Korean-American singer Ailee was overcome with emotion on stage when opening up about her struggles with losing weight.
She was on JTBC’s music game show Hidden Singer 5, revealing strict beauty standards in the competitive K-Pop industry.
After a contestant told her a story of when she read an article of Ailee’s weight loss in the past and felt the pressure to lose weight in order to pursue a singing career, Ailee shared with viewers that back then she ate 500 calories per day and weighed 49 to 50 kilograms.
The power vocalist was seen tearing up when reminiscing about her experiences with a strict calorie intake. She continued by adding she was upset with the need to shred the pounds in order to perform on stage, describing the period when she was the “most depressed”.
Ailee also confessed that the diet and weight loss affected her singing but is happier now with her current weight.
