Singer Lee Soo-young Overcomes Depression
By Lee Hwan-hee
Staff Reporter
Singer Lee Soo-young, who will release her 8th album shortly, has battled and overcame depression, according to a Yonhap News story.
Lee first visited a psychiatrist last April. She was diagnosed with clinical depression, which she believes was caused by the friction with her management company.
She had to take medications and it resulted in weight loss due to decreased appetite, as well as insomnia. She questioned for the first time in her career whether she still wanted to be a singer, as she couldn't sing with any energy.
While Lee was eventually helped by the treatment, she also credits her Christian faith for her recovery. She said, "there is no shame in being treated for depression, and my faith in God also helped me to get through the worst period."
During the recovery, Lee came to the realization that she is not the one responsible for all that she has in her life, as she found out that her health and voice could be taken away at any moment without warning. She has learned to let go of things in her life and put her trust in God. Appropriately her new album is titled "Letting It All Go."
The new album also takes her to a new direction musically, as she has composed a song for the first time in her career, as well as writing lyrics for most of the songs. She is going for a generally mellower and lighter sound than the previous albums, which reflects her more peaceful mental state.
She said every time she releases a new album she listens to all the previous ones, and it always makes her think, "how did I manage to grow from there to here?"