Got7's Jackson Wang opens about struggles with mental health and fame as a K-idol, Latest Music News - The New Paper
Music

Got7's Jackson Wang opens about struggles with mental health and fame as a K-idol

LOS ANGELES - K-pop idol Jackson Wang has opened up about his mental health struggles and how he dealt with fame from being in boy band Got7.

In an exclusive interview with American entertainment portal Entertainment Tonight, the 28-year-old spoke about his time in Got7, which made their debut in 2014.

"For the past eight years, I've been living the commercial life. I've been living on a schedule, show after show. It's like a loop," said the singer-rapper-host who was born in Hong Kong. He is active in both China and South Korea, and most recently performed at Coachella in California last Saturday (April 16).

"And, that's why, after eight (to) nine years of that, I got to a point I lost it, mentally. I was lost, I didn't know what to do."

He shared that talking to his friends helped him.

"Whenever I deal with stress, I used to not talk with anybody because I felt like, 'I'm just gonna find the solution and solve it'.

"But it got to a point where, with the positive energy of friends around me, that they gave me, they forced me, they sat me down and talked with me, and it's the first time in my life that I felt that connection," he said.

While he is still part of the wildly popular Got7 - the band is on hiatus while its seven members pursue solo projects - he is forging ahead with a soon-to-be-released album, Magic Man.

He dropped a single, Blow, from it on March 31.

He said making making music was liberating for him after overcoming his mental health struggles.

"The concept and everything are free. I've never been this raw, ever in my life."

Helplines

• National Care Hotline:

1800-202-6868 (8am - 8pm)

Mental well-being

• Institute of Mental Health’s Mental Health Helpline:

6389-2222 (24 hours)

• Samaritans of Singapore:

1800-221-4444 (24 hours) /1-767 (24 hours)

• Singapore Association for Mental Health:

1800-283-7019

• Silver Ribbon Singapore:

6386-1928

• Tinkle Friend:

1800-274-4788 and www.tinklefriend.sg

• Community Health Assessment Team:

6493-6500/1 and www.chat.mentalhealth.sg

Counselling

• TOUCHline (Counselling):

1800-377-2252

• TOUCH Care Line (for seniors, caregivers):

6804-6555

• Care Corner Counselling Centre:

1800-353-5800

Online resources

• mindline.sg

• My Mental Health

• Fei Yue’s Online Counselling Service

• Tinkle Friend

• Community Health Assessment Team

Musick-popMental Health