Jackson Wang finally feels like a weight has been lifted off him.

Last week, the global artist released his third album, MAGICMAN 2, the conclusion to his Magic Man persona, which he created to represent his internal and darker self. The album, which took two years to develop, is what Wang considers his most personal and intimate exploration of his thoughts on society, humanity, the music industry, and life in general.

“Aside from all the love [I’ve received since the release], I feel relieved,” Wang says through Zoom, taking a break from his album promotions in New York. “I feel I’m more light. It feels like a detox. This is one of those albums that I feel like I need out there in my life. It’s probably the first time that I’ve been this direct with my community, supporters, and fans. I feel great. I feel free.”

The 31-year-old singer isn’t holding back on his emotions and his thoughts in the album, which even includes a song about personal boundaries called “GBAD,” which stands for “Gotta Be A Dick.” The first single from the album, “High Alone,” explores themes of loneliness, isolation, self-worth, and the pressures of the entertainment industry. The music video itself showcases Wang as Magic Man, drowning in his performance, surrounded by an audience that claps and begins to walk away, representing how the industry can easily discard its talent.

“Every single song, there’s a message,” he explains. “This is just bits and pieces of highlights throughout the year that I had in my journals.”

After working in the K-pop industry since 2011 as a trainee (and eventually debuting in 2014 as a member of GOT7), Wang had had enough of the constant daily grind. Between 2020 and 2021, Wang had suffered from burnout and a mental breakdown, leading to the creation of his album, Magic Man, and the character of the same name. In Magic Man, Wang focused on finding his creative spark and happiness again after feeling so lost for so long. After that release, he realized he needed more time away to truly give himself a break.

“I just needed that time off,” Jackson explains. “For more than 10 years, I had schedules back-to-back. I didn’t even have room or time to even think. Since I was 19, it feels like I was walking into a jungle and witnessing something that I wasn’t ready for. It took me long enough to be here, and it got to a point where I felt like I couldn’t take it anymore, because I felt like whatever I was doing was just quantity and not quality.”

That time off allowed him to properly rest and assess his life, and figure out the message he wanted to convey as an artist. He’s been through so much in his career as a K-pop idol and a soloist. He didn’t feel a connection with some of his past songs, feeling like a fake while performing.

He spent those few months spending quality time with friends and family, and began keeping a journal. The quiet and calm days allowed him to reflect on both the good and bad moments, especially his mistakes, and he began to connect with his internal self. Avoiding social media and truly disconnecting allowed Wang to be present with his thoughts. That’s how MAGICMAN 2 came about.

“Before I die, I really want that moment to create this album to tell them exactly how I feel about everything – the industry, society, humanity, and reality,” he says. “There was a dilemma of ‘Should I do it or not? Is it going to be acceptable by the public?’ But I realized you’ll never be ready. So I took the opportunity to just make this decision.”

Blending Wang’s unique sound production and performance with rock, pop, and electronic beats, MAGICMAN 2 tells his internal journey through four chapters: Manic Highs (mental burnout and identity crisis), Losing Control (the spiral), Realization, and Acceptance (healing). He makes it clear that all the songs came from his journals, which produced 50-60 songs in total. He carefully selected the 12 songs that best fit every chapter of his experience. He admits some songs were a bit repetitive and not as straightforward, and maybe a few random ones here and there. He is satisfied with the songs that were picked in the end because they all connected to his life story.

“Word for word in the entire album, all the lyrics are straight from my journals,” says Wang. “For example, the line that I said [in “Everything”], ‘I know it all, but I don’t know me. I’m falling down. Who’s there to catch me?’ It feels like I’m surrounded by a lot of people every single day leaning on me, but who am I supposed to lean on, right? There are so many people around me every single day, but why do I feel so lonely? Then I just accepted the fact that we are born alone, and we die alone. It’s not a good thing or a bad thing. It’s just facts that I think as you mature, you tend to accept it, and you’re just neutral to it.”

Though it may sound a bit pessimistic, Wang is speaking his truth as straightforwardly as possible. He doesn’t want to be perceived as a cookie-cutter character, but rather as an honest and genuine person. He reveals, “You see me on TV, in shows, in concert, on stage, and screen. You don’t really know who this guy is. Even the majority of artists don’t really know this person. It’s important for me, at least, that my community and fans know exactly who I am. For the past two or three years, I’ve been having that relationship with them, and they’re getting more and more open and honest with me as well. I cherish that kind of relationship. At the end of the day, we’re all human.”

As Wang grows older, he recognizes that his parents are growing older too. He’s begun seeing things from their perspective, appreciating the life and support they’ve given him throughout his career. Having kids changes your life completely. Although Wang is not a father himself, he thought about the sacrifices his parents made to care for him. Nobody is truly ready to be a parent and automatically knows what to do. Wang was appreciative of them and wanted to immortalize them and their love for him in a song named after them, “Sophie Ricky.”

In the track before the song, “Dear:,” Wang selected recorded messages sent to him by his mother, spoken in Cantonese. The sweet messages were filled with love and support – checking in on her son, making sure he was eating and staying warm, expressing how much she missed him, and offering heartfelt advice to keep going. They’ve always played a significant role in his life, and this was his ode to them.

Wang recalls creating that in his basement while his parents were upstairs watching television. He didn’t want them to hear the song until it was released. He had many wonderful messages and conversations with his parents throughout the years that he has kept for the past six to seven years. He selected the most meaningful one that showed him the “light in the darkness.”

“I’ve seen whatever they’ve experienced,” Wang chokes up a bit. “The more I grew, [the more I realized] that a majority of the things they told me as a kid are happening in my life. Even if it’s just something as casual as how they call me, it’s different when it comes from your parents. So [whenever] I feel like I’m about to die or faint or give up, [they] were the light that I see, so I documented it.”

Wang has been praised by critics and fans for his candor about his life and working in the entertainment industry, where many artists refused to discuss their mental health or the struggles of being an idol. He understands that he’s taking a risk by doing so, but he wants to release this album for himself and others who may relate to it beyond his industry.

“Innovation is only innovation when it’s successful,” Wang shares. “So when you say, ‘I’m one of the rare artists that talks about that from Asia,’ it’s because it’s not very friendly with business. It doesn’t sell a lot. It’s a higher risk than talking about candies, right? So I’m happy that I was able to put that together and express it in a way that I did.”

With the Magic Man persona narratively gone – after he unlocked it by accepting himself and moving forward, Wang is ready for his fans to meet a newer version of himself. He calls it “Jackson Wang 2.0.” He says he isn’t scared anymore and to expect this version of him to be loud, and maybe even a dick, in situations where he needs to be.

“Now in my 30s, I have choices,” Wang says. “I want to do things the way that I want to do it. I want to put out the music that I want to do. I want to create fashion the way that I believe in. That just gave me a lot of freedom. And, at the end of the day, I have the room for making decisions and choices.”

Jackson Wang’s MAGICMAN 2 is available to stream on all major music platforms.