Over the past few months, GOT7's BamBam sparked worry among fans after he seemingly expressed that he is facing decline in his physical as well mental health. While the beloved rapper is in a better place now, his case brought attention to a very serious issue in the K-pop industry: the lack of mental health awareness and care.
BamBam's situation
It all started in July 2024, when BamBam posted a story on Instagram expressing his desire to sleep and never wake up. “I just want to sleep and don’t wake up so I can finally rest,” the GOT7 member wrote. While he tried to reassure fans following the alarming post, BamBam confessed that he wasn’t happy during his concert in Manila last month.
A couple of weeks after the concert, BamBam apologized for spreading negativity, and promised to return to his positive self. However, his Instagram story on September 29 sparked concern among the fandom once again. In his Instagram story, theriBBon crooner had stated that he would be “gone for good” in 2025.
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The fandom's concern further grew after BamBam's worrying response to a fan's supportive message on Twitter. "Please be okay. Surround yourself with people that want nothing but best for you and makes you happy. Take a step back away from the spotlight if you’re exhausted. Hope you find comfort in us," the IGOT7 had tweeted, to which BamBam responded, "People around me is the reason I'm dying."
people around me is the reason i'm dying
— BamBam🚩 (@BamBam1A) September 29, 2024
As concerns about BamBam's mental health being on the decline due to his hectic schedule took over social media, the rapper shared Justin Bieber’s songChanges via his X account. This was the last straw for his fans. Not only did they slam BamBam’s label for failing to protect him, they also unified K-pop fandoms to show their love and support for him.
https://t.co/ptiqnouXEP
— BamBam🚩 (@BamBam1A) September 30, 2024
As K-pop fans across social media left supportive messages for BamBam, his fellow bandmate Jackson Wang also joined in. Responding to BamBam's 'Changes' tweet, Jackson wrote, “People closely around us specially the industry. The only thing they care about is living their life like you are living urs. Different intentions. It’s facts, it’s reality. We all go through it, just different aspects,” before adding, “Don’t take it negatively, sometimes just gotta be more selfish and get things right for urself. It’s not always a bad thing. We all have choices. Make them bam. Don’t forget who u r. Love you for who u r.”
People closely around us specially the industry.The only thing they care about is living their life like you are living urs.Different intentions.It’s facts, it’s reality.We all go through it, just different aspects. Dont take it negatively, Sometimes just gotta be more…
— Jackson Wang (@JacksonWang852) October 1, 2024
Responding to the overwhelming support during his Chiang Mai concert on October 4, BamBam said, “Your encouragement really helped heal me.” Addressing concerns about his mental health, the rapper said, "I know you’re worried, and if you’re asking if I’m getting better, it’s been up and down, but I'm in a stage where I’m getting better.” He did not explicitly reveal the situation that led to his declining mental health, but he hinted at being used by others and cutting them off.
Mental Health resources in K-pop industry
BamBam isn’t the first idol to have spoken up about mental health issues, and he won’t be the last. However, a major area of concern is the lack of change in K-pop idols’ work schedules and resources to help improve their mental health despite the number of idols that have spoken up.
K-pop idols are subjected to rigorous training, busy schedules and toxic beauty standards. The majority of them do this while still in their teens and early twenties. This a time when most people are still trying to figure out who they are and what they want. Guidance is definitely a need, especially when you're constantly under the spotlight
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Just take a look at how many K-pop idols we have lost in the past decade due to the lack of mental health care and awareness. We may not have been able to save them all. However, if the K-pop labels had assisted them in getting the professional help they deserved, many of them would still have been with us today.
While some progress has been made with companies such as JYP Entertainment and KQ Entertainment allowing artists to take long breaks to improve their mental health, the K-pop industry still has a long way to go. Especially when labels like FM Entertainment still kick out trainees for simply talking about their mental health. For the unversed, FM Entertainment terminated their contract with popular trainee Beomhan after he openly discussed his mental health, a suicide attempt and the less-than-ideal alleged living conditions and treatment by the company.
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Disclaimer: If you or someone you know needs help, call any of these helplines: Aasra (Mumbai) 022-27546669, Sneha (Chennai) 044-24640050, Sumaitri (Delhi) 011-23389090, Cooj (Goa) 0832- 2252525, Jeevan (Jamshedpur) 065-76453841, Pratheeksha (Kochi) 048-42448830, Maithri (Kochi) 0484-2540530, Roshni (Hyderabad) 040-66202000, Lifeline 033-64643267 (Kolkata).