J-Pop Star Shinjiro Atae Opens Up about Coming Out, 'Supportive' Bandmates

J-Pop sensation Shinjiro Atae came out last month during a concert. Now he's talking about being gay, his decision to embrace authenticity, and how the others in the band AAA have accepted him, according to Just Jared.

Interviewed by Teen Vogue, Atae cast his mind back to the beginning, recalling early life experiences that many LGBTQ+ people will identify with.

"I kind of knew that I was gay since I was a kid," the pop star said. "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."

Atae recalled that as a freshly minted teenaged pop star, he didn't have the luxury of figuring things out.

"I was 16 when I debuted as part of AAA in 2005," Atae explained. "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." Even if he had, he went on to say, "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."

Over time, he started to feel his way out of the closet.

"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," Atae revealed. "It was easier for me to come out in English, because it's not my first language."

Eventually, the recording artist realized that he needed to come out publicly, and he chose to do so in the most public manner he could: on stage. As previously reported, Atae came out last month during a concert in Tokyo.

"I was literally shaking, freaking out, scared," Atae described to Teen Vogue. "Voices around me said, 'Shin, you can do it. We love you.' Hands were on my chest, touching my heart, feeling it pounding away."

"Once I went on the stage, and I saw all of my fans, I could feel their support," he said. "I cried reading my coming out letter. Those voices again: 'Shin, don't worry about us. You're doing great.' That made me cry more."

Even now, as an out gay man, Atae finds he's still adjusting.

"I spent 34 years of my life in the closet, and I'm still letting that tension go," he disclosed. Adding that yoga and meditation are ways he's coping, the pop star was able to confirm that his bandmates have been "very supportive" of him, as has his mother, who "just flew out to me here in L.A. for my mental health."

"This is all new to me," Atae said. "I'm not used to it; I don't feel 'out' out. I might have come out, but I haven't arrived yet."