My limited line of “i’m okay” merch is based off my song of the same title. The song itself acts as a love letter to those struggling with mental illness; I, myself, am a diagnosed bipolar II. Often times, when we’re in the depths of our inner most worlds, it’s hard to be honest with others, and ourselves, about the true nature of our current state of being. When faced with the question, “How are you?”, more often than not, we are obliged to reply with the simple answer of, “I’m okay”; my song, and merch line, is here to serve as a reminder that the conversation doesn’t have to stop at “I’m okay”.  Be honest and be true, because odds are, someone else is going through a similar struggle, and there is strength in numbers.

For the longest time, I had struggled with opening up to others about how I felt whenever I was in the trenches of a depressive episode. I always feared becoming a burden to others, scaring people away, not wanting to acknowledge the darkness that was consuming my mind. Over time I have found that those who truly love you will not see you as a burden, will not be scared off, and that by facing your problems, you can overcome them.

While mental health is not a common topic of discussion in the K-pop industry, I hope to be one artist who maintains an open dialogue with my fans about the realities of mental illness and how they can effect your every day life. Not to say I intend on sharing every single detail about my inner most turmoils, because privacy should always be respected, but honesty is my best policy. If I’m not okay, I will say so, and I hope others find the courage and confidence to do the same.