{"id":11099,"date":"2026-10-24T07:53:01","date_gmt":"2026-10-24T07:53:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=11099"},"modified":"2026-10-24T07:53:01","modified_gmt":"2026-10-24T07:53:01","slug":"eric-nam-says-classmates-spat-in-his-face-then-a-backstreet-boys-performance-changed-everything","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=11099","title":{"rendered":"Eric Nam says classmates spat in his face \u2014 then a Backstreet Boys performance changed everything"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Eric Nam \/ Captured from YouTube<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Singer Eric Nam has opened up about the racism and bullying he endured while growing up in the United States, revealing how an unlikely high school performance featuring Backstreet Boys and NSYNC songs became a turning point in his life.<\/p>\n

Nam appeared on the YouTube channel “YouTube Ha Ji-young” on Wednesday and recalled his years at a private school in the U.S., where he said he struggled to fit in with classmates from vastly different backgrounds.<\/p>\n

\"Eric<\/picture>
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Eric Nam \/ Captured from YouTube<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“My parents sent me to a private school, but when I got there, all the kids were from wealthy families,” Nam said. “My family wasn’t poor, but we weren’t that rich either.”<\/p>\n

He said the differences went beyond money.<\/p>\n

“We couldn’t relate to each other, and we lived in completely different worlds,” he said. “I was bullied a lot. They spat in my face and pulled their eyes back.”<\/p>\n

Despite the abuse, Nam said he decided to focus on what he could control.<\/p>\n

“I thought I should just do well at what I could do well,” he said.<\/p>\n

He continued to rank among the school’s top students, but it was an unexpected moment during his final year of high school that would dramatically change how his classmates saw him.<\/p>\n

\"Eric<\/picture>
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Eric Nam \/ Captured from YouTube<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nam said he joined three friends for a school talent show, where they performed a medley of songs by Backstreet Boys and NSYNC in front of the entire student body.<\/p>\n

“It blew up,” he said.<\/p>\n

Nam, who had largely kept a low profile at school, suddenly found himself at the center of attention after showing a side of himself his classmates had rarely seen.<\/p>\n

The experience would prove especially meaningful in hindsight. Nam later built a career as a singer and entertainer in South Korea before expanding his activities internationally, including in the U.S.<\/p>\n

\"Eric<\/picture>
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Eric Nam, left \/ Captured from YouTube<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Years after the painful experiences he described, Nam said his former school has now invited him back for its 100th anniversary celebration.<\/p>\n

He said he remains unsure whether to attend because of the difficult memories associated with the school, though he is considering returning.<\/p>\n

Looking back at the talent show that helped change the course of his life, Nam gave credit to the group whose songs helped him step into the spotlight.<\/p>\n

“If there had been no Backstreet Boys, there would have been no Eric Nam,” he said.<\/p>\n

This article from Xportsnews was adapted by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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Eric Nam \/ Captured from YouTube Singer Eric Nam has opened up about the racism and bullying he endured while growing up in the United States, revealing how an unlikely high school performance featuring Backstreet Boys and NSYNC songs became a turning point in his life. Nam appeared on the YouTube channel “YouTube Ha Ji-young”…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_templately_pack_id":"","_templately_imported_at":"","_templately_source":"","_templately_import_session_id":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11099","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-korea","category-trending-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t