'I don't have many true friends': Jackson Wang reveals downside of fame

At many public events where there's Jackson Wang, it's almost always a party.

But despite the conversations and fun that the Hong Kong-born K-pop idol had with people there, deep down, he is lonely.

"I used to be afraid of loneliness. To be more precise, I thought I would be very afraid that if I became an artiste, I wouldn't be able to get used to it and wouldn't know what to do," Jackson said in a long, pensive article published on July 16 in the August issue of Harper's Bazaar China.

However, the 30-year-old shared, he has become "accustomed to loneliness", now a part of his daily life after spending 10 years in showbiz, where the environment and people involved are "complex" — and that's not a bad thing.

"I found that I'm doing pretty well. On the contrary, because of my solitude, I could calmly think about issues such as creativity and development. It even gives me a chance to explore my deepest emotions, which becomes inspiration for my creations and written into my works," Jackson added.

The former national fencer reportedly gave up participating in the Olympics and going to Stanford University to become a K-pop trainee. He later made his debut in the South Korean boy group Got7. 

In 2017, he founded music production company Team Wang Records and in 2020, co-founded Team Wang Design, a high-fashion streetwear brand where he serves as creative director.

In June, he dropped a collaboration on American multi-hyphenate star Pharell Williams' new "digital-first auction house and content platform" Joopiter titled Jackson Wang: Metamorphosis. The auction featured memorabilia from his days as a fencer and his recent Magic Man Tour, personal artefacts, as well as items designed by Jackson and Team Wang Design.

Tomorrow (June 20), the latter will launch the new Sparkles — I See The Lights collection, introduced by Jackson and fashion director Mobolaji Dawodu.

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'Difficult to have a pure and direct friendship'

When it comes to friendship, Jackson feels it's difficult to make genuine friends.

He said in the Harper's Bazaar article: 'Although friends around me are important, I don't have many true friends. Because what I have experienced in this industry over the years is that when I make friends, I don't know whether I am making friends with the person themselves, or with their team, or with their fans.

"For me, it is difficult to have a pure and direct friendship, especially with people who are close to my age."

He has since learnt to accept it and now prefers to get along with himself instead.

"I can trust myself and will stay with myself for the rest of my life. It's also pretty good to get along well with myself."

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Jackson said in an interview published in May that he wants to date, but it's complicated because people who he thought were "chill, friendly, and a true friend eventually turned out not to be so." He added then that as he is not in a rush, he'll give himself until he's 35 to have a romantic relationship.

In his interview with Harper's Bazaar, he shared that the people he sees the most nowadays are his parents and his staff from Team Wang.

"I don't have much time and energy to socialise. Of course, many people think I am very friendly. When I meet them in public, I try my best to meet their requests as long as they are not excessive. This is because I cherish it and I know it's transient," Jackson said.

"But to be honest, I am not that friendly. I have turned down requests many times, such as in the bathroom or when I was sick. I am also human. There are also many times when I lost my temper, or got emotional and irritable. I also make mistakes from time to time and unwise decisions at times."

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Since taking a break from last October to slow down, Jackson, who made the Forbes China 30 Under 30 List and received the Significant Achievement Award at the Forbes Under 30 Summit on July 5, said he has been spending more time thinking about his life, learning to cook and spending time with his parents by having meals together and listening to their stories.

He shared his views about having a family of his own someday.

"I like the family environment and I like children. If my partner agrees, I think I might have my own kids, but the other party must agree to it, because she has to bear the pain. I think it's only natural to have the other party's consent.

"Even if I get married, I don't think this change in identity will affect my creativity, whether on stage or behind-the-scenes. On the contrary, it might provide new perspectives," said Jackson.

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yeo.shuhui@asiaone.com