „Love Parade” and „Outlaw in the Wild”. She is also a skilled songwriter and had written lyrics for her duet with G.NA called „Say You Love Me”.
Her first movie appearance was in 2010 in a movie called „Midnight FM”. She said that acting was a completely new experience for her and that she enjoyed it, but she likes music better and that music will be something she will stay with.
In 2011 she was invited to participate in „Dancing with the Stars” show.
„Bubble Pop” is the name of her debut mini-album released by Cube Entertainment in the summer of 2011.
It is also the name of her song which became a huge success and was viewed by millions all over the globe. This was a great surprise for her because she never hoped to achieve such success outside Asia.
The single was such a huge hit that it gained over 100 million views. She entered a K-Pop duo with Hyunseung and it was named „Trouble Maker”. Later she was a part of a trio called „Triple H”.
In 2012 she learned her brand named „SpicyColor”. She was one of the artists which appeared in the video for a global hit called „Gangnam Style”. Psy liked her style and chose her himself for this job.
After the big success of Gangnam Style Psy has released „Oppa is Just My Style”, which was kind of a female version of the song. Hyuna was a guest vocal on the song.
In the autumn of 2012, she released her new album called „Melting” with a huge hit called „Ice Cream”. She has written a lot of lyrics for her album and even composed a few songs.
In 2013 she was chosen to advertise the new Toyota Corolla. She has received a big bonus from them for her great work and the plus she had brought to this company. This was a very significant thing for her because it showed her the company cared about her and appreciated her effort.
She appeared on an event called „K-Pop Night Out” which occurred in Texas, in the United States.
She also traveled to Los Angeles to film a sketch with another popular singer called Rita Ora.
After returning to Korea she made a new EP with Hyunseung called „Chemistry”. The lead single was „Now” and it entered the K-Pop 100 chart on No.1.
Her 3rd album came out in 2014, titled „A Talk”. She also appeared in a reality show named „Hyuna’s Free Month” which followed her everyday life and routine. The lead singles fro the album was named „Red” and it was a big hit.
Her 4th album came out in the summer of 2015 and it was named „At”.
In 2016 her girl group 4Minute disbanded and she continued to focus on her solo career. Her 5th album named „A’ awesome” was released in the summer of 2016. Hyuna went on her first tour through Asia the same year.
Her 6th album was titled „Following” and was released in 2017. She performed at 2017 Melon Music Awards on December 2017.
She was a part of a trio „Triple H” with E’Dawn from 2016. The two of them started a romantic relationship very soon but it was discovered in 2018 after some of their private photos leaked to the public. She was released by Cube Entertainment due to this „scandal” but she soon signed a new one with P-Nation, a company owned by Psy.
She has won several awards through her career and was nominated for a lot more.
She has won the Mnet Asian Music Award for Best Collaboration for her work with Hyunasaeng in the „Trouble Maker”. She has won the Seoul Music Award. She also won the Golden Disc Award for her single „Red”.
Hyuna is also a model and she worked for Lotte Liquor beverage in 2012. She says that it’s always fun to switch things up a bit, but she won’t be leaving the world of music any time soon.
Personal life
Before entering the relationship with E’Dawn she was rumored to be in a relationship with Lee Joon. Many knew that they were hanging out, but no one was sure and wanted to confirm.
It seems that she is very happy with her boyfriend and their relationship and she likes the fact that they don’t have to hide it anymore. She is very photogenic.
She has only two tattoos but both are very meaningful. One is dedicated to her mother and the other just says „Time” which is very precious to her.
She likes to remind her that she is more than just a star and that she is strong and will work on her mental illness.
Quick summary
Full name: Kim Hyun-ah
Date of birth: June 6, 1992
Birthplace: Sangsu Dong, Seoul, South Korea
Age: 27
Profession: Singer, rapper, dancer, model, songwriter
Height: 164 cm
Weight: 43 kg
Net Worth: $2 million