The new life of Hyerin (EXID): from the K-pop stage to entrepreneurship

Behind the scenes of the South Korean music industry

The South Korean music industry fascinates the entire world. The craze for kpop continues to grow, reaching every continent, including Latin America where fans of grupos de kpop are increasingly numerous. Fans scrutinize the slightest piece of information about their favorite artists, memorizing every kpop groups list and debating the originality of kpop group names or kpop groups names. Some enthusiasts go as far as combing through a 370 kpop group names list to know everything about the history of this flourishing industry. The level of engagement is such that birthdays are celebrated with great fanfare, whether it's kpop idols born in april, kpop idols born in may, summer ones like kpop idols born in june and kpop idols born in august, or even kpop idols born in october.

Yet, behind the highly choreographed performances and crowds frantically waving a bts lightstick or the light stick of their own fandom, lies an often-overlooked financial reality. Being part of a kpop group is not always synonymous with stability. Hyerin, a member of the famous group EXID, recently spoke out to reveal the behind-the-scenes of this profession. She explained that an artist's career is primarily seasonal and that income can be extremely fluctuating. Lucrative opportunities abroad can evaporate overnight: geopolitical tensions related to THAAD slowed down her activities in China, while the global pandemic canceled her projects in Japan. Furthermore, the rise of digital influencers has significantly reduced advertising contracts once reserved for singers and dancers. The economic reality of kpop groups is therefore much more complex than it seems.

A period of doubt and a necessary questioning

Faced with this drastic drop in activity, Hyerin went through a dark period. With no fixed schedule or professional obligations, she sometimes found herself sleeping up to 15 or 16 hours. The loss of bearings and the absence of goals pushed her to deeply question herself. Unlike other celebrities who try to reinvent themselves immediately by landing a TV role in les hommes d'action drama, or who capitalize on their summer image by becoming the face of korean swimwear brands or posing in a korean swimsuit, the singer chose a much more unexpected path, deeply rooted in reality.

During the pandemic, she made the radical decision to work part-time in a restaurant. This experience was a real wake-up call. Interacting with people from diverse backgrounds, far from the glitz of film sets, gave her a purpose again and proved to her that she was capable of achieving something other than singing and dancing. Although she initially feared how others would look at an idol doing ordinary work, she quickly learned to let go of it, drawing new strength from this ordeal.

Entrepreneurial success in the heart of Seoul

Armed with this new self-confidence, Hyerin took the leap into entrepreneurship. Since March, she has been running her own taco restaurant located in the popular Anguk district of Seoul. And success is definitely there! In the space of just a few months, her establishment has generated an impressive average monthly revenue of around 140 million won. After deducting expenses, rent, and employee salaries, she makes a net profit of about 40 million won per month.

Far from being content with the role of an invisible manager or simple investor, Hyerin gets hands-on. She welcomes customers with a smile, takes orders, checks inventory, and prepares dishes alongside her team. She understood that running a business requires total involvement and knew how to surround herself with the right people to handle the high volume of customers.

Korean women's fashion and lifestyle: the evolution of an icon

This new life is accompanied by an evolution in her personal style, which resonates perfectly with the aesthetic we champion at korean x Wear. No more extravagant and sometimes uncomfortable stage costumes. Today, Hyerin wears an apron over casual yet sharp outfits, true symbols of contemporary mode coréenne femme. She proves daily that korean wear is not just made for music videos or red carpets, but that it accompanies active, independent, and entrepreneurial women in their daily lives.

However, the young woman has not turned her back on her first passion. Now in her fifteenth year of her career since her debut, she remains an active member of EXID. She continues to diversify her artistic talents by performing regularly as a DJ and acting in musicals. Her journey is a true lesson in resilience for fans all over the world, brilliantly demonstrating that it is possible to reinvent oneself, build a solid business, and continue to shine far beyond the music stage.