• Rosé opened up about how she copes with anxiety.
• The Blackpink member said she only noticed her anxiety recently and uses stress balls to help.
• This is not the first time she has discussed mental health — a topic that can be seen as taboo in the K-pop industry.

K-pop megastar Rosé is speaking up about how she copes with anxiety.

On Wednesday's episode of "Therapuss with Jake Shane," the Blackpink member said she only started to notice her anxiety recently.

"I think it's gone really bad over these past few years," said Rosé, 27. She added that her friends who have worked with her 3 or 4 years ago have told her she's been "a little different" this year.

"And I was like, 'Am I?' I think that's probably the anxiety," she said.

The "APT" singer said she had never needed things like stress balls before. "I'm like, 'I don't understand stress balls, like why would you ever need them?' is what I thought, until I came across one during a meeting once. I was like, 'Ew, what is that?' I touched it and thought it was disgusting. And then I touched it again and was like, 'Oh, it's kind of a cool texture,'" she recalled.

From then on, she started using stress balls at "every single meeting," she said. "I ended up doing this serious meeting with somebody, and I got through it so well," she said. She realized it was the stress ball. "It just helps," she continued.

That's when she diagnosed herself with "bad anxiety," she said.

Rosé said that having a stress ball helps her to cope with anxious feelings. "If I'm going for it, I'm like, 'I know I have anxiety.' So I know how to articulate it," she said, adding that she can tell the people around her when she needs a 5-minute break.

"You know how people go for smoke breaks? I need a squishy break," she said.

This is not the first time the K-pop star has opened up about mental health — a topic that can be seen as taboo in South Korea.

"The blame lies with South Korean society in general," Ryu Sang-ho, a neurologist from Busan, previously told The Guardian following the suicides of K-pop stars. "Many people with mental health issues are reluctant to take medication for fear of being seen as weak-minded," Ryu said.

Last November, Rosé spoke at a mental health event hosted by First Lady Jill Biden about the importance of taking care of mental health.

"In order for me to create and share positivity through my music, my mental health needs to be taken care of as a matter of priority," she said, adding, "Just as we train ourselves for better health and fitness, mental health can only be maintained with equally, if not more attention, as our physical well-being."

A representative for Rosé did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours.

Managing anxiety at work

Anxiety is a growing issue in the workplace. A March report by mental health service provider ComPsych found that the No. 1 presenting issue reported by US workers was anxiety, based on their sample analysis of more than 300,000 US cases.

Marla Deibler, licensed clinical psychologist, previously told BI that anxiety is a normal response to stress.

"Let it in when it shows up. Practice acceptance. Rather than trying to push it away (which tends to be futile, resulting in feeling more overwhelmed and less in control), make room for anxiety," she said.

She added that not every thought is necessarily true and can sometimes be unhelpful. "Notice the thoughts. Note that they are not objective truths. You get to decide whether the thoughts are worthy of your attention."

Beyond tips like practicing deep breathing, consuming less caffeine, and staying connected with friends, people who live with anxiety can consider seeking professional help.

• Billboard used a clip from Ye's 2016 music video "Famous" to recap Taylor Swift's career.
• The clip featured a nude wax figure of Swift lying in bed with Ye and other celebrities.
• After backlash from fans, Billboard apologized for including it.

Over the past few months, Billboard has revealed its rankings for the best pop artists of the 21st century. On Wednesday, Billboard announced that the No. 2 spot belongs to Taylor Swift and published an Instagram video recapping her career.

While some Swifties were disappointed to see her in second place, the real backlash against Billboard involved a short clip within the video.

Referencing a yearslong feud between Swift, Ye (formerly known as Kanye West), and Kim Kardashian, the clip featured the infamous wax figure of Swift in Ye's 2016 music video "Famous." In it, Swift's figure is nude and lying in bed next to Ye and other celebrities.

The backlash from fans prompted Billboard to remove the clip from its video and apologize to Swift on Wednesday.

The inclusion of the clip, which critics have described as "revenge porn," prompted fierce criticism on social media. On X, Swifties started the hashtag #BillboardIsOverParty, a nod to #TaylorSwiftIsOverParty in 2016 (also connected to "Famous.")

'Famous' ignited Swift and Ye's ongoing feud

In 2016, Ye released "Famous," which featured the lyric, "I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex / Why? I made that bitch famous." The lyric referenced the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards when Ye stormed the stage and said Beyoncé should have won the Best Female Video award instead of Swift. The "Famous" music video included the naked figure of Swift.

After Swift disputed Ye's claim that she approved the lyric, Kardashian (at the time married to Ye) posted short clips of a phone call between Swift and Ye, showing Swift approving of the line "I feel like Taylor Swift might owe me sex."

Swift was called a snake on social media, and the incident partly inspired her 2017 album, "Reputation."

The feud was reignited a few times: first in 2020 when a longer clip of the phone call revealed Swift being opposed to Ye using the word "bitch." The next time was in 2024 when Swift released several tracks about Ye and Kardashian in "The Tortured Poets Department."

Swifties united with other fans

Many Swifties were angered by Billboard using the clip. X user @ryoqko referred to the move as "Just nasty, disrespectful and unprofessional."

Fans of other top artists, such as Ariana Grande, Britney Spears, and Nicki Minaj, also tweeted at and about Billboard.

Swift's fan base has a history of banding together for a cause. When Ye surpassed Swift as Spotify's top global artist, Swifties collectively streamed Beyoncé's "TEXAS HOLD 'EM" to push Ye out of the No. 1 spot.

• South Korea closed a case on workplace bullying involving a member of K-pop group NewJeans.
• It said that member Hanni was not legally classified as a worker under her contract.
• Hanni is believed to have been paid $3.7 million in 2023.

South Korea's government on Wednesday dismissed a workplace harassment case involving K-pop star Hanni, saying the singer was not legally classified as a worker.

Hanni, a member of NewJeans, recently testified in South Korea's National Assembly as part of a larger hearing on workplace harassment in the industry.

It came after she posted a YouTube livestream accusing a senior member of her record label, Hybe, of ignoring her and her bandmates.

Hybe denied the claim, but Hanni's fans filed a complaint with the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

The government agency this week closed the investigation.

In a statement to Billboard, it said: "Given the content and nature of the management contract HANNI signed, it is difficult to regard her as a worker under the Labor Standards Act, which involves working in a subordinate relationship for wages."

It added that "each party fulfills their contractual obligations as equal contracting parties, making it difficult to consider there was supervision or direction from the company."

The push and pull between what counts as work in South Korea's entertainment industry has stretched on for years.

In a multi-authored discussion in the Korea Herald as early as 2011, contributor Cho Dae Won pointed out the loopholes in a proposed bill banning the sexualization and overwork of teen idols.

"If entertainers' working week is based on a 40-hour week as with general workers, we have two questions; should we count the time spent during appearances on TV, or commuting time to appear in the studio too?" said Dae Won.

In the two years since their debut, NewJeans members have been global representatives for brands like Nike, Calvin Klein, and Levi's. In April this year, Forbes Korea estimated the group brought in $27 million from advertising revenue.

Members of the group were paid $3.7 million each in 2023, according to documents cited by NME in April.

The Ministry's ruling on South Korea's musician rights is similar to the situation in the US.

According to an LA Times report, pop singers and songwriters are viewed as independent contractors under labor law unless they are in part of a union recognized by the National Labor Relations Board.

Unlike artists and actors in Hollywood's film and TV industry, the Western music industry is largely without unions.

Representatives for HYBE and the South Korean Labor Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.