Jackson Wang Talks Struggles With Mental Health, Coachella Surprise and Why K-Pop Will Last Forever

It’s Wednesday afternoon at the 88Rising offices in West Hollywood, California, and jackson wang I just got back from boxing. It’s only his third day in the United States, and Los Angeles is especially sunny in the midst of spring heat. But the Chinese star, who splits his time between China and South Korea, isn’t here to bask in the sun, he’s very focused on work, specifically his upcoming appearance on the Coachella music festival as part of 88Rising’s “Head in the Clouds” Saturday night set. She has been preparing and rehearsing nonstop, all the while watching the view count (15 million and counting) rise for her new single and visual, “Blow.”

Wang has a huge fan base (27.4 million followers on Instagram and 5.4 million on Twitter alone) and is sharing with those devotees one of the darkest moments of his life: the nervous breakdown that led to “ Magic Man”, his future future. released album. Wang reveals that the project was born after constantly feeling the pressure not to do enough, or not to do enough, ironic considering that in the eight years since he started making music, he has yet to take a vacation.

Mental health is the most important thing for Wang, and the kpop The star puts her heart on her sleeve when she talks about what led to the meltdown and how she coped with it, as she details in an interview with Variety.

Is this your first time at Coachella?

It’s my first time. It’s once in a lifetime. I feel very honored and, at the same time, I’m nervous. … It is not a nervous negative. I’m excited.

What is it like to work with 88Rising?

We have been working together for more than four or five years. Now it’s totally familiar. We talk about work, yes, but we talk more about personal things. Especially when it comes to creatives: what is the strategy? What’s our next move? What kind of music do we want to put out? Strategizing together. Not just at work, like families. Because working in this industry, honestly speaking, you have different emotions. Mental health is very important in this industry, in all industries but especially in this industry.

For me, as an artist who travels from Korea to China to all these different places, I also work as a member of a K-Pop band and now I’m alone, everything is different. Last year I was in a mental breakdown, with depression and enormous anxiety because everything changed around me. It got to a point where I’ve been in this industry for eight or nine years: I’m always traveling; show after show; programs; commercial; route; it’s almost in a loop. I started to feel lost. I don’t know what else I can do and what should I do. I don’t even know who I was. I started drinking every day, but I kept working.

Growing up, I grew up in this family full of athletes. My parents were both athletes, national team athletes. I was an athlete, my brother was an athlete. So I’ve always said that if I had obstacles in my life or stress, the way I deal with it is that I’ll just get over it. Will I find a solution, or will I always tell myself that I have to work harder. Maybe I’m not good enough, or I’m not working hard enough. The reason there was a breakdown was that it got to a point where it was above that. I felt like maybe it just sucked.

What triggered it?

Just everything. I was completely lost. I thought, “You know what? Maybe it’s time for me…” By the way, I never believed in talking to other people or friends. I always solve my own problems when I’m stressed by myself, because what’s the point? It’s my problem. It’s nobody else’s problem.

My producers, my crew, my friends around me, they insisted on sitting down with me. People have always been telling me, “You need a break. You work too much, you need to relax a bit. He needs to recharge, refresh himself, so he can come back inspired.” I was worried that if I take that break, I’ll be lazy forever. What if I can’t come back? I was worried about that.

We sat down and I didn’t know there was power in those words you shared. He feels so magical to me. This is magic. I never used to believe this in my whole life, then I accepted it. Whoever he was in the past, whatever he had with all my music or whatever, me, Jackson Wang as a character, as an artist, as a person, I wanted to put that behind me and start over. Then we made the album, and it’s called “Magic Man.”

How did you and Daniel “Cloud” Campos get together in the music video for “Blow”? What was the inspiration behind the look and costume?

“Blow” is the introduction of Magic Man, of the various worlds that are about to be exposed. Cloud is an amazing director and an amazing artist and dancer. He has that world in mind, and I had my world when I heard the song. We had different thoughts, but it was such a good mix, because when you see this, everything is like a musical. That’s a very strong color that Cloud has in his world. I am the leader of this world, I control everything. It’s a party and I’m directing everyone, that’s the whole concept.

What happens at the 48 second mark when everyone starts convulsing?

Oh yeah, do you want me to mess that up? Here’s the thing: Every damn time I post something, people ask, “What does that mean?” The interesting thing is that, a video or a product, a hundred people will have different emotions and different feelings towards it. There’s no point in me saying, “Hey, this is what it is.” Whatever you think is not what it is. so I decided not to talk about it.

Now more than ever, the public is responding to songs that are not in their native language. Do you feel pressure to sing in English?

Not at all. This is the thing, art is art. Music is music. What does it have to do with nationality? There are so many elements. People also ask me this question: As an Asian, how does it feel to be at the top of this chart or that chart? What are you asking? Music is music, a product is a product. This water is from Japan. [Points to Fiji water bottle]. Damn man, water is water. If it’s good, it’s good. If it’s bad, it’s bad. It is very personal.

Why do you think the American public has embraced K-Pop so enthusiastically?

Definitely put this on: K-Pop is no good because it’s K-Pop. K-Pop is good because it’s good music, it’s good quality. There are no American artists. Yes, there is, but at the end of the day music is music. What matters is how many people can identify with that. That proves that a lot of people can relate to K-Pop. That’s the answer, that’s what I think.

What does bts and its success mean for South Korea?

Damn, what pride. One of the RM members, the leader, even though we grew up together, that’s a pride. It’s not even about music anymore. Artists like BTS, like Blackpink, I respect them in art. The direction they’re going, me as an audience watching, I’m proud.

there is a stadium is being built in seoul specifically for k-pop music. The popularity of genres is always changing. Will K-Pop last forever?

K-Pop will definitely last forever. J-Pop will last forever. You never know what happens tomorrow, right? For me personally I think it will continue to evolve. I just wish entertainment had nothing to do with anything else, because entertainment is entertainment and it’s supposed to make people happy.

“Blow” is a new sonic direction for you. What inspired the sound?

I’ve been making music for eight years and I’m always in a position that, even on a daily basis, I’m exploring. I used to not sing. I haven’t been to a singing lesson. I have zero experience in singing classes until this year. Again in [Korean entertainment company] JYP, I was trained in dance. I was trained in rap. I was trained in martial arts. I was not a vocalist.

But during the process of a journey exploring, exploring, trying and trying, with the help of the people around me, with 88, Team Wang, producers, they kept inspiring me, inspiring me, inspiring me and also encouraging me to try new things. I was surprised too. Oh shit, this can be my sound. Or even play notes. I kept training. It’s about sharpening my weapons and absorbing all these energies around me, knowledge and information. How do I make all this stuff mine? That’s my current state: “Blow” and this album.

You are big on fashion. How do you choose your outfits for a big moment like Coachella?

Anything that is comfortable. We are making art; we are animators; we’re supposed to have fun with it. Because art itself is very personal. Fashion is the same, it is art. So I take it easy and have fun. If tomorrow I feel like going out in my pajamas, I will.

Since you’ve talked so much about mental health, do you have any advice for others who are struggling?

I can share my own experience, but it’s not a lecture or anything. I can say that being serious in the process of making art is good, but don’t lose the fun. When you have fun with it, you are happy. The second thing is that it is important to have a circle of positive people around you. No matter how amazing you are as a person, as an artist, if you have all these negative people around you, you’re going to fall apart.

What are your personal goals and what do you consider success?

I hope that one day I can make all my followers or fans really proud, and for my people in the East.

I feel like you’re already doing it…

Not yet, I’m so far from it. Does everyone know my music on the street, in Beverly Hills or whatever? No, right? That means I’m so far from it. Second, what do I want to be? Hopefully one day, I want to be the bridge to connect East and West. People in the West know about the East, the East knows about the West through the Internet, or even traveling or working. But there are many layers underneath that people don’t know about. I hope one day I can do my best to make that happen.