Red Velvet Joy Confesses Reason for Hiatus in 2023: 'I Didn't Know Who I Was'
After taking a break last year, Red Velvet Joy provided more explanation on why she needed to do it and what she really felt at the time.
On July 1, the YouTube channel, "Jjanhyung," hosted by Shin Dong Yup, posted its talk show's Episode 48 featuring Red Velvet Seulgi, Joy, and Yeri.
Looking back at their journey before reaching their 10th debut anniversary, Joy opened up about the setbacks she experienced that led to her hiatus in April 2023.
According to her, there was a time that she felt weary, and that was prior to releasing "Zimzalabim" in 2019.
"I happened to watch the video I had collected from our debut until now, and I was a little shocked. When we first debuted, we were always smiling brightly, but as time went by, I became more and more tired.
"The song, 'Zimzalabim,' is a spell that brings happiness, but I thought that I had to really smile happily to convince the viewers. I laughed as hard as I could while thinking about my feelings when I first debuted.
But that’s how I became happy. I think I approached this stage with earnestness, thinking that this stage might be Red Velvet’s last stage."
(Photo : Red Velvet Joy (News1))
ALSO READ: ReVeluv Uneasy Over Red Velvet's Contract Renewal With SM Entertainment Following Joy's Comments
But in 2023, such pressure finally affected her physical body that in April of that year, SM announced that she would be taking a temporary break from their schedules due to health reasons.
Joy confessed that her state of mind on top of her physical health wasn't in good condition, hinting at the pressure of maintaining her bright and vibrant image just like her stage name.
"When I took a break last year, I didn't know who I was. Seriously, it was really hard to find who I was while doing this.
People already had their own opinions about me before they knew who I was, so everyone saw me as a bright and energetic person, but I also had a lot of thoughts, so I tried to fit in with their perspective and thought that was right."
Feeling lost, she tried so hard to ignore it until it showed up in her body. During her time off, she was finally able to focus and get to know herself, gaining self-esteem.
"But as I got older, that didn’t work out well. I tried to suppress it and hide it, but when I finished my schedule and came to my senses, I thought, 'What did I do today?' I don’t remember anything, but I felt like I was in a vacuum. I thought, ‘I haven’t been talking to myself."
She continued:
"I thought, ‘I’ve been trying to ignore it, but it’s showing up in my body.’ So I focused a lot on myself. As I did that, I always set goals and ran toward them, and my field of vision broadened this much. I gained the strength to focus on smaller things at this moment, and I gained the strength to talk to myself. I thought, 'This is self-esteem,' and the strength that keeps me from collapsing comes from these conversations with myself. I realized this only in my late 20s."
After a two-month hiatus, Joy returned to her Red Velvet and solo activities in June 2023 and showed a better appearance.
READ MORE: Yeri Opens Up on Being Added to Red Velvet: 'It's Not That I Hate Them But...'
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Written by Eunice Dela Cruz
