Idols have been playing a more vital role in the production of K-Pop songs in recent years, with many getting their names penned on a greater number of works. Rather than being forced into going solo for more creative freedom, big-name idols are now able to simultaneously promote with their groups while flexing their creative muscles in other directions. You may be familiar with some of these bigger names, but you may be surprised to learn exactly just how many tracks they’ve produced in their time on the scene. 

Today we’re taking a closer look at Lee Hoetaek, better known as leader Hui of PENTAGON. He began his K-Pop journey in 2013 after failing to make the cut on Chinese Idol, a reality program not unlike Produce 101 and based off the British television series Pop Idol, the predecessor to The X Factor. Though he began as a JYP trainee, he ultimately ended up in Cube Entertainment upon his return to Korea. In total, it took six years for him to debut with PENTAGON, having trained with Cube for three years. 

At the beginning of his career, most of his penned work went to his group PENTAGON, where he contributed to both the lyrics and production of B-side “You Are,” and the lyrics for “Organic Song.” But as of today, he’s penned work on a total of 27 PENTAGON songs, including but not limited to hit track “Shine” and latest title “Dr. Bebe.” He often works alongside well-known producers such as Flow Blow and Giriboy, along with other PENTAGON members Wooseok, Kino, and Yuto.

His songwriting career for other groups began in 2017, along with the announcement of his participation in the debuting co-ed trio Triple H with team member E’Dawn and popular soloist HyunA. After contributing to their debut album, Hui worked on a couple of songs for the hit show Produce 101 Season 2, including hit tracks “Never” and “Energetic,” both of which achieved an all-kill upon release. “Energetic” was later chosen as WANNA ONE’s debut track, and news of Hui’s involvement in its production brought him into the spotlight.

As 2018 rolled around, Hui participated in Breakers, a singer-songwriter competition where he produced a total of four songs. He left quite an impression with the track “Swim Good,” which featured KARD’s Somin and went in a direction extremely different from any of his previous works, showing his prowess as an artist while simultaneously shocking the audience.

His expansion to working for other groups began around this time, writing songs both for Kriesha Chu and legendary group SHINHWA. This continued into 2019, where he made songs for artists such as VAV, Ong Seongwoo, and rookie girl group BVNDIT. In addition, he worked on the majority of the tracks for PENTAGON’s albums Genie:us and Sum(me:r).

2020 has only just begun, but it’s safe to say that Hui will likely continue to produce hit tracks for more and more groups, bringing even more recognition to his name. Keep an eye out for this one—he’s sure to be one of the legends of the genre by the time he’s finished!