South Korean pop star HyunA collapsed during a live performance at the Waterbomb 2025 music festival in Macau, China, on Sunday, reports indicate November 9, 2025. The 33-year-old singer, whose real name is Kim Hyun-ah, was performing her 2011 hit song “Bubble Pop” when she suddenly lost consciousness and fell to the stage floor.
Video footage shared by audience members shows the dramatic moment when HyunA collapsed mid-performance. Her backup dancers immediately rushed to her aid as she fell, attempting to catch her. Security personnel then carried the unconscious performer offstage as the show came to an abrupt halt. The incident sent shockwaves through social media, with fans expressing deep concern about the singer’s wellbeing.
Following the collapse, HyunA took to Instagram to apologize to her 16 million followers. “I’m sorry for not being able to perform as professionally as I wanted to. Honestly, I don’t remember anything,” the singer wrote in Korean after Sunday’s incident. She continued expressing her regret to fans who had traveled to see her perform, stating that many fans from Macau came to see the performance, and of course, her fans too, noting that everyone came all the way to Macau. She promised to improve her stamina and continue giving her best.
The collapse occurred just days after HyunA shared concerning images on social media related to her recent weight loss. On November 4, she posted a carousel of photos on Instagram that included an image of a scale showing her weight as 49.88 kilograms, roughly 110 pounds. The picture also featured her injured feet. In the caption, she indicated she still had a long way to go to make it to her ideal weight.
The songstress, who stands 5 feet, 5 inches tall, also seemingly joked in the comments about changing the first digit of her weight. This led fans to question whether she was referring to losing 10 kilograms in one month, which translates to reports indicating approximately 22 pounds of weight loss. Health experts note that such rapid weight loss can cause significant strain on the body, leading to nutritional imbalances, fatigue, dizziness, and other serious health complications.
HyunA’s decision to pursue aggressive dieting came after she announced a strict diet plan on October 3, 2025. The announcement followed pregnancy rumors that had circulated after fans noticed weight gain following her marriage in 2024 to fellow singer Yong Jun-hyung. The intense public scrutiny and speculation about her body appeared to have prompted the dramatic weight loss attempt.
This recent collapse is not HyunA’s first medical emergency related to her health struggles. She has been diagnosed with vasovagal syncope, a condition that causes a drop in heart rate and blood pressure, which leads to reduced blood flow to the brain and can cause temporary loss of consciousness. The condition can be triggered by various factors including emotional distress, fatigue, dehydration, and rapid weight loss.
HyunA has a documented history of collapsing multiple times throughout her career. She has previously disclosed that she is prone to collapse when her weight falls below 45 kilograms, or 99 pounds. In 2020, she collapsed 12 times in one month, a frightening period that highlighted the severity of her health challenges. The singer has been open about hiding her vasovagal syncope diagnosis due to fear of losing career opportunities in the highly competitive K-pop industry.
Beyond her physical health struggles, HyunA has also been candid about her mental health battles. She has been previously diagnosed with depression and panic disorder, conditions she initially struggled to accept. The singer has also revealed a history of disordered eating, once confessing to eating just one piece of sushi a day in an effort to maintain an extremely low weight. She has spoken about going a whole week without eating and surviving on a single piece of kimbap while maintaining her demanding performance schedule.
HyunA rose to fame as a former member of the group Wonder Girls before achieving greater prominence with the girl group 4Minute. Her solo career produced several hits, with “Bubble Pop” becoming one of the most recognizable songs in K-pop. The song was the same track she was performing when she collapsed at the Waterbomb festival.
The incident has reignited discussions about the intense pressure placed on K-pop stars to maintain specific body types and meet stringent beauty standards. South Korea’s entertainment industry is known for its demanding expectations regarding physical appearance, which can contribute to unhealthy practices among performers. The culture of scrutiny surrounding celebrities’ bodies often leads to extreme dieting behaviors and can exacerbate existing health conditions.
Following the collapse, HyunA assured fans she would focus on building her health and stamina for future performances. Her openness about her health struggles has resonated with many fans who face similar challenges, as she has used her platform to bring attention to issues of mental health, eating disorders, and the pressures of maintaining public image in the entertainment industry. The singer’s willingness to speak honestly about her difficulties represents a rare moment of transparency in an industry often characterized by carefully curated public personas.
