[SBS Star] "I Was Just So Done with..." GOT7 BAMBAM Says He Thought About Retiring After Leaving JYP Ent.

BAMBAM of K-pop boy group GOT7 shared that he thought about leaving the industry for good after the end of his contract with JYP Entertainment. 

On January 25, BAMBAM guested on MBC's talk show 'Radio Star'. 

While talking together, the hosts mentioned BAMBAM gaining a great amount of popularity following his appearance in TVING's dating show 'Transit Love 2' that aired last year. 

BAMBAM first joined as a special host, but then he became a permanent host on 'Transit Love 2' after his honest and funny comments became the talk of the Internet. 
Regarding the great attention from the public, BAMBAM said, "I felt so grateful for it. All thanks to 'Transit Love 2', I'm being called from a lot of places in Korea now. I feel almost as if I was born again after 'Transit Love 2'." 

He turned serious and commented, "To be very honest with you, I felt like I was done with this industry after the end of my contract with JYP Entertainment. I was just fed up with trying anymore, you know. I'm quite recognized outside Korea, but it seemed like nobody really knew who I was in Korea." 

He continued, "I kept asking myself, 'What's the problem? Why is it so difficult for me to get recognized here even though I'm trying hard?' I felt really frustrated about that, and thought about leaving this industry for good at that time."   
Then, the GOT7's Thai member explained why he did not give up then, "I was honestly thinking about giving everything up then, and that was when one agency reached me. They called me like five times to persuade me to sign a contract with them, but I turned them down every time." 

He resumed, "During our sixth conversation, they said to me, 'You made debut in Korea, but you're still not very well-known in Korea. Isn't that kind of sad? Let's focus on doing things in Korea together.' It was as if they had read my mind, because all other agencies were trying to use me to expand themselves to countries outside Korea. It seemed like my current agency knew exactly what I wanted. So, I said, 'Okay, I'll give it a try.'"  

"I told them though, 'If I had tried for like a year, but I'm not seeing any progress, then I'm going to retire from the industry.' But thankfully, 'Transit Love 2' did so well, and I was able to get my name out there as a result. I thank my agency and 'Transit Love 2' for that.", he added with a smile. 
BAMBAM debuted as a member of GOT7 in January 2014; all members of GOT7 parted ways with JYP Entertainment at the end of their contract in January 2021. 

He tied with ABYSS Company in March 2021, which is an agency home to K-pop acts such as SUNMI, DARA, MeloMance and more. 

(Credit= MBC Radio Star, TVING) 

(SBS Star)