GOT7’s Jackson Wang Spills On How His Family Of Professional Athletes First Reacted When He Was Cast By JYP Entertainment
Recently, GOT7‘s Jackson Wang sat down on the American radio show The Cruz Show to talk about his single “Blow,” his hopes of having a family not too far in the future, and about how his parents first reacted when he decided to pursue a career in music.
Jackson’s career so far has been nothing short of impressive. He excels in so many areas, from rapping, singing, and dancing to writing, directing and producing his own music videos (and even to fashion design) that it’s hard to believe he does it all himself.
His creativity seems to know no bounds, as every concept he has taken on so far in his music is fresh and unique. Even when he draws inspiration from classic sources, such as with the traditional fantasy-like tone of “100 Ways”…
…to the 90’s Hong Kong movie vibes of “Pretty Please”…
…everything he does is stamped with his own distinct originality. Yet, despite his prodigious talent as an artist, his family was apparently not on board with him becoming a trainee at first. After all, before Jackson committed to music he was a fencer who was training to participate in the 2012 London Olympics!
On the The Cruz Show, Jackson was asked, “How was your family’s support when you said, ‘My life is music’?” He explained that it had been initially difficult for his family to accept his choice. All the more so because they were all professional athletes themselves.
They thought I was crazy. My dad is an Olympic fencer and my mom is a World Champ gymnast. And my brother used to play rugby. I grew up [with] gymnastics and fencing. And, you know, they wanted me to be somebody, of course. They expected me to be somebody.
— Jackson Wang
Jackson had been in the middle of preparing for the 2012 London Olympics when he was cast by JYP Entertainment in China. Due to how rare it is to be cast like that, Jackson says he had gone to his parents thinking it was fate. Except, his father hadn’t shared his opinion.
I got cast by this Korean company in China. How rare is that? So I thought it was just fate. And then I said, ‘Dad, I think it’s fate,’ and he said, ‘No, it’s not. It’s not, it’s bullsh*t.’
— Jackson Wang
Jackson couldn’t help laughing at his father’s reaction, especially because it came from a place of concern. His parents had been confident in Jackson’s career as a fencer since it had been going extremely well. In a previous interview on the Zach Sang Show Jackson even revealed that he’d received a fencing scholarship to Stanford University.
So when Jackson first told his parents he wanted to do music, his parents hadn’t been accepting of the idea, particularly because they were worried about the potential risks of the entertainment industry.
Because it’s your parents, you know. They’re like, the entertainment industry is bad, it’s complicated, it’s messy. It’s like, ‘They’re going to kidnap you and put you in a cave.’
— Jackson Wang
According to Jackson, it ultimately took him 7 months to persuade his parents to allow him to pursue a music career. Though in the end they were extremely supportive! In fact, they couldn’t be prouder of him. Jackson related that the moment he feels they were truly proud of him as a musician was when they got to watch him perform on GOT7’s tour.
When I came back on tour…then they were really proud of me.
— Jackson Wang
While it took some convincing, we’re glad Jackson’s family eventually came to support his decision to be an artist. Naturally, of course, they now attend his shows when they can! With everything he’s accomplished, it’s safe to say both his family and Ahgases are more than proud of him!
If you’d like to watch the full video you can do so on the link below.
GOT7
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