K-pop newcomer Holland released his first single Neverland earlier this year. The song and music video are all about queer love. Neverland is a mellow R&B track that relays the emotions of a man who wants to avoid discrimination and escape to a place of free love.
The song’s accompanying music video similarly places the singer’s sexuality in the spotlight, depicting a rare same-sex kiss in a video describing the ups-and-downs of a relationship. Neverland received a 19+ rating in South Korea because of the kiss.
Holland is the first openly gay k-pop idol to debut, though MRSHLL, another R&B artist, came out before releasing his first song last year, becoming the first Korean singer to begin his career while openly addressing his sexuality. Same-sex love is rarely addressed in k-pop and South Korea’s entertainment industry. Only a handful of celebrities, including the entertainer Hong Seokcheon and the transgender singer Harisu, are publicly out.
Though Holland has no large agency backing, and was a relatively unknown in the k-pop scene until he first started teasing his debut single, he has already caught the attention of many k-pop fans who have been eager to see more diversity and queer representation in the Korean idol industry.
Neverland racked up more than 700,000 views within 24 hours of its release, to this day the video has been watched over 10 million times.