This weekend, K-pop artist Holland premiered his debut track, “Neverland,” and the video is an absolute first for South Korea: It centers around a gay relationship; both the good (rolling around in bed) and the bad (screaming at your partner on the beach, your arms stretched to the sky, hair flying into your eyes as you rant and rail, etc.)
Because the video features a kiss between Holland and another man, it’s received a 19+ rating.
Related: K-Pop’s Jo Kwon Addresses Criticism Surrounding his Drag Queen Role in Musical ‘Priscilla’
Despite not having a major label behind him, the video has already received considerable attention. Released Sunday at midnight in Korea, “Neverland” has been viewed over 1.1 million times on YouTube.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
One viewer writes:
“I don’t know if many of you understand how important this debut is. This is not just about him, it’s about the entire culture. Korea is extremely closed-minded when it comes to things like that, so the company promoting him as a gay idol is a good thing. Not many agencies in Korea would put money on people like him. It shows how willing he is to make it less of a taboo discussion.”
As you’ll see below, fans have been showing support for the single and vid by using the #HollandDebutDay hashtag:
i just noticed they're wearing the same flannel thats so pure #HollandDebutDay pic.twitter.com/WgeZef3f2v
— eliza | Happy Yuto Day ? (@ptgsfx) January 21, 2018
Yes, this is important. Yes, the LGBTQ+ community is being represented in a beautiful way. Yes, this will inspire others to be brave enough to be themselves, whatever that may be. #HollandDebutDay
— José (@TheJose8A) January 21, 2018
I'M STILL NOT OVER THIS BYE#Neverland#HollandDebutDay pic.twitter.com/62D3M3Ganm
— busy™ (@rsfeviii) January 21, 2018
I admire Holland for his bravery and courage. It takes a lot of guts to be an open gay in a country which is closed minded when it concerns the LGBT+ community. I hope the people of Korea open up their mind to this #HollandDebutDay pic.twitter.com/AXTrTGoybN
— . (@ultchanyeolpark) January 21, 2018
Forever #HollandDebutDay pic.twitter.com/0EJBdY8rWz
— Nescau ama mt seventeen (@liiragabriela) January 21, 2018
Watch the video below, and let us know what you think of it:
Rex Huskey
are you sure these two are male?
Ebck120
I love it when Ignorance comes from within our own….. a huge step forward for the Country and you get this idiot.
Blackceo
Jesus Christ! Do some of y’all kick puppies in your spare time?
Rex Huskey
ebuck420: I dont get the self-loathing re “huge step forward”…. again are we sure these are dudes?
underboy
femme-phobia and misogyny in the gays never die…
Ebck120
Rex… are you sure you’re a confident masc male or insecure enough to try to question others masculinity?
dodgy
You know, it is not just femme phobia from which you suffer, but extreme cultural ignorance
In Korea, China and Japan particularly, almost ALL stars of this type are groomed in a (to western eyes) feminine way… usually to attract girls. In fact, in.my experience in China, where I have neen living for 2 years, gay men are less groomed, less fashion oriented and.less feminine than straight men.
So.take your generous helping of bigotry and shove it where no man has ever been.
SiamSam
I had a teenage lesbian friend in the 80s who looked just like this.
alanballs
Very very cute guys, and a huge step forward for ‘us’. I love what Holland and his promotional team are doing in S. Korea. Hugs and kisses from Dongguan City, China
DavidIntl
This represents real progress for Korea – just having some exposure for the gay community. When I was working in Korea, I was astounded by the degree to which most people seemed unaware that gay couples even existed. It took several attempts and various different phrasings before my employer finally understood that my partner wasn’t just my ‘friend’ – and then they proceeded to embarrassedly ignore that reality.
i hope some other prominent K-Pop stars will have the guts to come out as well – I am quite confident that some of those boy bands have a number of gay members.
Kangol
Really cool to see this progress.