In a recent interview with Billboard, Minzy opens up about that the pressures of being in one of K-Pop’s biggest girl groups and how it led to depression and suicidal thoughts.
Formerly a member of the now disbanded 2NE1, Minzy was known for her powerful dancing and onstage charisma. But the 24-year-old singer reveals that she’d spent much of her time feeling lost and isolated, which only got progressively worse due to the group’s prolonged hiatuses and her own delayed solo.
During the interview, Minzy also weighs in on the K-Pop industry’s beauty standards and how 2NE1 was often criticized for looking “different” and “not as pretty” as other girl groups. She states that constant barrage of negative comments from netizens affected her deeply.
“We were the ‘ugly group.’ I didn’t know how to process that, I held that in. It was tough. [As a group], we pretended it was not a big deal and tried to forget about it, but you can’t forget about it — it’s tough. I was trying to keep up with the other girls in the group in terms of maturity, but when you’re up against these girl groups who look like models and you’re doing something different — cool, but different — you deal in a different way.” (source: Billboard)
When the subject of suicide is brought up, the singer mentions SHINee’s Jonghyun — who passed away almost a year ago — and reflects on her own struggles with mental health. She goes on to explain that his death “struck her” because she could understand the feeling of wanting to escape.
“I want to let the young and newer idols know that success in the idol world is just not as important to what you need to live up to as a person.” (source: Billboard)
Minzy shares her thoughts on her departure from 2NE1 and how she’s since felt more secure in herself and career. While she views her members as her “sisters”, she explains that the decision to leave was based on a need to find what she needed and her future.
Now, Minzy is moving onto the next chapter in her life, with a flourishing solo career and embarking on her first-ever solo dance tour. We look forward to what she has in store for the future and wish her all the best!
Read the full interview on the Billboard website here.
