Gaypop Lives

As I mentioned once in my first Currently Listening piece, LGBT+ representation in the music industry is rare, so hearing songs or seeing music videos that even imply some form of queer-coding is always exciting (yes, I know queerbaiting is a big issue when it comes to LGBT+ representation but I’m desperate, so just let me have this). Ever since I started listening to Kpop, finding representation in music has become even harder, since there’s even more stigma around being LGBT+ than there is in the United States. That doesn’t mean, however, that finding music with LGBT+ elements is impossible, but oftentimes, those elements are more implicit than explicit, whether it be because of the music video, like VIXX LR’s “Whisper,” the lyrics, like Taemin’s “Pretty Boy,” or the choreography, like Seventeen China Line’s “My I” (I’m linking the Chinese version because the Korean version has too many angle changes).

Even with the stigma, some Kpop artists have released explicitly LGBT-themed music which is reflected in the lyrics, like Lovelyz’s “Wow!” and Subin’s “Flower.” Since I don’t speak Korean, I don’t pay much attention to song lyrics, but it’s admirable to see Kpop artists release these songs knowing their target audience, people in South Korea, will pay attention to them. One artist worth pointing out for contributing to LGBT+ representation is Maman, who came out as a lesbian about two years ago, was dropped from her music label, then signed to a different label, and released “Obvious Story.“ The song is by no means popular, and Maman has faded into anonymity since she hasn’t released anything after Obvious Story and has no social media presence, but she’s one of the only openly gay artists in the Kpop industry, and I deeply admire her for coming out, considering the circumstances.

For the most part, I listen to Kpop for the overall sound, and I occasionally watch music videos if I’m a fan of the group. In the past, I’ve stumbled upon music videos which are clearly LGBT-themed, even if the song lyrics are not, and I think they’re worth sharing since they also happen to be great songs.

This is not only one of my favorite Monsta X songs, but it’s also my favorite music video. I love every aspect of this, from the homoerotic and mystic elements to the revenge plot, though I’ll admit, it’s at the sadder end of the spectrum when it comes to endings for the LGBT characters.

Fun fact: I discovered this music video today as I was writing this post. Not only does Red Velvet showcase beautiful vocals in “Wish Tree,” but in terms of video plot, Christmas romances are heteronormative 99.9% of the time, so it’s refreshing to see one about two girls, even if it’s open-ended. If you’re curious, here’s a rough translation for the dialogue at the end:

Girl 1: What did you wish for?

Girl 2: Hmm?

Girl 1: I wished that next year I’ll spend Christmas with a boyfriend. What did you wish for?

Girl 2: To not spend next Christmas with you.

Anda hasn’t released anything new since 2016 (that doesn’t seem like a long time but it’s generally uncommon for Kpop artists to go for extended periods of time without having a comeback), but this was one of the first Kpop songs I listened to that had an LGBT-themed music video, and it definitely broadened my expectations for Kpop which, until I watched Touch, had been entirely hetero-centric.

I’m thankful to these Kpop artists, and others like SISTAR and Jonghyun, who’ve also given representation to LGBT+ audiences in their music videos and lyrics, respectively, and I hope that music continues to be a medium through which queerness can be normalized and someday celebrated, not only in South Korea, but also in America and elsewhere.

-L