GOT7’s Yugyeom on his financial difficulties during the pandemic

South Korean singer Yugyeom, a member of K-pop boyband GOT7, has revealed that he faced financial difficulties during the pandemic.

GOT7’s Yugyeom recently made an appearance on Greenroom Talk, an online talk show by popular South Korean YouTuber Draw Andrew. During his time on the programme, the singer spoke about a time where he fell into a “slump”.

“I think of myself as a very positive person. I’ve always seen myself that way in the past, and I thought so until recently,” Yugyeom said, as translated by Koreaboo. “But then, I fell into a period of slump, too. I did have my moments of mental exhaustion.”

The K-pop idol added that around the time the COVID-19 pandemic started, he had “the least amount of individual promotions going” among the GOT7 members. “I didn’t have a packed schedule or anything,” he said.

“But back home, I was still the breadwinner for my family. I think that’s when it got a bit difficult for me, financially, especially since all the performances got cancelled too,” Yugyeom added.

The singer added that during that time he “felt so uneasy not doing anything”, so he focused on making music. “I basically stayed in my room all day, making songs every day,” he added.

Yugyeom would later make his solo debut in June 2021 with the EP ‘Point Of View: U’, featuring the single ‘All Your Fault’ with GRAY. In a four-star review, NME‘s Natasha Mulenga said that the release was a “triumphant introduction to his artistic independence”.

Notably, ‘Point Of View: U’ was Yugyeom’s first release after signing with South Korean hip-hop label AOMG. The singer, along with his fellow GOT7 members, had left long-time agency JYP Entertainment in January 2021.