Quick Take: Cube Entertainment HyunA & E’Dawn Controversy
Late last night (U.S. time), news broke that Cube Entertainment had removed solo artist HyunA and her boyfriend PENTAGON’s E’Dawn from the agency. The news shocked many fans, as it seemed that the main controversy of their relationship announcement had blown over and was getting ready to fall off of the headlines. No one saw this move coming, and as social media absolutely blew up, more news came out that the two had not been informed by the agency and found out instead from the headlines, as well as a statement of Cube backtracking from the previous release just a few hours after the story broke. Our staff took some time to discuss the issue.
J.Ventinilla, Promoter & Writer
When I first heard of the news about what was going on, I was utterly speechless. I couldn’t believe that this was actually happening. It was already one thing that both idols were getting heat for dating, but to be kicked out of the company was taking it to the extreme level. The whole stigma of dating within the industry is absolutely absurd in my opinion, and denying any relationship news right off the bat needs to stop. These people are human and have emotions. Sure, artists are making a profit for the companies that they are part of, but what does their artistic work have to do with their personal relationships? This whole situation with Cube kicking out E’Dawn and HyunA just made it that much harder for idols to come out and be honest about their relationships. This will only fuel other companies to use the same type of threat of being kicked out of the community if they get into relationships. It makes me fear for idols in the future and those part of Cube currently if they get into relationships.
It’s also such a large mess since hearing the news this morning of Cube denying the fact that the two artists are not kicked out of the company and are still in the midst of talks of how to handle this situation. At this point, if I were in HyunA and E’Dawn’s position, I would be extremely hesitant to stay and trust the company that can easily kick me out. Considering the large amount of time both artists have dedicated to this company only to be cast out so quickly is extremely alarming and unfair. Honestly, fans needs to suck it up and let them date because in reality, the chances of them dating their favorites is unrealistic and a one-in-a-million chance. It still makes no sense to me how fans would literally stop supporting an artist just because they are in relationship. To me, that doesn’t showcase that you are a true fan because you can’t accept everything about that artist. I just hope that if this mess gets resolved that HyunA and E’Dawn can still continue their relationship, be free to show affection for each other, continue to do what they do best and stand on stage. My biggest fear is that the pressure and all the backlash will be too much for both HyunA and E’Dawn and it may take a toll on their relationship. Please, just get over the fact they are in a relationship and let them continue to date freely.
Vandana Ravikumar, Writer
The news that HyunA and E’Dawn were ousted from Cube honestly took me by surprise. I knew that there was a lot of controversy surrounding their dating news, but I never expected their company to turn on them like that, especially given that HyunA has been signed with Cube for so long and is one of their most successful artists. When the couple first came forward with the news of their relationship, I hoped that it might turn the tides for what dating news means for idols in the K-Pop industry, but Cube’s decision makes me feel as though idols may actually face more difficulty with announcing dating news, knowing that their companies could be ruthless enough to kick them out because of it. I can’t imagine how it felt for HyunA and E’Dawn to hear this from Cube, given that their careers have likely required them to sacrifice so much in exchange for success. I also imagine that this news spells the quiet death of Triple H, which makes me so sad—I honestly think Triple H is one of the most innovative and interesting units in K-Pop right now, and the thought that they’ll never come back as a group because of this is beyond upsetting.
I’m very disappointed in Cube, especially given recent reports that they’re now denying that HyunA and E’Dawn were ousted and that they’re reconsidering their choice. Idols’ careers shouldn’t be at the mercies of agencies that can’t make up their minds or promise to support their own artists. After all of this, I hope that HyunA and E’Dawn think very carefully about possibly re-joining Cube, and that they strongly consider taking their talent elsewhere from now on—maybe HyunA could even start an agency of her own. After all, I think it would be incredibly difficult to trust an agency that had such an overreaction to something as trivial as dating news. But most importantly, I hope that their careers can thrive again after this, and that they feel secure in their relationship through all of this—specifically, that the whirlwind of backlash doesn’t put strain on their relationship or even cause them to break up. I also hope that Cube won’t pull this again in the event that other artists from the agency one day face similar circumstances, but I doubt they’ll change their behavior any time soon.
Roxanne Wilson, Marketing Director
The absolute wave of dread that I felt spread through me upon first reading the headline that Cube had chosen to part ways with HyunA and E’Dawn is unexplainable. As an avid fan very devoted to PENTAGON’s success, I had been incredibly supportive of E’Dawn in the time that the backlash began with the initial announcement of their relationship. E’Dawn is a very important figure not just to PENTAGON but to Cube as well, so I couldn’t imagine a world in which things would turn out this way, not to mention the fact that HyunA may be the biggest moneymaker for the company since its founding.
The apparent decision to remove the couple seems hasty and not well planned whatsoever. While the two did go against the official statement the company released, (which we found out was a lie, highlighting the dishonesty of the company itself, regardless of if they were attempting to “protect” their idols), the company should have invested more in protecting the two. The fact that they could be punished so badly for one “mistake” is ludicrous as well.
Anyone with a brain could have predicted the insane backlash that would follow such an announcement, so it baffles me that Cube apparently didn’t take that into consideration, since only a few hours later they backtracked on the original statement. That just makes them look even worse, as if someone allowed a hasty decision without considering the consequences of it then freaked out when they saw the result. It’s extremely unprofessional on so many levels, especially since this clearly isn’t being discussed at all with the couple. I think the decision to push the two out also showed an amazing amount of arrogance on Cube’s part, who assumed that the two weren’t incredibly important to their success when they very clearly are. I’m interested to see how this insanity will resolve.
Josefine Jensen, Writer
I woke up to a million messages in every group chat on Kakaotalk and on Tumblr about the news that E’Dawn and HyunA had been kicked out of Cube. As a Cube stan, I was heartbroken that this had happened. I was so angry and mad that something like a dating “scandal” could actually ruin someone’s career. This is from a company that had allowed their artists to date, so it made me even angrier that this was the outcome of these news back in August. I am currently working on my bachelor’s in International Communication and a big part of that study is business management, but even if I look at this from a professional point of view, it still doesn’t make sense. They didn’t tell anyone about it so Cube plays the “we can’t build trust with them” card; but with two years of dating, HyunA and E’Dawn have shown that they can be professional even though they are a couple.
Even after a member of BTOB (Peniel) went on Hello Counselor a long time ago to talk about a time when he was under a lot of stress from the company and he couldn’t see one of his friends (who was a female) because there could be dating rumors, they then changed and he asked the current manager if he did date, if he was allowed to tell the fans and the company; the answer he got was yes.
The memes on Twitter were all fun and games until this happened. I hope that this can be fixed and that they take them back. PENTAGON without E’Dawn will never be the same and HyunA is iconic, so what is K-Pop without her music?