Kwon Jin Ah reveals eating disorders caused by beauty standards: 'If you're fat, you can't be a singer'

Singer Kwon Jin Ah has opened up about the painful struggles hidden behind her glamorous stage presence.

Due to the nature of her profession, the intense pressure to maintain a certain appearance eventually led to eating disorders, forcing her into a long battle with herself.

Appearing on SBS Power FM's "Cultwo Show" on the 28th of last month, Kwon candidly shared the personal stories behind her third mini-album, "SAVE ME."

Regarding the album, she explained, "There was a time when I hated and disliked myself. I captured stories from a period when I thought of myself as a monster."

She continued by reflecting on the harsh scrutiny she once faced: "There was a time when I didn't like my face, had gained a lot of weight, didn't like my voice, and felt like I wasn't good at anything."

In particular, Kwon stated that the appearance-centered evaluations she experienced since entering the entertainment industry left deep scars.

"When you enter the entertainment industry, shouldn't you lose weight? I heard people say, 'If you're fat, you can't be a singer,' so I lost weight extremely," she confessed, adding, "I also suffered from anorexia and bulimia."

The reality is that artists, who should be judged on musical talent and sensibility, often find themselves censoring their own identities to meet external standards. Kwon's confession is more than a personal anecdote; it is a reflection on the invisible pressures many artists face within a pop culture industry that prioritizes image and marketability.

However, this album is not merely a record of her wounds, but a chronicle of the process of saving herself.

The title track "MONSTER" confronts self-hatred and inner darkness, ultimately delivering a message of self-salvation. Moving away from the lyrical ballad style that defined her previous work, she has embraced a new direction with an intense band sound and rock genre.

"Many people know me as a ballad singer, but this time I prepared a rock album," Kwon said, introducing her new musical direction.

This shift is more than a genre change; it is a declaration of her intent to break free from the mold that suppressed her for so long.

Kwon first drew attention in 2013 after placing third on SBS's "K-Pop Star Season 3" with her exceptional vocals. She later signed with Antenna, led by You Hee-yeol, and made her official debut in 2016 with "The End."

Since then, she has solidified her status as a singer-songwriter with deeply emotive tracks like "Adult," and in 2022, expanded her public reach through the project group WSG Wannabe on "Hangout with Yoo."

The message Kwon conveys through this album is clear: to escape the obsession with perfection and the habit of diminishing oneself to meet others' standards, and to finally accept oneself exactly as they are.

The singer, who once viewed herself as a "monster," is now finding a new voice by embracing even those scars through her music.

True to the album title "SAVE ME," Kwon is ultimately singing a song to save herself first.