GOT7’s Jackson Wang Spills On What Living As A K-Pop Idol Was Really Like For Him

GOT7‘s Jackson Wang recently revealed what his experience of living as a K-Pop idol was really like—and how it affected his mental health.

| @JacksonWang852/Twitter

It’s no secret that being an idol is an incredibly high-stress job. Between the intense dance practices, long schedules, and the general pressure that comes with fame, K-Pop idols have a lot to deal with, and it’s not easy for everyone. Speaking on Entertainment Tonight, Jackson related that, after eight years of experience as an idol he felt like he was stuck in a loop.

Your browser does not support video.| Entertainment Tonight/YouTube

For the past eight years, I’ve been living the commercial life. I’ve been you know, [doing] schedules, shows, after-shows… It’s like a loop.

— Jackson Wang

And unfortunately, this led to a point where he started to feel mentally and creatively drained.

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Eight and nine years of that, I got to a point where I mentally lost everything. I was lost, I didn’t know what to do.

— Jackson Wang

Previously, Jackson shared on the American radio show The Cruz Show that he had never put much stock in opening up to people about personal issues. He reiterated this point on Entertainment Tonight, saying that he had never gone to anyone with the things he is dealing with before.

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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.

— Jackson Wang

But this newfound connection helped Jackson gain a new perspective on the person he had been during the years he felt stuck in that loop. Now that he’s found personal and creative freedom through the process of making his upcoming album, MAGIC MAN, Jackson wants to leave behind his old identity and embrace his true self!

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Whatever I had before, whoever I was before, screw that. I’m allowing myself to accept the new me, and that’s Magic Man. That’s magical.

— Jackson Wang

And given how impressive his work has been so far, we’re equally excited to see everything Jackson does now that he’s in a much better place. His performance at Coachella 2022 alone was historic! Additionally, Aghases have been praising him and the other two members of GOT7’s “CEO line,” Mark Tuan and Jay B, for all the hard work they’ve been putting in to their companies as artists.

GOT7’s CEO line pic.twitter.com/fRO0ALAimB

— ava (@defsoulars_) April 19, 2022

Jackson and his members are making impressive and revolutionary moves in their careers, and though their days as idols were not devoid of struggle, they are all steadily paving the way forward while continuing to be supportive of each other. Given that Jay B is reportedly in the process of trademarking his own recording label, along with the rights to GOT7’s iconic units, Aghases will hopefully be seeing Jackson and GOT7 enjoy new and happier days together soon!

You can watch the full clip from Entertainment Tonight on the link below.

.@JacksonWang852 reveals how "liberated" he felt creating his new album #MAGICMAN and opens up about the mental health struggles he overcame to get to the place he is now.

Watch the full interview here: https://t.co/kRzE6lOWVl pic.twitter.com/SydIf784Sc

— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) April 20, 2022

And you can read further about Jay B acquiring the rights to the units here:

GOT7’s Jay B Trends As “Best Leader” — Here Is Why Aghases Are So Proud Of Him