KUALA LUMPUR: He may be a newcomer in the world of K-pop but singer Holland had gained massive popularity in a short period of time due to being openly gay.
Despite making his mark as an artiste, he recalled how he didn’t have it easy after coming out of the closet during his teenage years.
In an interview with a YouTube channel PRAN, Holland revealed that when he first admitted his sexual orientation to a close friend, rumours about him quickly spread around shortly after that.
“My school life started to become very difficult. I was bullied all the time without a single day off and wanted to die every single day.
“At the time, there was no one who told me ‘you didn’t do anything wrong’, nor was there anyone who supported and comforted me,” he said in the interview, which was carried in a news report by allkpop.
But now the 21-year-old is relishing the success of his debut music video which became heavily-talked about as it included a same-sex kiss scene.
Two weeks since its release on YouTube, the video has garnered more than 5.5 million viewers.
“I believe many people are still troubled and worried about coming out. It really isn’t wrong, and I sincerely hope no one makes poor decisions due to other people,” he said.