K-pop Stars Belatedly Confess Struggles During Activities: BLACKPINK’s Jennie, BTS’s Suga And More
To maintain their position in the fiercely competitive K-pop world, these stars have endured many hardships
On the recent broadcast of “Apartment 404”, which aired on March 1st, Yoo Jae-suk asked Jennie, “What time did you wake up?”, In response, Jennie said, “I woke up at 7:45 a.m. I couldn’t sleep due to jet lag”, adding “I thought I already adapted to the morning shoots of ‘Apartment 404’. But it’s been a long time since I filmed something this early.”
Jennie further shared, “I barely slept during the promotions. I used to stay awake for four and a half days. I was like that when I had continuous shoots or filmed music videos”. When asked, “So where did you get the energy to perform on stage?”, Jennie honestly replied, “I did it because that’s what I had to do. I can’t do the same thing now”. Previously, Jennie also said she suffered from burnout and injuries very frequently.
BTS’s Suga once revealed his habit of taking a nap on “Pinggyego”. He shared, “Except for the sleeping and eating time, I kept dancing. Now that I’ve become accustomed to the practice, I practice 3-4 hours a day for two weeks”, adding “When I was young, taking was in my schedule and it later became my habit. I haven’t had any sleep more than 3 hours for 5-6 years. I normally wake up after sleeping for 2 hours. Since it has become a routine, I don’t feel tired”.
Apart from insomnia, some idols also complained about psychological difficulties. Former AOA member Choa once said, “Many K-pop idols are relying on medication. I had burnout and took a long rest. While thinking about how to maintain a good condition, I met good sisters. Chae Ri-na told me that being able to hold on to your position is more important than being successful”.
SHINee’s Key also talked about his burnout experience on Jo Hyun-ah’s YouTube content last year. He confessed, “My burnout period has already passed. I’m just going with the flow right now. I had never experienced such a thing before, but around the middle of this year, I told my manager that I couldn’t endure work anymore during a shoot. As soon as I got in the elevator, my tears started to pour out”.
