South Korean singer-songwriter BIBI has apologised to fans for a “concerning” Instagram live session where she spoke about being “so exhausted”.

On July 21, the 23-year-old musician held an impromptu livestream on her Instagram account where she broke down in tears while talking about being unable to sleep or eat due to her hectic schedule. BIBI recently gave a string of festival performances in South Korea and is currently preparing to release her first studio album.

“I’m just so exhausted, I can’t. I want to eat, I wanna – I wanna take a nap. I want to rest, but I can’t,” she said, before bursting into tears, as seen in a clip archived on YouTube. “Nobody allowed me to wash my face,” added the singer, who cried for several minutes before ending the livestream.

The following day, BIBI returned to Instagram Live after fans raised concerns that she was being overworked by her agency, Feel Ghood Music, and later uploaded snippets of the livestream on her Twitter account.

“Maybe I’m [an] artist because I’m this dramatic. I worked myself too hard, that’s why I was ridiculously crying. Even I said it, this is ridiculous,” she later clarified. “This is not what I meant. Everybody is taking care of my health, and my mental health. They’re helping so much. They give me unconditional love, they’re the best thing [to] happen in my life. Please stop blaming.”

feelghood is family ❤️❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/T4sySdjbIk

— nakedbibi (@nakedbibi) July 22, 2022

“Make this viral, because so many people [are] misunderstanding. My loved ones [are] hurting, I’m really sad about it,” BIBI added. “I am sorry to make you concerned and worried, but you really don’t have to. We are all [a] team.”

Korean-American rapper and Feel Ghood Music founder Tiger JK also shared a statement on Instagram stating that the agency had not been “starving” the singer or pressuring her to do “things she doesn’t want to”.

“I don’t know what triggered her to express her frustration in such sadness but as creatives and artists ourselves, we empathise with BIBI,” he wrote. “She’s working on something really monumental – her first full-length album is a masterpiece.”

“As we near the final stages of completing [the record], I could only assume that her anxiety was going through the roof as many artists tend to do — especially with their first albums,” added Tiger JK, who emphasised that BIBI would continue to have his full support. “Please know that we are taking the necessary steps to ensure that BIBI is healthy and happy.”

Read Tiger JK’s full statement below.

For help and advice on mental health:

• ‘Am I depressed?‘ – Help and advice on mental health and what to do next
• Help Musicians UK – Around the clock mental health support and advice for musicians
• Music Support Org – Help and support for musicians struggling with alcoholism, addiction, or mental health issues
• YOUNG MINDS – The voice for young people’s health and wellbeing
• CALM – The Campaign Against Living Miserably for young men
• Time To Change – Let’s end mental health discrimination
• The Samaritans – Confidential support 24 hours a day