Kim Hyun-ah (born June 6, 1992), better known by the mononym Hyuna, stylized as HyunA, is a South Korean singer, dancer, songwriter and model. She rose to fame in the late 2000s as a member of the girl group Wonder Girls, leaving the ensemble shortly after their debut in 2007 and subsequently joining the girl group 4minute in 2009.[1][2] Hyuna began a solo career in 2010, which she describes as "performance-oriented music".[2] Her debut single "Change" peaked at number-two on the Gaon Digital Chart.
She released her first extended play Bubble Pop! in 2011. Though the EP was a moderate seller, its title track sold more than two and half million copies and Hyuna became the first female K-pop solo artist to reach 100 million views on a single YouTube video. In 2012, she appeared in Psy's worldwide hit "Gangnam Style", which also led to a successful duet rendition of the song. Melting (2012) saw Hyuna's first number-one on the Gaon chart with the single "Ice Cream". Following 4minute's disbandment in 2016, she released her fifth EP A'wesome which was supported by her first concert tour of the United States.
Hyuna has collaborated with several of her label mates under Cube Entertainment, first forming the duo Trouble Maker with Jang Hyun-seung in 2011; which spawned two number-one singles. In 2017, the agency announced her involvement in the trio Triple H.
Early life and education
Hyuna was born on June 6, 1992[3] in Seoul, South Korea. She attended Choongam Middle School and Korea High School of Music and Arts and currently attends Konkuk University, majoring in art culture, receiving special admission to the school.[4]
Hyuna's Hanja name is "泫我". However, her Chinese teacher told her that it sounded bizarre in Mandarin (pinyin: Xuàn Wǒ, it could be translated as "I weep") and recommended she adopt the characters "泫雅" (pinyin: Xuàn Yǎ) as her name for promotional activities in Taiwan. Hyuna agreed to the change after commenting that "泫雅" sounded adorable.[5][6]
Personal life
Hyuna has a tattoo on her left shoulder that says, "My mother is the heart that keeps me alive."[68][69] She later revealed another tattoo, on her right inner arm reading "Tempus", which means 'time' in Latin. [70]
On August 3, 2018, HyunA revealed that she had been dating South Korean Rapper Dawn. Upon hearing this, her contract with Cube Entertainment was terminated. [1]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Midnight FM | Sayoon | Film debut, cameo |
Television
| Year | Title | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–2007 | MTV Wonder Girls | Wonder Girls first reality show (Season 1 & 2 only) | |
| 2007 | Show! Music Core | MBC | Host with Sohee and Brian Joo |
| 2009–10 | Invincible Youth | KBS2 | Main cast member (as part a G7 member) |
| 2010 | Waving the Korean Flag | SBS | Main cast member |
| 2011 | Dancing with the Stars | MBC | Contestant (partnered with Nam Kee-yong) |
| 2012 | Birth of a Family 2 | KBS2 | Main cast member |
| 2013 | Running Man | SBS | Guest (Episode 93, 94, 132) |
| 2014 | Hyuna's Free Month | SBS MTV | Documentary |
| 2016 | Please Take Care of My Refrigerator | JTBC | Guest (Episode 70 & 71) |
| 2016 | Happy Together | KBS | Guest (Episode 459) |
| 2016 | Hyuna X 19 | SBS MTV | Documentary |
| 2017 | Triple H Detective Agency | KStar Cube TV | Variety of Sub-unit "Triple H"
|
Concerts
Headlining
- "The Queen's Back" (2016-2017)
Festivals
- SXSW Music Festival in North America (2013)
- Viral Fest Asia 2016 (2016)
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Disk Awards | |||
| 2014 | Digital Bonsang | "Red" | Won[71] |
| Gaon Chart Awards | |||
| 2010 | Streaming Award | "Change" | Won[72] |
| Mnet Asian Music Awards | |||
| 2010 | Best Dance Performance – Solo | "Change" | Nominated[73] |
| 2011 | "Bubble Pop!" | Won[74] | |
| 2012 | "Ice Cream" | Nominated | |
| Song of the Year | Nominated[75] | ||
| 2014 | "Red" | Nominated[76] | |
| Best Dance Performance - Solo | Nominated | ||
| Artist of the Year | Hyuna | Nominated | |
| Best Female Artist | Nominated | ||
| 2015 | UnionPay Artist of the Year | Nominated | |
| Best Female Artist | Nominated | ||
| UnionPay Song of the Year | "Roll Deep" | Nominated | |
| Best Dance Performance - Solo | Won | ||
| 2016 | Best Dance Performance - Solo | "How's This?" | Nominated |
| UnionPay Song of the Year | Nominated | ||
| UnionPay Artist of the Year | Hyuna | Nominated | |
| Melon Music Awards | |||
| 2012 | Global Star Award | Hyuna | Nominated |
| Mnet 20's Choice Awards | |||
| 2012 | 20's Performance | Hyuna | Won[77] |
| SBS MTV Best of the Best | |||
| 2012 | Best Global | Hyuna | Nominated |
| Best Solo Female | Nominated | ||
| Best Cameo | "Gangnam Style" | Nominated | |
| Best Collaboration with PSY | "Oppa Is Just My Style" | Nominated | |
| Seoul Music Awards | |||
| 2013 | Bonsang Award | "Ice Cream" | Nominated |
| Popularity Award | Nominated | ||
| 2015 | Dance Performance Award[78] | "Red" | Won |
| YinYueTai V-Chart Awards | |||
| 2013 | Best Korean Female Artist | Hyuna | Won[79] |
| World Music Awards | |||
| 2014 | World's Best Female Artist | Hyuna | Nominated |
| World's Best Live Act | Nominated | ||
| World's Best Entertainer of the Year | Nominated | ||
| SBS PopAsia Awards | |||
| 2014 | Best Solo Artist | Hyuna | Nominated |
Show Champion
| Year | Date | Song |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | August 6 | "Red" |
| August 13 |
M! Countdown
| Year | Date | Song |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | August 11 | "How's This?" |
Inkigayo
| Year | Date | Song |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | August 14 | "How's This?"
|