EXO Kai’s Advice To His Younger Self Shows The Sad Reality Of What Idols Give Up

For SuperM‘s interview with Billboard, one of the twenty questions asked Kai for the advice he would give to his younger self. His response proved how much idols give up to achieve their dream of stardom.

The first area he emphasized was the importance of health. “I would tell my younger self to take care of yourself and stay healthy because health is so important!” He then mentioned how he could’ve been more carefree.

Since Kai was barely eighteen at the time of EXO‘s debut in 2012, many years of his youth was spent training in order to reach the level of a debuting artist.

Even so, he wished he wouldn’t have been so critical of his effort and instead took the time to go with the flow. “I would also tell him not to be so hard on himself and enjoy the ride as a young teenager. This is the time for having fun and trying different things!”

Kai admitted that he couldn’t experience all of the things the average teenager would because of the pursuit of his idol dream. “Back then, I was so focused on my career and working towards my dreams that I didn’t spend a lot of time doing ‘regular teenager experiences,’ which I wish I did more of!”

Of the many opportunities Kai has received, such as performing all over the world for concerts and modelling expensive items for luxury brands, they can’t compare to the experiences he was never able to have as a youth.

When seeing idols onstage, it’s easy to disregard everything they miss out on compared to the average person. Kai gave everyone a glimpse of the memories and things they’ll never experience without a spotlight shining on them.