ATLANTA — A metro Atlanta native and K-Pop star is being recognized by TIME Magazine for more than just his musical abilities.
Georgia's Eric Nam was honored this week with a TIME100 Impact Award in Singapore for his work in destigmatizing conversations around mental health beyond his K-Pop platform and for his wellness app Mindset.
"Mental health is at the beginning and is at the end of everything that we are," Nam said during his acceptance speech.
Nam, who grew up in metro Atlanta with his parents and two brothers, expressed gratitude for his international fame found in the Korean pop music industry. However, stardom came with its own personal challenges.
"I quit what was to be a respectable strategic consulting job in New York to become a 'singer,' much to the absolute horror of my parents," he joked during his speech, touching on his early career with Deloitte. "I was nervous, but elated to trade Excel sheets and the corporate grind for music videos, albums, concerts and TV shows all around the world."
And it took work to get there - physically and mentally.
"It has been a road full of jarring surprises with the highest of highs, like this, but also some of the lowest lows," he said.
Nam shared how early in his entertainment career, he asked about getting help for anxiety, panic attacks and depression but "was told that I would risk and damage my flourishing career." It made him spiral into what he described as a vicious cycle of poor physical and mental health.
"Fast forward to today and I am receiving a TIME100 Impact Award, which is pretty wild, for being open and honest about something that I believe we can all be open and honest about: our mental health," he said.
He emphasized that mental health affects every single person in the world and is intertwined with how individuals build relationships and present themselves. Seeing how it's a common factor in society, the pop star said he feels the need to elevate efforts to destigmatize the negative associations with being open about one's mental wellness.
"And while progress has been made, we must continue to work together and improve and normalize our approaches to dealing with mental health," Nam said.
Nam calls his Mindset platform by DIVE Studios his "tiny, small contribution to this conversation," adding that the platform is on top of his songs that regularly touch on the subject. Mindset was a venture created in collaboration with his brothers and currently has a 4.9-star rating in the app store. Reviewers call it transformative and relatable, "everything that people need."
Watch his acceptance speech in Singapore below; the story continues after:
"It's grounded in honesty with my struggles and those of my peers," he said. "Mindset has grown into a community where individuals can safely and positively discuss their mental health journeys, find resources, and feel heard and seen."
Actors, musicians, athletes and other incredible individuals are sharing stories, Nam said. But he added one doesn't need to be considered high-profile to contribute to the conversation or build their own platform. Simply put, he said people need to be authentically themselves.
"To me, this TIME100 award is an affirmation that being who you are—and who I am—is enough," he said.
11Alive's Karys Belger spoke with Nam during a tour stop in Atlanta. Watch his interview in the video below: