Angel on a Blue Moon

I’ve decided to do my research on my album, Jonghyun’s Poet | Artist Album. I ultimately chose this artifact because I can have a main point I can go off of and the research might not get too messy compared to my other artifacts. The album features the songs of late artist Jonghyun, along with photos and a few messages throughout the album. I personally feel the message behind the album and the late artist held a very strong meaning towards everyday life with mental health, and that it can affect anyone, even celebrities. The late artist had touched many people’s hearts around the world, and I feel like learning and teaching more about this topic can bring more awareness to the world and let us know that sometimes we really do need help or to help others. 

For this project I think I am going to start off by maybe looking in deeper behind late artist Jonghyun’s life story; his lyrics, his actions, and potentially looking into his book (if I find the translations). After that I might also look into late idol, Sulli and her backstory if there were any. I kind of want to explore the similarities and differences between these celebrities and a non famous person. Following the research on the late idols, I might start looking through the library’s catalog and the internet for information on suicides and the psychology behind the minds of these people. I found an interesting book on the San Francisco State University’s library catalog, a book from the perspective of Sociology. I might want to look for a different perspective on this matter on the internet, if possible. Following research behind the structure of suicide, I might consider researching different forms of mental illnesses, from depression to anxiety and try to connect it back to the late idols’s situations. I want to also look into how Korea in general feels about mental health and their suicide rates. And to tie this research project in a nice bow I want to research different ways to potentially help someone dealing with these issues and point them towards the path away from dangerous measures such as ending their lives. 

Did SMEnt. in any way trigger or cause any part of the late idols’ mindset to end their lives? Was help ever offered to the late artists during any time of their need? What’s the cause for the high suicide rate in South Korea? How does South Korea as a country deal with mental health issues? What did the late idols’ have (in terms of mental health)? Did their signs of depression appear in their work? What was going through their heads before they pass?