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Who is OnlyOneOf? First openly gay idol Holland sends love to K-pop group

OnlyOneOf is a boy group that went viral in 2021 for their incorporation of LGBT+ themes in their music

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA: With Holland first being ostracized for being the first openly gay K-pop idol, him bouncing back into a hugely successful career and helping other K-pop acts with queer connections has fans moved. On September 23, Holland randomly gave a shoutout to K-pop boy group OnlyOneOf, and fans are here for it.

It hasn't been easy for Holland as he still hasn't been accepted by the mainstream K-pop industry evident from the lack of music show promotions or invitations to popular TV shows. But that hasn't stopped him as the international entertainment industry is more than making up for it from him collaborating with the likes of Gucci and Burberry to walking New York Fashion Week SS 2023 for Coach. Holland was also cast in the BL (boy love) K-drama 'Ocean Likes Me' while being featured on Rolling Stones Korea and performing on huge stages in the UK.

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Who is OnlyOneOf?

Well, on September 23, he asked fans what they thought of OnlyOneOf and their gay concept. OnlyOneOf debuted in 2019 and first made waves for almost being labelmates to Loona before they changed their labels. They started going viral in the LGBT+ community after the release of 'Libido' and 'Instinct' in 2021 with a queer concept as they added elements of homosexuality in their songs, music videos, and risque choreography. After their sudden rise, they were roped in to sing the OST for the K-drama 'Sweet Blood' that had BL undertones.

It looks like OnlyOneOf figured out their image as since then they have stuck to the 'gay concept' as Holland puts it. In 2022, they came out with 'Skinz' which was even more experimental than 'Libido'. Following its success, they have been dropping solo music projects of each of the members with LGBT+ storylines as they addressed themes like bisexuality or fear of coming out of the closet. A proud Holland tweeted, "It's really important for someone to listen to their music and get comfort and love i hope that they will have a positive impact on a number of LGBTQ children, and that they will be able to work with me someday love @OnlyOneOf_twt."

'This is so important'

Excited fans hoped this meant a collab was in the works. One fan tweeted, "Manifesting circle: OnlyOneOf x Holland." Another joked, "Holland really just, out of the blue, went "hey what do you guys think of ooo?" and then proceeded to talk about their work and its inspirational potential and say he wants to work with them in the future absolute king behavior, thank you sir." With some claiming that OnlyOneOf is queerbaiting, one fan said, "We as lyons know that they're not queerbaiting, we as queer ppl know that they're not queerbaiting, and now holland himself talking about ooo, even wanting to collaborate with them... this is so important, no one else can talk shit about our boys again."

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