In South Korea, where same-sex unions are not legally recognized and are sometimes criminalized, Holland also known as Go Tae-seob, has chosen to live freely as one of the first openly gay K-pop idols. In doing so, he’s creating a vital, magical world for others to also embrace their sexuality and find themselves in his music.

As a result, when Go Tae-seob, better known by his stage name Holland, debuted in 2018 as the industry’s only openly gay star, he had to go through many struggles just to be noticed. His debut music video, “Neverland,” is rated R for portraying a gay relationship. Despite the fact that he was an unpromoted independent artist, “Neverland” received 1 million views in the first 24 hours and caught the attention of Billboard, who created a video about him.

Holland loves all food except pizza with pineapples. He likes vintage things, and his favorite colors are blue and white. Holland  has been in a relationship with Jaseok for two years and they have been living together for over a year! Holland admitted that he first told his friends about his sexuality when he was a teenager, but that he didn’t tell his parents until he made his idol debut in 2018.

The 24-year-old musician has also stated that he was bullied due to his sexuality in school. Holland isnt signed to any music company. Although he had offers from agencies, he claims he was initially told not to reveal his sexuality, but that once he did, he was not disadvantaged or discriminated against.