'I want to live': Jackson Wang on possibly leaving showbiz in 10 years, sacrifices for his career

2024 marks his 10th anniversary in showbiz but Hong Kong-born K-pop idol Jackson Wang revealed that he may not be in the scene beyond the next 10 years.

The 30-year-old Got7 member went on the TVB variety talk show Star Trail recently where he looked back on his life the past decade.

When host Luisa Maria Leitao asked if he's made sacrifices for his career, Jackson said he had given up on experiences his friends have, such as living a regular lifestyle.

"I feel like I've been inside a machine in the last nine to 10 years. It's like a long marathon; I keep running and I don't enjoy or feel the environment around me or look at the ground or look back to see if I dropped anything," he shared.

"Did I pass by someone? I missed out so much because all I did was keep running. Now that I'm 30, I want to just take it a little slow and enjoy the 'now'."

He added: "I may not be in showbiz in the next 10 years."

Luisa was shocked and protested, saying his fans would be upset.

Jackson continued: "This is my choice and my life. I want to live. I want to create, that's where I think my strength is, and not just be in the limelight."

You could do both, Luisa said.

"But I don't want to," Jackson said.

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Jackson debuted with Got7 members JayB, Mark, Jinyoung, Youngjae, BamBam and Yugyeom in 2014, and had hit songs such as If You Do, Just Right and Hard Carry.

They left their agency JYP Entertainment in 2021, but continued to release music as a group. Their last comeback was in 2022 and the members have since been working on solo activities.

But before his idol career, Jackson was a national fencer and reportedly gave up participating in the Olympics and going to Stanford University to become a K-pop trainee.

He was talent-scouted in school and while waiting for the other party to get back to him, he told his parents he wanted to try being a singer.

His father, who was a national fencing coach, told him he could do it only if he won a gold medal. And Jackson did.

He recalled his father was disappointed for a long time that he was venturing into showbiz.

Jackson said: "The K-pop system is so mature and the structure is so great because it's easy to enter the industry and it's also easy to leave it. So it's very difficult to remain there. There are tests every week, so if you really want to debut, you have to work hard. Anyone with potential can become a trainee."

He admitted that he started to have doubts on his third day: "Everyone else was either very good-looking - I was plump then, talented or tall. And there I was, a fencing athlete. All I could do was, if they (the other trainees) did something 10 times, I would do it 100 times. 



"What else could I do? I couldn't possibly return to Hong Kong saying, 'I'm sorry, I'm a national athlete, I came back because I couldn't handle it over there. Could I rejoin the national team?' Some friends would definitely say, 'I told you so!' I don't want that."

When Luisa questioned if the training was tough, Jackson said as a sportsman, he could take the physical demands but the mental requirements were harder.

"I didn't speak Korean, I was a foreigner who didn't know their culture. I didn't have the skills and my life was completely different. I was very lonely," he admitted.

"I wanted to give up on the third day but I couldn't. I had to continue. My thinking then was, I needed to improve my skills so that I could debut no matter which agency I was in."

In a separate interview, Luisa asked his father what he thought of Jackson's achievements. While he expressed his pride, he added: "He kept working hard, non-stop. It was really tough for him."

Does he think about how far he hopes Jackson could go?

"No," he replied promptly. "Let nature take its course. He must not push himself too hard. What's most important is his health, parents will always say this."

'I long for a home where my loved ones are present'

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In another reveal on Star Trail, Jackson shared that he hasn't had a physical home for more than 10 years.

"I lived in Hong Kong until age 13 or 14, then I lived in Europe for two years and then in South Korea for 12 years. I never really lived at home," he told Luisa.

"Sometimes when I'm back home, it feels like a hotel room. I long for a home where my loved ones are present."

He said he misses Hong Kong and wants to return to the territory because it's "home".

Jackson said he wants to date but added it's complicated.

"I'm quite active and cheerful, and I make friends quickly. But as time passes, I find myself less inclined to socialise. Maybe someone who I thought was chill, friendly and a true friend eventually turned out not to be so."

He added that he'll give himself until he turns 35 to have a romantic relationship because he's not in a rush.

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Luisa also brought up something that made Jackson pause for a few seconds - is he happy now?

"I'm searching for my happiness and contentment. The whole environment - social media, the internet - a lot of people are comparing or telling you what's good and what's not, what's beautiful and what's perfection, what's ugly and what's bad. I feel like I lost myself a lot of times, to the point that I don't know what's right anymore. I just want to do what I want."

Jackson released his first solo album titled Mirror in 2019, debuting at number 32 on the US Billboard 200 chart, followed by his second album Magic Man in 2022 which peaked at number 15. He also released a mixtape Lost & Found that same year.

He kicked off the first leg of his solo Magic Man world tour in 2022, starting in Bangkok and closing it off in Singapore.

The tour continued in 2023 with dates in Europe, Dubai, the US and China.

His latest song Feeling Lucky was released in April in collaboration with South Korean singer Bibi.

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syarifahsn@asiaone.com

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