Nam Ji Hyun admits she had “celebrity disease” after 4minute’s breakout hit

07 Jun 2026, 21:00 by Janie-Reign · allkpop

Former 4Minute member Nam Ji Hyun has candidly opened up about experiencing what she calls “celebrity disease.”

In a recent video released on the YouTube channel 'One Mic,' Nam Ji Hyun detailed her journey from being in a K-pop girl group to building a completely new career as a barre instructor.

Now running her own barre academy, Nam Ji Hyun said, “Since it’s a completely different industry, I started with the mindset of beginning from the very bottom without being greedy.”

She also shared how she actively promoted her barre academy herself. “Once I opened it, I realized people didn’t really know about barre, so promotion was necessary. I handed out flyers in the neighborhood and even went in front of elementary schools to gently promote it to mothers I made eye contact with when they came by.”

On this note, she added, “Sometimes people recognize me and say, ‘Aren’t you from 4Minute?’ or ‘You look familiar, where have I seen you?’”

She also spoke about the difficulties of starting over after 16 years in the idol industry. “After being protected for 16 years as an idol, when I suddenly started something new, I often wondered, ‘Was I always this incapable?’”

Revealing her honest thoughts, she said, “I felt frustrated with myself. There were so many moments when I thought, ‘If I had known all this during my idol days, I would’ve done so much better.’”

However, she emphasized that her experience as a member of 4Minute remains a major asset.

“Nothing in this world is free, and I learned very early that rewards only come when you work for them,” she said.

“That’s the foundation I have, and it’s true that my tolerance for effort is higher than most people.” She continued, “I was constantly in an environment where I compared myself to others. Success was ranked, so I naturally learned how to objectively evaluate myself.”

A particularly notable moment was her honest confession about having experienced “celebrity disease” shortly after debut.

“Right after debuting, our first song ‘Hot Issue’ became a huge hit and we even ranked No. 1 on music shows,” she recalled. “So for a moment, I thought everything I did would succeed and that it was all because I was extremely talented.”

She revealed that she was able to overcome this mindset thanks to her fellow 4Minute members:

“What I’m grateful for is that my members told me, ‘The staff said unnie has celebrity disease.’ I used to only express my feelings from my own perspective, but they told me directly, and I’m thankful for that. I was able to fix it right away.”

Nam Ji Hyun added, “I’ve always had a transparent personality, but I think it would’ve been better if I had maintained the attitude of being grateful for the opportunity.”

She continued, “I was immature back then and probably thought unconsciously, ‘Wow, I must be good at everything.’ Thankfully, the members talked it out with me. I almost became a monster,” she said with a laugh, looking back on the past.

Share this article SHARE