K-pop idol Bain comes out as gay at JUST B's LA concert: ‘f—ing proud to be part of the LGBT community'
In a moment that's making waves on the internet, Bain, a member of the South Korean boy group JUST B, came out as gay during the final stop of the group's U.S. tour in Los Angeles. The announcement, made at the Vermont Hollywood venue, marked a significant and deeply personal moment for the 23-year-old artist, and one that could ripple far beyond the stage lights.
It is well known that the K-pop industry is known for its discipline, precision, and polished perfection, from razor-sharp choreography to the near-mythical expectations placed on idols. But beneath the glossy surface, the cost of conformity has long weighed heavily on many performers. While recent years have seen cracks in the industry's strict exterior, like BTS' RM's strong opinions on the compulsory military service or NJZ's public fight for their music rights, Bain's declaration felt like a move to reclaim an artist's autonomy in an industry rife with unattainable standards.
'Before I start the next song, tonight I want to share something with you guys,' Bain told the crowd, pausing as the energy in the room shifted. 'I'm f—ing proud to be part of the LGBT community.' The crowd erupted into cheers as he took a moment to breathe in their support. He continued, 'Shout-out to my queen Lady Gaga for showing me that being yourself is beautiful. To everyone out there who's part of the LGBTQ+ or still figuring it out, this is for you guys. And also, this is for everyone. You're seen, you're loved, and you are born this way.'
A post shared by BAIN (@6a1n__)
The declaration was followed by a tribute performance to Gaga's anthemic Born This Way, remixed and reimagined in Bain's own bold style, a moment that not only closed the concert but opened a new chapter in his life. He later shared clips and quotes from the night on Instagram, receiving an outpouring of love from fans and fellow artists alike.
JUST B, comprised of Bain, Geonu, Lim Jimin, Siwoo, DY, and Sangwoo, had launched the U.S. leg of their world tour earlier this month, following a March kickoff in Tokyo. Over the course of 10 American cities, the group delivered high-energy performances of hits like Medusa, TICK TOCK, and Damage, while also giving each member a solo spotlight. Bain used his time on stage to honour early 2000s pop icons, delivering fierce covers of Britney Spears' Toxic, Destiny's Child's Survivor, and Lady Gaga's Judas — a clear nod to the divas who shaped his musical expression and, perhaps, his sense of self.
In a heartfelt final address to the LA crowd, Bain further basked in the warmth of the audience and his bandmates, who rallied around him with visible pride. 'L.A., thank you so much,' he said. 'Today, it means a lot to me — I'm so happy that I can be myself.' As the crowd roared one last time, Bain closed with a message that seemed to echo far beyond the walls of the venue: 'Until next time: stay bold, stay fierce, and lastly, always, always be your true self.'
Although artists like Holland and MRSHLL have been vocal about their LGBTQ+ identities since the beginning of their musical journeys — and former idols such as Magolpy and Jiae from WA$$UP shared their truths early in their careers — Bain's on-stage coming out during a major world tour signifies a new and powerful chapter for queer representation in K-pop. Additionally, while BLUEDOT Entertainment, JUST B's management, has not yet issued a formal comment, the group's official Instagram shared Bain's post with the hashtag #ProudOfBain — a small but powerful affirmation that moments of truth, even in the rigid world of K-pop, can still find their stage.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
35 minutes ago
- News18
Nushrratt Bharuccha TROLLED As Volunteers Untie Her Shoes At Fitness Event: 'Yoga Kaise Karogi?'
Last Updated: Nushrratt Bharuccha trolled for viral video from Yoga Day in Mumbai showing volunteers removing her shoes. Nushrratt Bharuccha trolled. Actress Nushrratt Bharuccha is under fire on social media after a video from an International Yoga Day celebration in Mumbai went viral. Held on June 21, the public event aimed to promote yoga, mindfulness, and physical wellness. Nushrratt joined the gathering to show support for the cause — but a brief moment caught on camera sparked unexpected backlash. Among several clips that surfaced online, one stood out — and not for the right reasons. In the now-viral video shared by Telly Chakkar, a group of volunteers can be seen bending down to remove Nushrratt's shoes as she stands by. The footage quickly drew attention, with many social media users voicing strong disapproval. advetisement As the clip gained traction, Instagram users began calling out the actress. A number of comments accused her of encouraging 'VIP culture," arguing that such acts were out of place at a yoga event rooted in humility and equality. Others called the moment 'disrespectful," given the nature of the event and the setting. The incident overshadowed the rest of Nushrratt's appearance at the event, where she had participated in yoga sessions and interacted with the crowd. One comment read, 'Why she two people to remove her shoes…and she s going to do yoga????" Another read, 'I don't appreciate this that the other person is untying shoes.. Bhagwan ne hath pair sahi diye hain do it urself." At the same event, things got a bit out of hand when she was mobbed by a huge crowd of fans who were all trying to take selfies with her. In a video that's now going viral, Nushrratt is seen looking quite panicked and shouting, 'Mere log kaha hai?" as she tries to find her team. She looked really uncomfortable as fans got too close and surrounded her from all sides. Nushrratt was last seen in Chhorii 2, which hit screens earlier this year. Directed by Vishal Furia, the film also starred Soha Ali Khan in the lead role. She will next be seen in Bun Tikki, a film that also features Abhay Deol, Shabana Azmi, and Zeenat Aman. First Published:
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Every BTS member's brand power ranked after military discharge; Jimin, Jungkook lead June K-pop reputation index
All seven members of BTS have returned home after serving 18 months in the military. With that, Jimin, Jungkook, RM, Jin, Taehyung, Suga, and J-Hope have made a collective comeback on June's brand reputation ranking, without even dropping any new music yet. The big return also sent HYBE's previously tanking stock soaring within days. The list was released by the Korean Business Research Institute, and the ranking is done for each K-pop idol individually based on their activity, consumer participation, media coverage, community buzz, and more. (Data collected between May 21 and June 21.) Just days before, KBRI released the group ranking list, where BTS got edged out by rising K-pop boy band SEVENTEEN, recently named Global K-pop Stars of the Year by an American outlet. This latest list dropped just hours after Suga wrapped his public service and officially rejoined the group. Also read: 34th Seoul Music Awards full winners list: BTS' Jimin wins special award, i-dle creates history, BLACKPINK Rose, TXT, G-Dragon win big For June, Jimin takes the lead, topping the overall list of top 30 with a brand reputation index of 6,301,075. The Filter crooner saw a massive 76.51% jump in his score since May. The highest-ranking phrases for Jimin remained 'Filter,' 'ARMY,' and 'Park Jimin,' while the related keywords set included 'military discharge,' 'donate,' and more. His positive-to-negative analysis also jumped, with a 94.04% positivity rate. Coming in second is fellow BTS member Jungkook—the duo had enlisted in the military together. His brand index for June was 5,189,119, with a dramatic 86.60% spike. BTS' Jin followed at No. 6 with 3,221,688 points, taking the third-highest spot among the group. V, aka Kim Taehyung, snagged the No. 7 position with a score of 2,517,299. J-Hope, aka Jung Hoseok, fresh off wrapping his world tour, ranked 12th with 1,394,483 points. Meanwhile, RM and Suga landed at 15th and 16th with 1,283,645 and 1,218,910 points, respectively. BIGBANG member G-Dragon is currently on his 'Übermensch' world tour, which has shot his brand value through the roof. The K-pop idol ranked third on the list with a reputation index of 4,521,564. Meanwhile, ASTRO's Cha Eun Woo, who is set to hold an individual fan sign before enlisting in the military later this year, followed with a score of 4,140,574. Wanna One's Park Ji Hoon climbed to number 5 with 4,026,558, riding high on the success of his Weak Hero Class 2 stint, an almost 80% spike from his May score. The reputation ranking was conducted across 755 active K-pop male idols. Also read: BTS loses brand value ranking to K-pop's rising superstars despite major military comeback in June: Check out the Top 20 Check out top 30 BTS's Jimin BTS's Jungkook BIGBANG's G-Dragon ASTRO's Cha Eun Woo Wanna One's Park Ji Hoon BTS's Jin BTS's V Wanna One's Kang Daniel Super Junior's Kyuhyun RIIZE's Wonbin EXO's Baekhyun BTS's j-hope HIGHLIGHT's Yoon Doojoon NU'EST and Wanna One's Hwang Minhyun BTS's RM BTS' Suga Wanna One's Ong Seong Wu RIIZE's Sungchan SEVENTEEN's Jeonghan SHINee's Key EXO's Kai NCT's Doyoung Super Junior's Kim Heechul Wanna One's Kim Jae Hwan TXT's Yeonjun GOT7's Jinyoung SEVENTEEN's Hoshi BIGBANG's Taeyang SEVENTEEN's Mingyu THE BOYZ's Sunwoo (Via soompi)
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
Hailey Bieber mocks Justin Bieber divorce reports with ring-flaunting selfie, flexes hubby's brand
Hailey Bieber has shut down wedding rumours again. The RHODE founder stirred up whispers of trouble in paradise after she was spotted without her wedding ring during a solo outing in New York this Thursday. Fans were quick to connect the dots, especially since the rumour first picked up in March when Hailey unfollowed Justin—though she later blamed it on a glitch after he deactivated his account. However, moments later, the model uploaded a mirror selfie flaunting her ring, and even wore what's being called Justin's new brand, Skylrk. Hailey said shut up haters I'm wearing my ring and on top of that I'm using my husband's brand!!! — Mar (@jaileyisthebest) June 21, 2025 Justin, on the other hand, has been behaving erratically. He's admitted to smoking weed and has been posting cryptic messages calling himself 'broken' or 'standing on business.' In one recent post, he even dropped a screenshot of a conversation cutting someone off, saying, 'If you don't like my anger, you don't like me. My Anger is a response to pain I have been through.' Also read: Hailey Bieber opens up about rumours about divorce with Justin Bieber, dealing with online hate during postpartum: 'You would think after a child…' In the photos obtained by Page Six, Hailey stepped out for breakfast at The Commerce Inn in the West Village. The model was seen wearing a khaki trench coat, paired with black sunglasses, and no ring. Later, she was spotted on the Upper East Side hanging out with friends Camila Morrone and Suki Waterhouse at Chez Fifi. This time, the 28-year-old wore a black leather coat, wide-leg jeans, and again left her $500,000 jewellery piece at home. Ever since the couple tied the knot in a rushed wedding back in 2018, divorce rumours never really left their side, though things did quiet down for a bit when they renewed their vows before the birth of their son, Jack Blues Bieber. In a recent interview with Vogue, Hailey made it clear she's over the noise. 'Well, I thought seven years in it would've [died down] already, and it hasn't,' she sighed. 'You would think after having a child, people would maybe move on, chill out a little bit, but no… So I guess these bi***es are going to be mad.' During the same conversation, she stressed there's no feud or tension in the marriage—if anything, the two are going strong. Justin even came to her defence online, but his increasingly erratic behaviour has fans worried. He's been seen smoking weed at festivals and posting cryptic messages on Instagram, calling himself 'broken.' In one viral clip, he lashed out at paparazzi: 'It's not clocking to you that I'm standing on business, is it? … I'm not the one you mess with.' Also read: Justin Bieber admits that he is 'broken' and has 'anger issues,' says he can't heal himself: 'The harder I try to grow, the more…' Just last week, he posted: 'People keep telling me to heal. Don't you think if I could have fixed myself I would have already?' At the same time, rumours of financial strain started making rounds, with reports claiming he still owes a significant amount to former manager Scooter Braun. In another post, Bieber threw shade at what he called 'transactional relationships,' writing, 'If I have to do something to be loved, that's not love.' After Hailey's Vogue cover went live, the singer caught flak for a since-deleted Instagram post where he asked her to 'forgive me for saying u wouldn't get a Vogue cover cuz clearly i was sadly mistaken.' Page Six reported in April that 'Justin is going through a hard time' and that his wife is trying to help. 'Hailey loves Justin with all her heart,' the source said, 'but there's only so much she can do. That doesn't necessarily mean she's happy.' On the work front, the Baby crooner is planning his musical comeback. 'Hailey loves Justin with all her heart,' a source said, 'but there's only so much she can do. That doesn't necessarily mean she's happy.' Earlier reports suggested that Justin's return to work heavily depends on his financial situation, with sources indicating he still owes AEG, the promoter of his canceled Justice World Tour.
