Former Top K-Pop Idol Admits To Going Broke, Struggling With Employment

A former member of a reigning K-Pop girl group recently opened up about her fall from stardom and the cold reality of struggling to find employment in her post-idol era with bittersweet honesty.

The idol in question is Baby J (also known as Ha Ju Yeon), a former rapper for the popular second-generation girl group Jewelry.

Ha Ju Yeon debuted as a member of Jewelry in 2008, seven years after the group’s original lineup made its debut. She joined the group under the stage name of Baby J, and enjoyed a flourishing career until her contract expired in 2014.

Once a shining star in the K-Pop scene, Baby J has now undergone a metamorphosis that many didn’t see coming. Recently, the former idol rapper appeared as a guest on the YouTube channel run by the wife of footballer Hwang Soon Min. In the video, she spoke with surprising honesty about her current financial struggles.

While talking about her day-to-day life, Ha confessed that she was currently unemployed. She talked about her ambition to become rich, adding that she repeats affirmations every morning, believing they will help her change the course of her life.

Every morning, when I wake up, I shout, ‘I will become rich’ three times. I’ve been doing this for over a year. I truly believe that words become reality.

— Ha Ju Yeon

This life update, however, is not completely out of the blue. After Jewelry, Ha joined Show Me The Money as a contestant, where she discussed taking part-time jobs at pizza shops and clothing stores to make ends meet. She admitted to struggling emotionally while watching her peers succeed. Ha also talked candidly about being isolated by the industry, noting that she never got the same opportunities as her fellow Jewelry members to appear on television.

In a previous YouTube appearance, the former idol revealed she had to work a minimum-wage job after failing to secure any gigs in the entertainment industry. Even though she quit after a point, she had to reapply for the same position because nothing else worked out.

Despite being stuck in a rut, Ha Ju Yeon kept pushing, reaching out to agencies asking for work. Though she is yet to receive a response, she has kept the hustle alive. Meanwhile, she has appeared on popular shows like Show Me The Money 5 and Unpretty Rapstar 5. Currently, she runs a YouTube channel where she shares her recent whereabouts with fans.