ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2021 NEWS/FEATURES 13 People & Places Music Wallen album sales surge K-pop stars promote ‘mental health care’ SEOUL, South Korea, Feb 10, (AP): K-pop star Eric Nam was having a meeting in New York when he suddenly felt a pain in his chest. “I thought I was going to have to call 911,” he said, recounting the experience from 2019. But in- stead he remained sitting and “had to quietly breathe my way” through the meeting, he said. Similarly, Jae-hyung Park, better known as Jae from K-pop band “Day6,” was in a cab returning from a music video shoot in Seoul last year when he experienced what felt like a heart attack. At fi rst, he put it down to stress, saying that for years he had dealt with “out of place” and “weird” feelings. But he realized he couldn’t ignore the symp- toms, and in the “calmest voice” asked the driver to take him to a nearby hospital. “I’m ... feeling like I am going to die, I am going to die, I am going to die,” he re- counted. Park and Nam said they later found out they had suf- fered panic attacks. Nam Many recording artists struggle to cope with the trap- pings of fame. In South Korea, as in many cultures, talking about mental health issues is seen as taboo, causing K-pop stars to grapple with depression and mental illness on their own. This image released by Netflix shows former first lady Michelle Obama with Busy, a bee puppet, (left), Mochi, a pink round puppet, and Waffles, a furry puppet with Nam and Park have joined other Korean Ameri- waffle ears on the set of the children’s series ‘Waffles + Mochi.’ Obama is launching the new Netflix children’s food show on March 16. (AP) can K-pop artists in raising awareness about mental health beyond the K-pop community by publicly sharing their personal journeys. Michelle Obama teams up with puppets for a kids’ food show Nam moved from his hometown, Atlanta, to Seoul in 2011 and launched his music career after Michelle Obama is launching a Netf- stagram on Tuesday. The 20-minute home cooks, kids and celebrities,” a program like this had been around competing on a Korean music television show. A lix children’s food show with a pair episodes will combine live action and according to a press release from the when my girls were young.” of puppets “to bring a bit of light and puppets, and Obama will be a series show. The show is produced by Higher Boston College graduate, Nam said the racism he laughter to homes around the world.” regular. “Kids will love it, but I know that adults Ground Productions, the production endured growing up in suburban Georgia left deep The new show, called “Waffles + The show centers on two best pup- will also get plenty of laughs - and some company owned by Obama and her scars on him. Mochi,” launches March 16 and will pet friends who dream of becoming tips for the kitchen,” Obama wrote. “In husband, former President Barack be “all about good food: discovering chefs and travel across the world many ways, this show is an extension of Obama. In 2018, the Obamas signed Wellness it, cooking it, and of course, eating looking for ingredients and making my work to support children’s health as a multi-year agreement with Netflix. He explains he was bullied and even spat on by a it,” the former first lady posted on In- dishes “alongside renowned chefs, first lady - and to be quite honest, I wish (AP) classmate. “It was one of the most degrading, em- barrassing, infuriating moments of my life up until that point,” Nam recounts on the fi rst episode of MINDSET, a paid podcast series he’s just launched Film to promote conversations about mental health and wellness. “And I think still to this day that is a topic that I never feel comfortable speaking out about.” Nam said he also struggled with an identity crisis as a Korean American, being treated as an outsider Actor, at 60, doing a different kind of slaying in both South Korea and the US. “It felt like I didn’t belong anywhere,” he told The Associated Press. Park, born and raised in California, said he had Grant is enjoying the darkness diffi culty navigating between two vastly different cultures. And the intense competition in the indus- try also affected his mental health. By Jocelyn Noveck Grant spoke to The Associated So yes, it’s a huge relief in fact to be “It’s a dog-eat-dog world,” Park said of K-pop. Press last week upon news of his expressing evil, whether it’s in a very Park was offered counseling from his record la- hen Hugh Grant accepted his sixth Globe nomination, this time for comedic way like in “Paddington 2” bel, JYP Entertainment, but said he found it diffi cult WGolden Globe in 1995 for “Four best actor in a limited series or TV or a very disguised way like in “The to connect with his therapist and eventually took a Weddings and a Funeral,” you could movie. He spoke from his London Undoing,” or in a very smarmy way break from his career last year, when his band went say he slayed the room - with the kind home where he’s busy perfecting the like in “A Very English Scandal.” on a hiatus. of boyishly befuddled, sweetly stam- art of making paper snowfl akes, via What’s weird is that that the com- In this Sept 13, 2019 photo, Jae of mering speech he might have made to his kids and their remote learning. mon denominator of them all is not He took part in Nam’s podcast series as a celeb- Day6 performs in concert at Playsta- rity speaker. Andie MacDowell in that film or to Ju- Remarks have been edited for so much evil, it’s narcissism. tion Theatre in New York. Jae-hyung lia Roberts in “Notting Hill.” length and clarity. AP: Do you ever worry that play- Nam is hoping the shows can address stereotypes Park, better known as Jae from K- Fast forward a few decades and and stigmas surrounding mental illness. AP: How are you feeling about ing such unsavory characters will pop band Day6, has joined other Ko- Grant, now 60, is doing a different “I never thought that I would need, I would want rean American K-pop singers in rais- this latest nomination? make you unlikeable? to talk to somebody about my mental health,” Nam ing awareness about mental health kind of slaying. He’s up for another Grant: Oh, it’s really nice. I was Grant: No. I really don’t have said. “But once you’re in that position, I just didn’t beyond the K-pop community by Globe for HBO’s “The Undoing,” never really one of the people who that worry! The trick anyway is that know really how to deal with it. And so I remember sharing their experiences with stress in which he actually kills - like, with gets nominations and things. I spent if you’re playing someone evil, they those very isolating kinds of moments that I had had in a series of podcasts. (AP) a mallet - as an affl uent Manhattan many years making romantic come- have got to be fun evil. They don’t earlier on in my career.” pediatric oncologist who sidelines as dies that people quite liked but never have to be good, but they have to be ❑ ❑ ❑ a psychopath. got nominated. So it’s really lovely. enjoyable. Which really is part of the It’s not his fi rst cinematic explo- It’s put a spring in my step, which is trick of acting. It’s important to be Fans of Morgan Wallen are buying up the coun- ration of evil: In “A Very English a rare thing for me - I’m a gloomy real but I think it’s also very impor- try star’s latest album after a video showed him Scandal,” for which he also earned bastard. tant to be in some way entertaining. shouting a racial slur last week. a Globe nod, Grant got some career- AP: It’s been said you are now In the end, that’s what we’re making, Wallen’s sophomore record, “Dangerous: The best reviews as Jeremy Thorpe, the specializing in characters that are entertainment. And that sometimes Double Album” retains its top spot for a fourth real-life British political leader who charming like your old ones, but gets forgotten. week on Billboard’s all-genre albums chart, less was tried on charges of conspiring have a seriously dark underbelly. AP: Does being recognized this than a week after Wallen apologized for using racist to murder his former lover. And on Grant: I don’t really think of it year feel different, given what’s go- language. a lighter (but still not very nice) note, that way. I just think, “What’s the ing on in the world? The country music industry acted swiftly to pub- he played a very theatrical villain in most interesting stuff that’s com- Grant: Well, I certainly wouldn’t licly rebuke him and radio stations and streaming Kennedy Eaton “Paddington 2.” ing across the desk?” Because I’m complain about my lot. I’m very services removed his songs from their playlists. But The metamorphosis has been un- old and ugly, I don’t get offered the lucky.