Jang Hyun Seung

Other Name: 장현승

Age: 35

Birthday: September 3, 1989

Nationality: South Korean

Gender: Male

Jang Hyun Seung is a South Korean singer, dancer, musical actor and former member of BEAST (비스트; now known as HIGHLIGHT (하이라이트)) and TROUBLE MAKER (트러블 메이커). He graduated from Ansan Information Industry High School and later obtained a bachelor's degree in Applied Music from Dongshin University, but it was later revoked. Before debuting, he spent time as a trainee at YG Entertainment and was set to become part of BigBang (using the stage name So-1) but was ultimately not selected, and he left the company. After switching agencies to CUBE Entertainment (큐브엔터테인먼트), he made his debut in October 2009 as BEAST's leader, lead rapper, vocalist and face of the group with their first EP, "Beast is the B2st". They initially received attention as some members failed in previous auditions and were even called a "recycled group". However, the group has achieved significant commercial success and critical accolades and is one of the most awarded groups of all time at the Golden Disc Awards, the Seoul Music Awards, and the Melon Music Awards. He joined fellow label mate Hyuna and formed the duo TROUBLE MAKER in December 2011. They debuted with their first EP, also named "Trouble Maker". In October 2013, they made a controversial comeback with their EP, "Chemistry". The title song, "Now", earned a 19+ rating for its heavy references to alcohol, sex and cigarettes but managed to avoid being censored at SBS. The song earned the highest-ever score on the show "Inkigayo", maxing out at 11,000 points. The duo disbanded in mid-2014. He made his debut as a musical actor in 2012 with a role in "Mozart!" and as a soloist in May 2015 with the EP, "My". In late 2016, he renewed his contract with CUBE and decided to leave BEAST as his creative ideas differed from those of the other members. He decided to continue as a solo artist. He enlisted for his mandatory military service on July 24, 2018, and was discharged on March 13, 2020. During that time, the Ministry of Education questioned the validity of his bachelor's degree as there were claims that he received preferential treatment as he received class credits for all broadcast appearances without filling in the necessary forms to validate them. In January 2019, his degree was revoked. After being released, he left CUBE in August 2021 and signed with Mine Field (마인필드) in September 2022, promoting now under the stage name ABLE. (Source: MyDramaList).