Growing up, I have heard a shedload of stories that chronicles one’s trek to be on the crest of a wave. I was fed a myriad of narratives that were meant to spur a fire within me to do the same; stories that remind us that the pursuit towards success is going to be an arduous and exacting path, but we must stay on the course anyway. However, amongst it all, one particular journey strikingly stands out — the story of how Jackson Wang singlehandedly built his remarkable empire from the ground up. If someone deserves a Netflix documentary of one’s ascent to success, it is definitely him.
Whenever someone asks me who Jackson Wang is, I could never really contrive an exact rundown of how much of a magnetic force that man is. Should I say that he’s an Olympic-level saber fencer that ranked multiple first-place accolades in competitions? Or that he is a well-rounded member of the international sensation K-pop septet GOT7? Should I mention that Jackson is the CEO of his own label Team Wang? Or the founder, designer, and creative director of the emerging luxury streetwear brand Team Wang Design? Maybe I should also impart that he is one of the most coveted global brand ambassadors? Or better yet, should I underscore the fact that he is the first solo Chinese artist in history to chart on the US Top 40 radio with his hit single, 100 Ways? Yes, the industry that has been incessantly known to alienate Asian acts is the same industry that Jackson Wang has managed to push past and imprint a monumental feat.
Ultimately, Jackson Wang is a prolific sphere that should never be confined with just a single label — he is Jackson Wang in a hundred more ways than one.
It’s conspicuous how Jackson Wang is gradually making the world his own with his ubiquitous presence in the world of sports, music, entertainment, fashion, and even e-gaming. Such evinces that whatever league Jackson may embark into, he thrives and makes a name for himself. Nonetheless, it is imperative to dwell upon the fact that it did not happen overnight, it wasn’t a fast track to success. Jackson Wang had to surmount onerous twists and turns in his life to become the paragon of success he is right now.
Being raised by two world-renowned athletes, one would hold the notion that Jackson Wang is indubitably tailor-made for sports; and just like he always does, he gave credence to it by being triumphant in the field of fencing. With his Olympic-level caliber, one would presume that his fate is pretty much sealed and carved in stone — receiving a scholarship offer from Stanford University, being a part of the Hong Kong National Fencing Team, and procuring the number 1 spot in the 2011 Asian Junior and Cadet Fencing Championship (in which, that time, no one from Hong Kong had ever won gold except for him).
So, who would’ve thought that the trajectory of his life would take a complete 180º turn as he ventures into an entirely contrasting milieu? Jackson Wang, in spite of everyone’s demur, uprooted his life and fled to South Korea, a country that is nonnative to him. There he started his taxing and strenuous training under JYP Entertainment, and subsequently, debuted as a multifaceted artist to be reckoned with. He fine-tuned into the kind of artist that would make you believe that some people are really foreordained for the limelight. With talents and wits that are second to none, it is overt how Jackson Wang enthralled the general public and became widely acclaimed in all his career endeavors.
But what sets Jackson Wang apart from the rest is his assiduous and relentless penchant to work harder and grow more as an artist, even if he already is in his own right. Despite reaching the zenith of success, he still unabatingly tests his limits as an artist.
Despite being in the industry for more than 7 years, his fervor in his craft has not dwindled even a single bit — more so, I could say that it further intensified. Despite already having a bustling solo career, he still works round-the-clock like he is still vicariously living back in his trainee days.
Despite the manifold of encumbrances thrown along his way, Jackson continues to rise above the occasion and gets the job done. Despite now having a whole team at his beck and call, he is still savvy and fastidious with everything he imparts to the world in order to ensure that mediocrity has no seat at the table.
Jackson Wang has not yet released anything subpar nor anything that is not up to his own standard; hence, the reason why I will always be left dumbfounded by Jackson’s transcendent capabilities and what he puts forth to the table. Every single move by Jackson seems meticulously thought-out and calculated — from the intricacies of his music videos that often incorporate his Chinese roots, his adeptly crafted analogies in his interviews, every artistically-curated and avant-garde teaser released by Team Wang Design, and so on.
In a world where everything could be handed on a silver platter, Jackson Wang deviated. He emanated an unfaltering sense of grit, hard work, and passion in spite of everything. When he claimed “Team Wang, let’s make history.” — these are words he engraved to him both literally and figuratively.
Jackson Wang is what versatility looks like personified. The way he never delimits himself to a certain genre of music, to a certain line of work, and even to a certain circle — considering how much of a social butterfly he is — is immensely awe-inspiring and groundbreaking.
For starters, it already takes a colossal amount of fortitude and tenacity to veer away from your comfort zone and pursue a future that is seemingly bleak, and in the worst-case scenario, inauspicious. If I were Jackson, I would have had qualms about choosing a career path that is hanging on by a thread. However, Jackson Wang is on a league of his own; he is not like the rest of us. It is palpable how the trepidation and weariness he must have felt while reaching for his goals had been subdued by his inordinate ardor for his artistry and music.
So what’s next for Jackson Wang? To be frank, I don’t really quite know. He is the type to move and execute his plans furtively, and just suddenly springs the news upon us — more so, plans that no one even envisaged from the get-go, plans that are always out of the mundane, and plans that put people on the edge of their seats. Next thing you’ll know Jackson Wang has already started priming his Team Wang island — I know it’s a bit of a stretch, but with Jackson, we’ll never really know.
