DAWN Gets Real About Facing Constant Backlash After He And Ex-Girlfriend HyunA Left CUBE Entertainment

In an interview with Billboard, rapper DAWN talked about his new single, “Dear My Light,” and the inspiration behind it. He made it clear that it was about his relationship with ex-girlfriend HyunA.

It’s a pretty direct reflection of how I was feeling when I was in love.

— DAWN

The two dated from 2016 until 2022, even finding themselves engaged prior to their break-up. They faced constant backlash from both internal and external forces from the moment they went public in 2018. Their company at the time, CUBE Entertainment, originally denied that they were in a relationship.

The report about HyunA and E’dawn dating are not true.

— Cube Entertainment (2018)

It soon became clear that the couple had no intention of pretending their love was not real. They bravely released a statement countering the original report and soon left the label at the same time.

We know that [our relationship] will stick with us but we both thought it would be difficult to see our fans on stage [if we didn’t announce it]. So we wanted to honestly tell our fans who have loved us and showed us their support, and present ourselves confidently and joyfully on stage.

— HyunA and DAWN

Leaving CUBE Entertainment was a significant decision for both of them. Not only was it the company that housed the group DAWN was part of at the time, PENTAGON, but it was also the label that turned HyunA into the A-list celebrity that she is.

Several years later, DAWN reflected on the hardships that they faced during this period.

[My song] is referencing back to that time when I left the company and there were a lot of different comments, media, stories, a lot of talking happening. There was a lot of backlash from that.

— DAWN

Though it may have been easy for netizens to expose DAWN to constant criticism, he was only a young adult at the time. The trials he faced were more serious than what the public may have perceived.

I was also very young at the time.

— DAWN

At the end of the day, however, HyunA and DAWN persevered because they had each other. Their love was strong enough to weather the storm.

But if I think back to it now, I feel like that was such a hard time but I remember that even though it felt like the whole world was against us and we could really go through it because we had each other and because we loved each other so much—that was what kind of helped us get through it.

— DAWN