All you need to know about Wassup's Jiae, who took over fans' hearts after revealing her girlfriend 

On September 11, 2023, singer-songwriter and Wassup's Jiae (former member) took over the internet after revealing her girlfriend through an online post. In 2020, through an Instagram story, the idol first came out as bisexual and announced that she was dating a woman. However, fans couldn't catch a glimpse of her girlfriend until after almost three years.

Standing as probably the first and the only openly bisexual K-pop idol in the industry, fans have showered her with much love and support for her brave stance on her s*xual identity despite the critical perspectives on the subject in South Korea. While Wassup's Jiae faced many other struggles for her bold move, such as not being housed under any agency, fans are happy to see that the idol hasn't given up in the face of heavy criticism.

As such, following her girlfriend's reveal, fans took to her Instagram post to celebrate and cheer the two on their journey together.

Fan reactions through Wassup Jiae's Instagram post's comments (Image via Instagram/@ji.aee)

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From debut to coming out: Here's the journey of probably the first and only openly bisexual K-pop idol, Wassup's Jiae

Born on October 31, 1995, in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province in South Korea, Wassup's Jiae was the main vocalist in the K-pop group, which debuted on August 7, 2013, under Mafia Records. The name of the group she was under is also stylized as WA$$UP and consisted of three other members alongside her - Nari, Sujin, and Woojoo. However, after being active for about five years, the group disbanded on February 10, 2019.

Soon after the group's disbandment, Wassup's Jiae decided to come out as bisexual, which naturally caused a spur on the internet and the industry in general. January 11 and 12, 2020, stands as important days for the idol as she happily revealed that she loves both men and women and that she's also in a relationship with a woman through her Instagram story.

"I love men and ... women. Can you understand? I have a lovely girlfriend. So..! Happy 😊"

Following this, she also made an Instagram post with the caption:

"Love is Love."

However, given South Korea's harsh perspectives on LGBTQ+ topics, criticism and negative backlash for the K-pop idol's coming out was inevitable. Her chances to sign up as a solo artist under a new label following Wassup's disbandment slimmed down to none, leaving her with no chance but to kickstart her label.

Wassup's Jiae made her solo debut with her full-length album, Love is Love, on October 8, 2022, which was a completely crowdfunded project. The idol then established her own record label, ZEZE Entertainment, where she's been independently representing herself. However, a few months before the album release, she wrote a long heartfelt letter to her fans asking for their continuous support and love as she takes the step forward as a solo artist.

The letter was posted through an Instagram caption on a post made on February 11, 2022.

Additionally, due to the lack of industry support, Wassup's Jiae was also unable to promote herself through variety shows and talk show appearances. However, earlier this year, on February 21, the idol was able to share and talk about her struggles in the industry after coming out during her appearance in the show Attack on Sisters.

She expressed:

"I want to live an ordinary life. I love men and women." She elaborated, "When I was 25, I dated a lot of men but it never lasted more than 3 months. I always felt something was missing and thought I was someone who can't love. So I thought I should start dating women. I thought I don't necessarily need to date only men."

She also gave an insight into what triggered it to come out on social media, sharing:

"When I started dating my first girlfriend, I wanted to watch a queer movie. But in the comment section, there were so many negative comments. I got so mad and I thought, why do women need to date only men and why do men only need to date women? So I posted on my social media out of anger. So that's how I came out."

She also continued to share some stories about her previous relationships where even the women she dated would tell her to accept that she was lesbian despite Wassup's Jiae establishing herself as bisexual. However, despite the stigma and negative notions on the topic in South Korea, she also expressed that her family accepted it easily and was supportive of her.

While Wassup's Jiae hasn't been much active since the interview, she once again took over the internet after she revealed her girlfriend on September 11, 2023, through an Instagram post.

As Wassup's Jiae continues to be bold and brave while standing up against the stigmatization of society and negative criticism of the LGBTQ+ community, fans continue to shower her with much love and support.