Once considered a legendary K-pop group that dominated numerous music charts with their world-famous hits, T-ara has been struggling to regain their former glory after a major setback. As the members continue to fight for their careers, Hyomin even had to personally “ask for help” and “beg” junior idol groups to get her solo track into the charts.
In February 2019, Hyomin released her solo music project titled “Allure”. To promote the new song, the idol personally “tagged” the Twitter accounts (X) of junior idol groups, hoping that their fans would help her song climb the charts.
Initially, a Twitter account believed to belong to Hyomin congratulated LOONA’s track “Butterfly” and then asked for support for her song. Similar requests were made to groups such as DREAMCATCHER, MONSTA X, and ITZY. Whether or not this strategy was successful, Hyomin’s track “Allure” managed to enter the Bugs chart at number 46 in its first week.
This action by Hyomin’s supposed account sparked a lot of controversy. Many people were disappointed that the female idol had to rely on junior groups and their fans to help her song gain traction on the charts.
However, many people have wondered if the account is an impersonation of member T-ara. The “Hyomin” account was created in 2010 and has over 293,000 followers. Additionally, the account stopped updating its activities in May 2022.
The account does not have a verified blue checkmark, and the interaction on his posts is quite low, with less than 50 likes and around 500 comments. Some comments under the posts asking junior groups to support his song expressed doubts as to whether the account really belongs to the idol or is run by a fan.
Hyomin was one of the biggest idols in the early 2010s, when T-ARA dominated the charts with hits like “Roly Poly,” “Bo Peep Bo Peep,” and “Lovey-Dovey.” “Roly Poly” was especially notable in 2011. At their peak, T-ARA was seen as rivals to Girls’ Generation, 2NE1, and KARA.
However, a bullying scandal involving one of their members severely tarnished their reputation. Despite being cleared of the charges after 6 years, T-ARA has struggled to reclaim their former glory. On May 13, 2017, they performed with all six members, but Soyeon and Boram left MBK Entertainment just two days later.
T-ARA released their latest album, “What’s My Name?” on June 14, 2017, which earned them their first music show win in 5 years. Hyomin, Jiyeon, Eunjung, and Qri left MBK in early 2018, but stated that the group would not disband.
