Holland
Birth nameGo Tae-seob
Born (1996-03-04) March 4, 1996
South Korea
GenresK-pop
Occupation(s)Singer
Years active2018–present
LabelsHolland Entertainment
Korean name
Hangul
고태섭
Revised RomanizationGo Tae-seob
McCune–ReischauerKo T'aesŏp

Go Tae-seob[1] (Korean: 고태섭; born March 4, 1996), professionally known as Holland (Korean: 홀랜드), is a South Korean singer. Holland made his debut in January 2018, with the release of the single "Neverland".[2]

Name

Go chose Holland for his stage name as a tribute to the first country to legalize same-sex marriage.[3]

Career

When Holland first decided to pursue music, he attempted to audition to join an entertainment company. However, no entertainment company was willing to work with an openly gay artist, so he worked two part-time jobs in order to fund his own debut single.[4] Holland released his debut single, "Neverland", on January 21, 2018. Its music video accumulated over 1 million views in 20 hours.[5] The music video shows Holland and his male counterpart kissing, and received a 19+ rating in South Korea.[2]

He returned on June 6 with his next single, "I'm Not Afraid". The music video also received a 19+ rating, but it was soon after removed.[6] His third single, "I'm So Afraid", was released on July 17. On September 6, Holland launched a crowdfunding campaign to help fund his first mini-album. He raised US$40,000 in the first 24 hours.[7]

On March 19, 2019, Holland announced his self-titled mini album, Holland, and the tracks "Nar_C" and "Up" on his social media accounts.[8] The album was released on March 31.

On July 8, 2019, Holland announced plans for his first tour via social media.[9] Later on November 1, Holland announced his first tour, "Holland: Invitation from Neverland". The tour was a collaboration with MyMusicTaste where fans voted on concert tour locations. He traveled to five cities in Europe.[10] Months after releasing his debut mini album, Holland started teasing his next single "Loved You Better" on his social media platforms starting December 2, 2019. The song and music video were released on December 11.[11]

Personal life

Holland is known as "the first openly gay K-pop idol".[2] He is an only child. His parents found out about his sexuality after he discussed it in an interview. Holland, who was not home at the time, wrote a letter to his family after they found out and explained everything to them. His family tearfully accepted him, unaware of the hardships he had gone through because of his sexuality.[12] He was a photography major at Seoul Institute of Arts, but dropped out after his debut in 2018.[13][14]

Go decided to make his debut as a singer to speak out based on his experiences with violence inflicted on sexual minorities.[13] While preparing the album, he tried to sign with several agencies, but all declined to sign him due to his desire to write music dealing with discrimination against LGBTQ people. In the end, he produced his first single with money he saved from his part-time job over the course of two years, without an agency backing him.[15]

Discography

Extended Plays

"Holland" 2019

"Number Boy" 2023

Singles

Title Year Peak chart
positions		 Album
KOR
[16]
"Neverland" 2018 — Holland
"I'm Not Afraid" —
"I'm So Afraid" —
"Nar_C" 2019 –
"Loved You Better" – Non-album single
"Number Boy" 2023 TBA Number Boy

Music videos

Title Year Director
"Neverland" 2018 Seonjin Lee
"I'm Not Afraid" Downy Jung
"I'm So Afraid"
"Nar_C" 2019 Lee Sangdeok[17]
"Loved You Better"
"Number Boy" 2023 Shin Hee Won

Filmography

Web series

Year Title Role Ref.
2022 Ocean Like Me Tommy [18]
2022 Roommates of Poongduck 304 Ho Cheol

Listicles

Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle and placement
Publisher Year Listicle Placement Ref.
Dazed 2018 Dazed 100 1st [19]

References

  1. ↑ Ryu, In-ha (February 4, 2018). "[인터뷰]'성소수자 신인가수 홀랜드입니다'". The Kyunghyang Shinmun (in Korean). Retrieved July 9, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 Herman, Tamar (January 22, 2018). "Holland Releases Debut Single 'Neverland' as The First Openly Gay K-pop Idol". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
  3. ↑ ""No One Else Wanted To Be Openly Gay. So I Stood Up." K-Pop Star Holland Explains Why He Had To Come Out". British Vogue. 20 February 2020. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  4. ↑ Luna, Elizabeth de (23 October 2019). "K-Pop Star Holland Is Forging a Path as an Openly Gay Idol". Teen Vogue. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  5. ↑ "Holland's debut MV reaches a million views in 20 hours - Celebrity Photos". Vogue. February 20, 2020. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Holland Says 'I'm Not Afraid' in Inclusive, LGBTQ+ Positive Music Video: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Holland, Kpop's First Openly Gay Singer, Crowdfunds $40,000 In 24 Hours". Digital Music News. September 7, 2018. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  8. ↑ "HOLLAND announces comeback with self-titled album 'HOLLAND'". AllKpop. March 19, 2019. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Holland announcing plans for his first tour on Twitter". Gay Star News. July 8, 2019. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Holland 1st World Tour "Ep.1: Invitation From Neverland" In Europe: Cities And Ticket Details | Kpopmap". Kpopmap - Kpop, Kdrama and Trend Stories Coverage. 2019-11-04. Retrieved 2021-08-03.
  11. ↑ "Holland Is at His Most Raw and Vulnerable in 'Loved You Better'". PAPER. 2019-12-14. Retrieved 2021-08-03.
  12. ↑ Riddhi Chakraborty (July 23, 2018). "Out and Proud: Breakout Star Holland on Homophobia and Exclusion in the K-Pop Industry". Rolling Stone India. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  13. 1 2 Ryu In-ha (February 4, 2018). "[인터뷰]"성소수자 신인가수 홀랜드입니다"" [[Interview] "I'm Holland, a new LGBTQ singer"]. Khan (in Korean). Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  14. ↑ Michelle Hyun Kim (June 24, 2020). "The Rebirth of Holland, K-Pop's Next Rising Star". Them. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  15. ↑ Oh Ji-won (February 15, 2018). "홀랜드, 누가 그에게 돌을 던질 수 있을까 [인터뷰]" [Holland, who can throw stones at him? [Interview]]. TV Daily (in Korean). Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  16. ↑ "Gaon Digital Chart" (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart.
  17. ↑ "Sanrroksu".
  18. ↑ Yoo Jeong-min (April 5, 2022). "한기찬·홀랜드 주연 BL웹드 '오션라이크미' 포스터 공개" [BL Webd 'Ocean Like Me' poster released by Han Ki-chan and Holland] (in Korean). iMBc. Retrieved April 5, 2022 – via Naver.
  19. ↑ "Openly Gay KPop Star Holland Earns Top Spot on Annual Dazed 100 List". Billboard. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
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