It's a Big First for K-Pop

The world of K-pop just heard an unprecedented announcement from one of its own. Bain, of the Korean boy band Just B, had a solo in Tuesday night's show in Los Angeles, the last stop in the group's Just ODD Tour, which is when he made his big reveal to the audience. "I want to share something with you guys," the 23-year-old performer told the screaming crowd, per Billboard. "I'm f---ing proud to be a part of the LGBTQ community—as a gay person."

He then added, "To anyone out there who's part of the LGBTQ+ [community], or still figuring it out—this is for you guys. ... You are seen, you're loved, and you're born this way." Bain's last remark was in reference to "Born This Way," the song by Lady Gaga, whom Bain calls his "queen." He then launched into his own rendition of the tune for his cheering fans, waving a rainbow flag around the stage. NBC News notes it was "a rare move in a high-pressure Korean music industry, in which artists tend to be fiercely guarded about their private lives."

Billboard adds that, although individual Korean artists have opened up about their LGBTQ+ identities, "Bain's disclosure on a major world-tour stage marks a new moment for queer visibility in K-pop." Bain later posted the video of his announcement on his Instagram page, proclaiming that Gaga "showed me that being different is beautiful." (More K-pop stories.)