Monsta X could be the next K-pop act to follow in the footsteps of boy band phenomenon BTS and break through globally after signing a deal with American label Epic Records last year.
The six-member outfit, who are celebrating their fifth anniversary in May, will be giving their international career a boost with a tour of the United States and Canada scheduled for this year.
One of Monsta X’s most popular members is their lead dancer, vocalist and “visual”, Hyungwon. Here’s a look at his life and career so far.
His early life
Chae Hyung-won was born in January 1994 in the South Korean city of Gwangju, where he lived until he was 19. His parents are owners of a travel agency and he has an older sister and younger brother.
When he was in school, Hyungwon was nicknamed “Dooly” – a Korean reference to his chubby cheeks. He originally wanted to be a lawyer, saying during an interview with men’s magazine GQ Korea that he enjoyed arguing logically on behalf of other people.
His journey as a dancer started at the Joy Dance – Plug In Music Academy in Seoul, which was also attended by future Monsta X members Minhyuk and I.M.
Before becoming a trainee at K-pop agency Starship Entertainment, he auditioned for JYP Entertainment, home to K-pop acts such as Got7, Twice and Stray Kids. Wearing a yellow jumper, a young Hyungwon posed for JYP with a slight slouch and a blank expression, to the amusement of many Monsta X fans, known as Monbebes, who unearthed his audition video years later.
Hyungwon also worked as a model before being an idol. He joined Starship Entertainment’s idol survival programme No. Mercy in November 14, and on his show debut walked the runway in a fashion show organised by Korean fashion magazine CéCi. He became the fourth of seven trainees to be selected for Monsta X’s debut line-up.
His role in Monsta X
Hyungwon is a lead dancer and vocalist in Monsta X. As a dancer, he is known for his energy and flexibility on stage, and can express his persona through movement. But offstage, he’s known for his goofy dancing – such as a move that mimics a praying mantis.
His solo career
Hyungwon is also a DJ, going by the name DJ H.One. He collaborated with Korean EDM DJ Justin Oh on the 2017 track Bam! Bam! Bam! featuring Jooheon. A year later, DJ H. One collaborated with Dutch DJ Jimmy Clash and released the single My Name featuring the three-piece pop act Talksick.
More recently, in July 2019, he collaborated with boy group VIXX’s Hongbin on the single The Love of Summer: The Performance as part of the 2019 Pepsi K-pop Collaboration Project.
Hyungwon’s DJ career is not limited to collaborative tracks. He has performed at a range of live shows, sometimes with Jooheon and I.M of Monsta X. He appeared at the 2017 and 2018 editions of the electronic music festival Ultra Korea and also DJd at K-Con 2017, a K-pop music festival in Japan.
Apart from his side career as a DJ, Hyungwon is also an actor. In 2015 he played himself in Chinese-Korean web series High End Crush, and after reprising the role in the 2016 Chinese drama Hello Mr. Right, he appeared alongside South Korean actor Jeon Ik-soo in the 2017 Korean sitcom Please Find Her, about a young man from the Netherlands searching for a woman he fell in love with at first sight in Seoul.
His image
As the “visual” – or best-looking member – Hyungwon stands out in many ways in Monsta X.
In addition to being the tallest member, he told GQ Korea that he feels he is one of the less masculine members in Monsta X, a group who stand out for their more macho and edgy image. He said his slender figure was a result of not being able to gain weight, but it made the group more diverse.
Although Hyungwon is known for his thick lips, he is most proud of his eyebrows. Monsta X fans describe him as a “living meme” for the wide range of facial expressions he makes on television shows.
Hyungwon is also a heavy sleeper, apparently capable of sleeping 17 straight hours.
We would love our fans to feel the romantic and sexual vibe of the group after listening to our album, which is something they won’t have felt from our previous albums - Hyungwon
In his own words
Nearly five years after debuting as a Monsta X member, Hyungwon has grown to be more mindful of his work and life in general.
“When I made my debut, I just went with the flow. But now, I work, enjoy and think about what is happening around me. Even when I am posing for a photo, I can control myself,” he said during a photo shoot with Nylon magazine.
With a hand in the group’s artistic direction, Hyungwon, like other Monsta X members, is serious about the edginess of the group’s image and how this sets the band apart from other K-pop groups.
Speaking to Rolling Stone about their first English album, All About Luv, he said: “We would love our fans to feel the romantic and sexual vibe of the group after listening to our album, which is something they won’t have felt from our previous albums.”
