Artist Highlight: Hui

PENTAGON’s Hui has many sides of himself to show, and here they are. 

PENTAGON

Hui, born Lee Hotaek, trained for seven years before debuting as the leader of the group PENTAGON on October 10, 2016. He was a trainee at JYP Entertainment for a few years before joining Cube Entertainment in 2013, where he is currently signed. Prior to joining Cube Entertainment, Hui spent eight months living in Beijing, and was originally preparing to debut in China. He has written and composed many songs both for his own group and for other groups such as WANNA ONE, SHINHWA, VAV, CIX, and many more. His many skills have granted him the title “all-rounder” and has made him an inspiration to many younger idols and trainees.

TRIPLE H

Shortly after PENTAGON’s debut, Cube Entertainment formed the project group Triple H, consisting of solo artist HyunA, Hui and former PENTAGON member E’Dawn. The trio made their debut on May 1, 2017 with the album 199X. The album had over 40,000 Korean sales and peaked at No. 7 on the US World Billboard charts. They released their second album Retro Futurism on July 18, 2018 but, unfortunately disbanded following HyunA and E’Dawn’s departures from Cube Entertainment in the following October and November respectively.

BOYS PLANET

Hui was chosen to be a contestant on Mnet’s male survival program Boys Planet, which premiered in February 2023. Being the oldest contestant and already having a successful career, many K-Pop fans questioned if Hui was overqualified. Given that many of the contestants are over 10 years his juniors, and also idolize PENTAGON, some found it gave him an unfair advantage. Although it caused much debate, his appearance on the show opened a conversation around the difficulties older male idols face once their members reach enlistment age. On the show, he expressed a desire to promote PENTAGON and challenge himself as an artist. Ultimately, he was received well and ranked 13th, being eliminated in the final episode. 

SOLO

On January 16, 2024, Hui made his official debut with EP WHU IS ME: Complex. In the album, Hui shows off his versatility and talent with a desire to shed the complexes that he has developed over the years. The title track “Hmm Bop” has a music video filled with energy and ecompasses Hui’s playful nature and expression as an artist.

Prior to his solo debut, he has worked on many projects outside of PENTAGON, such as variety programs, and even acting in the psychological thriller musical Sonata of a Flame.

Edited by Lacey Diluvio