Heejun Han

AMERICAN IDOL: Happy in his own skin

By Suzieana Uda Nagu | suzie@nst.com.my

LEND An EAR: American Idol Season 11 finalist Heejun Han talks about battling depression and how he conquered it al
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“Today I don’t feel like doing anything
I just wanna lay in my bed
Don’t feel like picking up my phone
So leave a message at the tone
‘Cause today I swear I’m not doing anything.”

SO goes the first verse of The Lazy Song by singer, song-writer and Grammy Award-winner Bruno Mars.

Although Mars was singing about having an unproductive day in the catchy tune, not wanting to get out bed can be a symptom of depression as is the case with American Idol Season 11 finalist Heejun Han.

“I wanted to stay at home. I didn’t want to meet anyone. When I woke up in the morning, I didn’t want to open my eyes,” says Han, 23, recalling his depressive episode .

Han — who is best remembered for his soulful vocals and goofball sense of humour in the reality television singing contest — was diagnosed with depression last year following his unsuccessful attempt at breaking into the Korean entertainment scene.

Born and raised in Anyang, Geonggi, South Korea, Han migrated to the United States with his family at age 12.

Han, who has always dreamt of being a “rock star”, decided to return to Korea at 20, lured by the bright lights of Kpop (Korean pop) stardom.

But after 2½ years in Korea, Han was making little headway with his career. He returned to America last year with little to show for and a severely dented self-esteem.

Breaking into showbiz anywhere in the world is tough but the Korean entertainment industry is particularly gruelling.

Yahoo! Entertainment Singapore recently reported that young aspiring Kpop stars go through intense 14-hour boot camp-style training sessions that “start at 7am and involve hours of gym, dance, singing and swimming”.

Singaporean Elaine Yuki Wong, 24 — who beat 3,000 other hopefuls in a mass audition by a Korean talent management agency in 2010 — told the media that she had to adhere to a strict diet, which consists of breakfast, no lunch, snacks (low-fat biscuits, lettuce and bananas) and dinner (such as boiled chicken breast and salad); and no water after 7pm to avoid bloating.

This ensures that trainees, as the teenaged hopefuls are known, conform to the usual stereotype of a Kpop idol — stick-thin and attractive.

Those who cannot keep up or do not fit into the mould often dropped out and headed home, like Wong did early this year.

Han, on the other hand, would have sunk deeper into a whirlpool of depression if not for his cousin, who stays near him.

His relative told him of “a place that he might want to go” — Milal Mission in New York, a faith-based non-profit for children with special needs.

Han initially visited the organisation once a week to help the children but he instantly “fell in love” with them.

Soon, he was volunteering on a daily basis; eventually he became an employee, organising and MC-ing events for the charity.

Han credits the children with helping him pull himself out of a depressive funk.

“Their unconditional love cured (me). They are so genuine and sincere to their friends. I learned I have so much. That made me realise I was just afraid of (coming) out of my shell,” he says.

His desire to give back to the children and create more awareness of Milal Mission drove him to audition for American Idol.

“I wanted to prove to them that, no matter what their disability is, they can do anything if they try hard enough.”

Han auditioned in Pittsburgh and sailed through to Hollywood. He became the first Korean American to be in the Top 12 of the highly rated show and secured a spot in the American Idol Live! 2012 tour — which ended in Manila, the Philippines recently — after finishing at ninth place.

It is clear from the montages shown before Han’s weekly performances on Idol that the children have a special place in his heart.

“I work with the kids to make sure they know they are being loved. They are truly genuine and amazing kids who deserve every love they get,” he says.

Being an American Idol finalist has made it possible for him to promote Milal “as much as possible” although he is no longer working for the charity.

Han, who is currently in Los Angeles working on his solo album, hopes to eventually “support all special needs children and their organisations”.

After all, working with special children has enabled Han to put his own issues into perspective.

He now looks back at his stint in Korea as a “learning opportunity”.

“It was all about timing. I needed to learn more because I was so inexperienced”.

Han has also discovered a thing or two about showbiz — and himself — from being on tour for the last three months.

“I’ve learned to stay humble and not forget where I came from. I started with nothing and now I have many fans who will support me no matter what. I will never forget their support and how it all happened,” he says.

He vows to stay true to himself no matter what happens in his career.

“Being successful is being happy with who you are. I was just being myself on Idol,” he says.

Everyone should be comfortable in their own skin too.

“Asians tend to be depicted as passive, shy and insecure people who are only good at Maths. But we can be fun, sexy, or fun and sexy at the same time — like me. We don’t have to fit into the mould the society created. Go out and be yourself,” he adds.

With his singing career picking up, Han is now in a happier place. But he will never forget the time when he needed help the most.

If you are suffering from depression, Han advises not to “keep it to yourself”.

If you know someone with the condition, lend them a sympathetic ear.

“They want to be heard. Listen to their story and just be their friends. Don’t be condescending; just be there for them,” he adds.

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Summary & Opinion 

This article fully describe and tells the story how he get through from the darkest moment in his life and finally he stood up. He learned a lesson and he encourage people to chase their dreams no matter how big is it as long as they work enough hard on it. 

The Kpop Star which use to be familiar among youths give youths an impact on appearance. Youths need to be seen thin,slim and sexy for girls and six packs, tall, good looking for boys in order to fall into beautiful and handsome category. Before this, what was on my mind was korean artist usually went through plastic surgery      

to get pretty or good looking guy. Seriously, I do not know the stereotyping for Kpop begins so seriously and almost every Kpop fans think about this. Through this, I can see the Kpop's consequences and hope that the Kpop artist manage to bring the right attitudes for the youths.