K-pop’s LGBT star Holland: 10 facts about South Korea’s first openly gay idol, born Go Tae-seob – from Neverland’s R-rated music video to what his parents really think

Oct 16 , 2020

Holland, also known as Go Tae-seob, is K-pop's first openly gay idol. Photo: Bang Showbiz

He stans BTS and One Direction’s Harry Styles, wants to work with Sia, and made friends with Red Velvet’s Yeri after they co-starred in a Burberry campaign – but Holland said no to entertainment agencies and made his debut independently

Being an LGBTQ+ celebrity in South Korea isn’t always easy. The subject is still very taboo and same-sex marriage is yet to be legalised. So when Go Tae-seob, better known by stage name Holland, burst onto the K-pop scene in 2018 as the industry’s only openly gay star, he had to fight tooth and nail to get recognised.

Want to know more about the man working hard to be a voice for LGBTQ+ youth in South Korea? Here are 10 things you probably didn’t know about Holland.

He came out as gay in middle school

Holland debuted as K-pop’s first openly gay idol in 2018. Photo: Bang Showbiz

Holland first told his friends about his sexuality when he was a teenager, but admitted he didn’t tell his parents until he debuted as an idol in 2018. The 24-year-old singer has also said that he was bullied in school because of his sexuality. He once told South Korean video channel Pran: “When I decided to come out in [my] middle school days, I told one of my closest friends about being gay. The next day everyone in school was gossiping about it.”

He became a singer to be a voice for LGBTQ+ youth

Holland told uses his status as a K-pop star to give a voice to others in the LGBTQ+ community. Photo: Bang Showbiz

Having a role model to look up to can be hugely comforting to many members of the LGBTQ+ community, and Holland has said he was motivated to pursue a career in music so that he could be that role model for others. He told South Korean television show SBS PopAsia: “There are not many celebrities in Korea who speak up for human rights. I thought there’s got to be someone like me who discloses their sexual identity.”

His stage name comes from The Netherlands