Find Out More About the Sexy Duo, “Trouble Maker”
As an old generation of K-Poppers, you must have heard that “Trouble Maker” had their glory back then. Consisting of Hyunseung and Hyuna, the duo became one of the most popular Korean artists by giving us a sexy yet unique concept that is quite different from other Korean idols.
After successfully winning many awards for their performances and songs, unfortunately, this duo signed under CUBE Entertainment, had to deal with the disbandment in the middle of 2018 due to the internal problem of the agency.
Curious to learn more about “Trouble Maker?” Don’t worry, because, in this article, Byeol Korea will provide you with a rundown of everything about “Trouble Maker.” So, stay tuned!
Debut With the Song Titled “Trouble Maker”
In November 2011, CUBE Entertainment as the agency of Hyuna from 4Minute and Jang Hyunseung from BEAST formed a duo named Trouble Maker consisting of the two of them. Even though Hyuna previously had released two singles, CUBE Entertainment described the duo as something different from their respective groups.
On November 25th, Trouble Maker started revealing their teaser photos for the album with a private-party concept. The duo also had their first performance at the 2011 Mnet Asian Music Awards as the teaser, which included an on-stage kiss that made the audience go wild as this type of thing was very controversial back then. But finally, CUBE Entertainment officially stated that the on-stage kiss was lip to cheek, not lip to lip.
On December 1st, 2011, they finally released their first mini-album titled Trouble Maker. The mini-album consists of 4 songs: a ballad song titled “The Words I Don’t Want to Hear,” a collaboration song of Hyuna and Rado titled “Time” (Feat. Rado), a song that is sung solo by Hyunseung titled “Don’t You Mind,” and “Trouble Maker” as the title track.
Since the single had been released, Trouble Maker often received negative comments due to either their on-stage performance or MV performance. They were rated too sexy for national broadcast until they were forced to change their choreography to perform at Music Bank on December 9th.
Becoming Sexier in Their 2013 Comeback Single: “Now”
After being rumored to have a comeback in October 2013, finally, Trouble Maker revealed their photo teaser for the comeback with a sexier concept than before. Posing like lovers, they showed us strong chemistry and desire between the two of them that made the photos get rated as 19+ photos.
Happily, the wait was over. after revealing the photo teaser, Trouble Maker started their comeback on October 27th, 2013, by releasing a single titled “Now” which successfully caught fans’ attention. Following that success, they finally released the music video of the song in the uncut version on November 3rd, 2013.
In this six-minute-thirty-seconds-long music video, Hyunseung acted as a hitman who later quarrels with his lover, Hyuna, once she finds out about her boyfriend’s occupation. But, they decide to get back together after realizing that they are still very much in love with each other. Unfortunately, in the end, the death of Hyeunseung sets them apart.
This music video is really matching with the meaning of the song’s lyrics that depict a story about a girl who asks her boyfriend to make a decision as soon as possible before everything is too late.
“Now” is the lead single of Trouble Maker’s second mini-album titled Chemistry that consists of 5 tracks, the other 4 tracks beside “Now” are “Volume Up,” “Player,” and a collaboration song by Hyuna and Flowsik titled “I Like.”
Unfortunately, Disbandment
No one expected that after the popularity of the latest Trouble Maker comeback in 2013, they would be on a hiatus for a long time.
Hadn’t been heard for so long, in 2016, Hyunseung shocked fans by stating his plan to leave BEAST then continue his career as a solo singer but still under CUBE Entertainment. Fans who heard this news felt disappointed by his decision then deemed Hyunseung as a selfish person.
After Hyunseung’s departure from BEAST, fans became confused about the future of Trouble Maker and started to ask for another comeback. But again, fans were shocked by the news stated Hyuna would have her comeback with a new unit group, not as a duo anymore. Long story short, it was revealed that Hyuna would have a comeback with Triple H, a unit group that consists of E’Dawn, Hui, and Hyuna.
Then, the problem was finally reaching the surface. In the middle of Triple H’s promotion for their newest album, Retro Futurism, Hyuna and E’Dawn were reported dating for a couple of months. TV Report said that Hyuna and E’Dawn were celebrating their birthday on June 4th, 2018. After the news had spread everywhere, CUBE Entertainment spoke up and denied it.
But, a day after CUBE Entertainment denied the news, Hyuna and E’Dawn instead admitted their special relationship by contacting the media unilaterally. From their statement, it was known that they had been dating for two years, precisely since May 2016.
After the statement was released, their relationship news got even hotter. Some of their fans supported them while others felt disappointed by the news. These things made the promotion of Triple H’s newest album stop, then the schedule of Hyuna performing at a music festival was canceled, and E’Dawn was removed from Pentagon.
The peak of these problems was the statement from CUBE Entertainment in September 2018 saying Hyuna and E’Dawn were discharged from the agency because the agency’s trust in both of them had been destroyed.
The statement immediately gave a negative effect on CUBE Entertainment. It was reported that the stock price of CUBE Entertainment dropped dramatically in just a matter of hours. Referred to ‘Kstarlive’, the stock price dropped by 7,91%.
Shortly after, on the same day, CUBE Entertainment returned to issue another statement. They said that the dismissal of Hyuna and E’Dawn was still being considered by the agency.
Finally, on October 15th, 2018, both CUBE Entertainment and Hyuna agreed to end the contract. “CUBE Entertainment and Hyuna agree to end the contract on October 15th. Sincerely, we thank the artist who has been with us and her fans,” said the agency.
Along with the removal of Hyuna from the agency, Trouble Maker was officially disbanded.
Let’s Check Out Trouble Maker’s Discography!
Trouble Maker
Trouble Maker is the first extended play of this duo. Released on December 1st, 2011, this extended play consists of 4 songs:
- Trouble Maker (lead single), the lyrics are composed by Shinsadong Tiger, Rado & EXID’s LE.
- The Words I Don’t Want to Hear, the lyrics are composed by Rado.
- Time (Hyuna featuring Rado), the lyrics are composed by Rado.
- Don’t You Mind (Hyunseung solo), the lyrics are composed by Chun Goon.
Chemistry
Chemistry is the second extended play that was released on October 28th, 2013. This extended play consists of 5 songs:
- Volume Up, with the lyrics composed by Goodnite and Sleepwell
- Now (lead single), with the lyrics composed by Shinsadong Tiger, Rado, LE
- Player, with the lyrics composed by Hyuna and Jeon Seung-woo
- Attention, with the lyrics composed by Peter, Young Sky, Jino
- I Like (Hyuna featuring Flowsik), with the lyrics composed by Jae Chong, Gyeol, Flowsik
Meanwhile, they have two singles that have MV on the YouTube Channel, those are “Trouble Maker” and “Now.”
Awards and Nominations
| Year | Nominated Work | Award | Category | Result |
| 2012 | Trouble Maker | Mnet 20’s Choice Awards | Hot Performance Star | Won |
| 14th Mnet Asian Music Awards | Best Collaboration Performance | Won | ||
| 4th Melon Music Awards | Song of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Best Global Artist | Nominated | |||
| Best Music Video | Nominated | |||
| Hot Trend Song | Won | |||
| 27th Golden Disk Awards | Best Dance Performance | Won | ||
| MSN International Awards | Nominated | |||
| 2014 | Now | World Music Awards | World’s Best Song | Nominated |
| World’s Best Video | Nominated | |||
| Singapore Entertainment Awards | Most Popular K-pop Music Video | Nominated | ||
| 2015 | 3rd European K-POP/J-POP Music Award | Best TV Stage Performance | Won |
