Taking on the $5 billion USD industry on his own terms is 23-year-old independent artist Holland. Despite his undeniable talent and idol-worthy looks, as an openly queer person, he struggled to be signed with any major entertainment labels. It’s unsurprising, given South Korea’s stance on LGBTQ+ rights – although homosexuality is not criminalized, same-sex marriage is unrecognized and there are no legal protections against hate crimes and discrimination toward LGBTQ+ people.

Undeterred by this, Holland set out on his own, self-funding his debut single “Neverland” and its video from money he saved up from working part-time. It worked out – the video currently has 11 million views on YouTube and counting. It also spawned hundreds of thousands of loyal fans, lovingly dubbed Harlings, who helped to crowdfund Holland’s first mini-album – exceeding the target of $50,000 USD by a massive 217%.

The support from his fandom as well as Holland’s devotion to them speaks volumes about who he is not only as an artist, but as a person. An inspiration and advocate for LGBTQ+ youth in South Korea and beyond, he’s breaking down the misconceptions as to what – and who – a K-pop star should be.

We caught up with Holland in Seoul to talk more about his considered yet meteoric rise and the challenges of being a prominent LGBTQ+ voice in a country where they’re still fighting for basic rights – read on for more.