You probably have heard of Jackson Wang, a rapper from Hong Kong who is part of the K-pop group GOT7. Jackson has since made an impressive name for himself by being a solo artist.
Given the popularity of Wang in the entertainment industry, it is not unfathomable that his schedule is packed to the brim with activity after activity.
But could all these schedules be taking a toll on him?
The artist was recently spotted sleeping during a live stream on Instagram.
Jackson Talked About His Busy Schedule
Wang, who is currently 29 years old, was spotted live streaming on Instagram earlier this month as part of his routine to kill time before his flight to New York.
He was scheduled to attend the Met Gala there. The artist was in Vancouver, Canada, at the time of his livestream.
Clad in an oversized black t-shirt and sporting long-ish blonde hair, the Magic Man himself shared snippets of his busy life with his fans.
For starters, Wang discussed his diet with his fans. During the live stream, he mentioned that he was “so hungry”, but he could not eat. He then continued that he knew it was “bad” not to eat but was under pressure to “keep in shape”.
To balance maintaining his impressive figure and his bodily cravings, Wang said he would only eat one meal a day.
Ever conscious of his status as an idol and role model for many, including an impressionable younger audience, Wang cautioned his fans against following in his footsteps.
He suggested that fans don’t “do it” and that it should be “just [him]” who maintains such a strict and punishing diet.
During the live stream, Wang also chatted casually with fans, replying to some of the comments the fans left on his Instagram live stream.
Fans who tuned in also got a coveted glimpse of the star’s private jet, cementing his luxury lifestyle in the eyes of his fans.
Jackson Fell Asleep During the Livestream
The live stream, which spanned about 19 minutes, also showcased another interesting aspect of Wang’s life.
His lack of sleep.
About halfway through his live stream, Wang rested his head on his arm and drifted to dreamland.
Before that, he gave fans advance warning that he was going to “go to sleep right now” as “enough [was] enough”. He then dozed off for about nine minutes, with his black-rimmed sunglasses still perched on the top of his golden hair.
As Wang caught forty winks, fans were able to observe the eyebags on Wang’s face. The idol did look quite worn out as he lay on his arm to rest. Nothing more than marks of a hectic idol lifestyle, we suppose.
Since the live stream was ongoing, many fans continued to comment on the video. Some fans called him “cute”, while others were more maternal in their words to him.
In particular, many comments were worrying about Wang and whether he was getting enough rest. Several commenters said that they felt “sorry” for him as he “worked too hard”. Others said that he was starting to look “skinny”, perhaps a reference to his harsh diet to keep in shape as a public figure.
There were also other comments wishing him a good rest. Not that he would be able to see them with his eyes closed.
Yet other comments were about turning off the live stream, presumably so that Wang could rest in comfort before his flight.
While Wang snoozed, his live stream viewer count peaked at more than 34,000 viewers.
We wonder how it feels to have so many people staring at you as you sleep.
Could this short snooze be a simple case of an artist taking a break, or does it spell of something more sinister, like an impending breakdown?
Wang has been attracting quite a bit of attention lately due to his heavy drinking habits. As part of his most recent solo album, Wang released the song “Champagne Cool”, which he has been performing as part of his solo world tour.
During the tour, fans were treated to the sight of Wang taking (multiple) swigs of whiskey directly from the bottle as he performed the song live.
Sometimes, he would pour the alcohol directly on himself apart from just drinking it.
This heavy use of alcohol has worried some fans, as he has brought such “alcoholic” behaviour into other live performances, such as that for the song “Poison”.
Given the many live shows Wang has had to do on tour, some fans were worried that Wang was exhibiting signs of alcohol dependence and urged him to drink in moderation.
Wang had also been spotted with alcohol within his reach on several other occasions. For one, he brought alcohol on stage with him at his recent stint at this year’s Coachella music festival.
The Christmas Eve party hosted by Wang at Singapore’s very own Marina Bay Sands and the party at Marquee both featured alcohol as well.
Wang had also previously opened up to a fellow artist in the Korean entertainment industry, Eric Nam, about his relationship with alcohol.
On an episode of the DAEBAK SHOW Season 2, Wang confides in Nam that at some point in time in his career, he “cut all [his] relationships with other people” and was just “by [himself]”.
During this time, he engaged in activities including drinking, writing, thinking and creating.
At the lowest point in his life, he was “drinking by himself every day to a time that [he] couldn’t breathe”. He said he felt “lost” after an extended time in the industry.
No wonder fans were so worried about Wang’s relationship with alcohol.
But fans may rest easy if all of this sudden fondness for alcohol turns out to be nothing more than a fancy marketing gimmick.
Fans of Wang are most likely familiar with the fact that Wang is actually the ambassador of Hennessy. Hennessy, a whiskey brand, has engaged Wang as their ambassador since June 2022.
So, it could all very well be that Wang’s recent attachment to alcohol is nothing more than part of a strategy to promote the whiskey brand. After all, with Wang being the talk of the town with his habits, people searching for him may also indirectly be exposed to the brands he endorses.
At the end of the day, it may very well be Wang who has the last laugh as he continues to roll in dough from his money-making promotions.
Jackson May Be Starting to Show His “Real” Self
Then again, Wang’s recent live stream of his nap time may be in line with his motivations to show his “real self”.
In January, the performer made a stop in London for his Magic Man World Tour and ruffled some feathers during his mid-concert commentary. In particular, Wang appeared to be expressing his support for China which has been mired in controversies of late, such as the ethicality of how Xinjiang cotton is harvested.
Wang’s speech revolved around how he, as an entertainer, was trying to find his own standards before he slipped into the controversial support for China.
As part of his speech, Wang called himself “Jackson Wang from China” and denounced the media’s attempts at harshly criticising China. The artist originates from Hong Kong.
In response to the poor portrayal of China on various media platforms, Wang labels such attempts as “propaganda”. He also peppers his passionate speech with several colourful expletives, which might raise eyebrows for those with young children, including using the F-word multiple times.
Given Wang’s origins as an idol, this raw speech is a stark contrast against the “norms” of idols from Korea. Idols from Korean groups are typically known to be restricted in the way they speak and act in front of fans so as to align with a “curated image” of themselves. Some idols are even reportedly banned from dating in an extreme bid to control the artists’ lives before becoming a global hit with fans.
Therefore, with Wang starting to be more comfortable with being himself almost a decade into his entertainment career, it could well be that the snoozing on Instagram was a manifestation of Wang being more open to showing his authentic self to his fans.
After all, who amongst us has never experienced sleep deprivation in one way or another?