Stephanie, a singer and ballerina formerly of 천상지희 더 그레이스, recently shared an update about her life in the United States.
On the 9th, KBS2 Joy's Ask Us Anything Fortune Teller featured Stephanie, formerly of 천상지희 더 그레이스, as a guest on the "Celebrity Ask Us Anything Fortune Teller" segment where she talked about her life.
That day, Stephanie introduced herself, "My name is Stephanie and I am 38 years old. My occupation is a singing ballerina." Lee Sugeun asked, "What's your concern?", and Stephanie said, "When small things accumulate they become wounds, and that one phrase became a major life concern, so I came here," pointing to the reaction around her, "Stephanie is talented but why doesn't she succeed?" as her worry.
Lee Sugeun said in surprise, "This is the first time I've heard that. Are you talking about money? That you earned less than you thought?", and Stephanie replied, "That includes it, and 천상지희 also received attention in an instant, but it was short-lived and didn't go well. I suffered an unexpected gap because of injury and when I was hurt I started ballet again. I moved to the U.S., began rehabilitation, and joined a ballet company. Performances are scheduled for a nationwide tour this year as well. I also work as a ballerina in Korea, but people in the ballet and classical world took a very long time to accept me because I had a career as a singer in Korea. I grind my teeth and put my life on the line on stage. I love music and I love the stage so much. I truly cannot stand being lazy, so I work hard, but people say, 'Why couldn't you win? Why couldn't you be first?,'" she lamented.
Seo Jang-hoon asked, "Where would you win? Are you going to the Olympics?", and Stephanie mentioned competition shows, saying, "Like Immortal Songs..." Then Lee Sugeun criticized, "Oh come on. Is your mother saying that? Think about it. Because you succeeded, Immortal Songs would invite you!" Seo Jang-hoon also asked, "How long has it been since you debuted?", then said, "If someone wasn't successful they couldn't have been active for 21 years. People are saying that now. Talented but doesn't succeed? How could someone who failed be active for 21 years?"
He said, "These days so many idols can't even last 2 years and 1 month. You've been active for 21 years; what are you expecting to break out?", and Lee Sugeun pressed, "There is no one who doesn't know your name." Seo Jang-hoon comforted her, "It's not easy to have a long run of 20 or 30 years. Regardless, the fact you carried out your role and continued your career means you did better than others," and Stephanie said, "I know it's hard to sustain this kind of performance for so long, so when a stage comes up I'm the type to work hard, but it's hard to shut that out and live quietly. I guess I am starting to hear those things," describing how she can't help but be conscious of others' reactions.
Hearing this, Seo Jang-hoon said, "If you think about why this feeling keeps coming, it's because you have a lot of ambition. You have so much talent you thought, 'If I debut, I'll conquer the world,' but group activities ended earlier than you expected and you thought you'd do better as a solo, yet it didn't go as well as expected. But 'not going well' is your standard. Others recruited you, released albums, and promoted you. If you had no talent it would have ended there. It's hard to make a comeback, but you kept going, and it's not satisfying. Mentally. Now relax your mind; being able to last this long is your talent and something to be thankful for. If you keep working positively and diligently, something unexpected will happen and great fortune will come to you. Then those people who said those things earlier will disappear," he advised.
Meanwhile, Lee Sugeun mentioned the dating rumors when she went to the U.S., asking, "Weren't there dating rumors? Are you still seeing him?", referring to the dating rumors with Brady Anderson, a former major leaguer 23 years her senior. Stephanie replied, "Yes," confirming the steady relationship, and Lee Sugeun said, "I thought you were married." Stephanie laughed and denied it, and Seo Jang-hoon said, "I like baseball and I watched the major leagues steadily when your boyfriend was playing, so I know who he is and he did quite well. One year he went crazy and hit 50 home runs," praising Brady Anderson, "He wasn't a home run hitter but he hit 50 home runs and became a topic of conversation. Then his playing career probably ended relatively early, but fans who like major leagues would know him well."
He asked, "How is he doing now? What is he doing?", and Stephanie said, "He is newly working as a hitting coach for a team." Seo Jang-hoon said, "Then he won't come home often. As a coach he travels and won't be home," and Lee Sugeun showed personal interest, saying, "If the house is empty can I go stay there? I've never been to the U.S.," which caused laughter. Stephanie said, "I might not be at that house either," clarifying, "We don't live together. His family is in the U.S.," indicating she lives with his family rather than cohabiting as a couple.
Lee Sugeun said, "What I want to say is you have always been diligent and worked hard, and there is no senior in the entertainment industry who doesn't know that. Everyone is glad to see you. You feel like a younger sister and people only have good memories of you. I don't know what kind of evaluation you want from the public, but to us you have always been like a star," encouraging her. Seo Jang-hoon added, "If you keep making efforts and challenging like this, the day will surely come when your efforts are rewarded," and Stephanie said, "I came to Ask Us Anything Fortune Teller thinking positively, 'Is something about to start now?'"
Finally, when drawing the 12 lucky flags, the "congratulations! first prize winner" flag appeared, and Lee Sugeun cheered, "It looks like something big will happen. Financially or whatever. Some great blessing of this magnitude will come. So don't forget that you're succeeding, don't get sick, and always fighting," offering support. In response, Stephanie said, "If it hadn't come out I would have been in big trouble; I received great advice and I will continue to carry out my work properly in the future," and left a message, "I gained a great realization and leave laughing freely. I will continue to work happily, healthily, and steadily. Singing ballerina Stephanie."
[Photo] KBS Joy
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