Shinjiro Atae is speaking up about coming out.

The 34-year-old Japanese singer made headlines after coming out as gay at the end of July during a concert, making him one of the very first J-Pop idols to do so.

In a new interview with Teen Vogue, he spoke about his decision to do so.

Here’s what Shinjiro Atae had to say…

Keep reading to find out more…

On slowly coming out to close friends and family:

“I’ve been coming out for many years; two-and-a-half years ago to my mom, and five years ago to one of my best friends, which was my first time coming out in the Japanese language. It was easier for me to come out in English, because it’s not my first language. When I speak English, I have to act a little differently. It’s not 100 percent me. But when I talk in Japanese, I don’t even have to think about it, it just comes out naturally.”

On the confusion he felt growing up and rejecting his identity:

“I kind of knew that I was gay since I was a kid, but I didn’t even know what ‘gay’ meant. All the words I grew up listening to — the comedians on TV mocking gay people, the kindergarten teacher who told me to choose blue over pink, the boys at school who would talk about girls — all of them, were in Japanese. It’s the first language in which I understood that part of me was wrong.”

On his desire to be a pop star and the lack of resources to help him learn about his identity:

“When I signed with my former management company, I was only 14. I was 16 when I debuted as part of AAA in 2005. I just wanted to be a pop star and I wanted to be famous; I didn’t have time to accept myself, or learn what LGBTQ+ meant. Back then, nobody talked about it. I didn’t have an iPhone. I didn’t have Netflix. Nowadays, there are so many TV shows that have gay scenes and characters. I always thought that I was wrong, that I was the only one who was gay. I felt pressure to debut and to make it as an idol. That’s where my mind was focused. On my dreams.”

On how he’s doing currently and support he has received:

“Baby steps, I think. I spent 34 years of my life in the closet, and I’m still letting that tension go. Yoga helps. Meditate and manifest, you know? I called some of the AAA members; they’re very supportive. And my mom just flew out to me here in L.A. for my mental health. This is all new to me, I’m not used to it; I don’t feel ‘out’ out. I might have come out, but I haven’t arrived yet.”

For more, head to TeenVogue.com.

Find out more about how he came out to the world.

Find out who else came out as LGBTQ+ in 2023.