South Korea's first openly gay singer, MRSHLL has released his album, "Alien Issa Mixtape" and has dedicated to all the "aliens and the misfits" living in our society.
The singer stated that some songs that he has been working on for the past one year stood out from the theme of "Breathe EP" released in June. The six songs became more than just another "SoundCloud thing" and he released the songs on all streaming platforms as a mixtape.
The title "Alien Issa Mixtape" reflects the artists' state of mind struggling to fit in and find acceptance at the same time. The singer feels that "Being raised abroad, sometimes I feel I look like me but I'm an alien, like a Korean impostor."
The singer has laid this as the theme for the mixtape. MRSHLL dedicated the new release to people who feel like him - misfit and out of place. One of his songs, Breathe, has an underlying mantra "Relax your mind, it's time to unwind". The song titled "Elevate" deals with his feeling of accomplishment by elevating communities and individuals who feel invisible.
The Korean-American singer openly announced being gay in 2015. Although the outlook of the society is gradually changing towards homosexuality, South Korea still holds on to its anti-LGBT stigma, making it difficult for any celebrity to be open about their sexual orientation.
Despite the growing amount of awareness and support, homosexuality is widely misunderstood in S Korea. LGBT community is often shunned and discriminated due to lack of awareness and stereotyping. The singer hopes to shatter these stereotypes associated with the LGBT community and help people deal with their struggles.
After years of struggle, MRSHLL met Tiger JK and Yoon Mirae who gave him the much need break. There has been no stopping him ever since. MRSHLL hopes to be an anchor to such people whose voices are lost in the crowd. MRSHLL is an advocate for Korea's LGBTQ community and hopes to create more awareness through his music.
