WITH great influence, comes great stress. This is very common, especially with the entertainment industry, no matter which country that industry is in. In South Korea and its booming K-Pop industry, things aren’t so different.
Since their debut in 2006, YG Entertainment’s BIGBANG has been making waves in the K-Pop industry, and the group has left a steady influence to idols and fans worldwide with their music and attitude towards life.
With their fame perpetually increasing and being in an industry that expects an image of perfections, members of BIGBANG have opened up on the hardship of being an idol.
Possibly the most vocal, is T.O.P., who disappeared from the public eye five years ago.
After the announcement that BIGBANG would be making their comeback this year, the idol has been more public about his life in K-Pop, including the dark side.
YG Entertainment’s group BIGBANG has been making waves in K-Pop since their debut in 2006. They’ve been a constant influence to idols and fans worldwide with their music and attitude towards life throughout the years.
In an interview with Prestige Online, T.O.P. discussed his past, present, and future in the K-Pop industry along with some of the harsh realities of being an idol.
During the interview, T.O.P was extremely honest with fans about everything in his life, including his mental health. He explained that since he was young, he has suffered from depression, but art has given him a form of escapism.
“I was born to be sad. I’ve felt extra sensitive compared to other kids since I was young. I knew it and felt it, and spent more time and more effort to get over it by spending time with art,” he said.
T.O.P. also revealed in 2017, he was charged with the illegal use of marijuana.
At the time, it was one of the biggest news stories in Korea, and T.O.P described it as “the worst moment” of his life.
Yet, the aftermath of that scandal impacted T.O.P the most, and he revealed the extent to which it affected his mental health, and even led to his attempts at dying by suicide.
“This is the first time I’ve spoken this publicly, but I did try to die with suicide about five years ago. I realized later how much hurt and painful memories I gave to the people around me, my family, and fans out there,” he revealed.
The event affected him for many years, and even made him think about quitting music.
“Actually, I was going to seriously stop making music and stop being a musician. But during the bad times, the rough times, my motivation to keep going was the music”.
“I wrote more than 100 songs over the past five years. It’s been my motivation, like wanting to fill up a bookshelf with my work. It’s been my passion. I realized how precious it is to pay back what I’ve received. I feel that I’m reborn.”
T.O.P also discussed how in Korea, the suicide rates in the country were the highest in the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). Still, despite this, it is still a taboo topic within the traditional society.
However, with idols like T.O.P and others speaking up about the seriousness of mental health, it seems to be a topic that is starting to be addressed more, especially in the pressure cooker world of K-Pop.
