Lee Feli is a famous K-pop idol. His parents did not support his ambitions and he had to come out. Lee Felix talks about his struggles growing up in a typical Asian home. Lee Yong-Bok, aka ‘Lee Felix,’ is a member of the Korean boy band ‘Stray Kids’. He is the band’s vocalist, primary dancer and rapper. Although he was born in Korea, he spent most of his childhood in Australia, where he graduated from high school. He eventually moved to South Korea to pursue his ambitions of becoming a K-pop star. The career of this 22-year-old started with an appearance in the TV show ‘Stray Kids’ produced by the famous organization ‘JYP Entertainment’.
He quickly gained popularity, resulting in his first release, ‘Hellevator’, in 2017. After releasing their first mixtape before their official debut in January 2018, they officially debuted in March of the same year. The band released three additional sets of songs, several singles and various music videos. Felix and the rest of the group won the New Hallyu Rookie Award at the 2018 Soribada Best K-Music Awards.
Lee Felix’s parents didn’t want him to be a K-pop star
Lee Felix grew up in an ordinary Asian family. Despite living in Australia, Lee Felix’s parents have made sure he stays connected to his Korean heritage. Mr Lee is a Sydney businessman and Ms Lina is a stay-at-home mother. Lee’s fans are unaware of them, although some interviews with Lee Felix show that he struggled growing up in a rigid conventional Asian environment.
Mr. Lee, Lee Felix’s father, encouraged him to train in taekwondo. Felix finally learned to practice taekwondo and won numerous honors in that discipline. Lin Lee’s mother, like his father, had high expectations of her son and pushed him to play the piano. This fueled the singer’s passion for music. Lee Felix may not have loved taekwondo as much as he loved music, but he couldn’t say no to his father, so he kept playing the sport until one day he decided he didn’t want to do it anymore.
He was extremely confident about returning to Korea after achieving his goal of becoming a K-pop star. Lee Felix’s parents were happy for him to return to his homeland, but were against him becoming a K-pop star. They were devout Christians who did not want their children to do something they hated.
Did Lee Felix really hurt his parents’ feelings?
Lee talks candidly about how he had to deal with family issues early in his career. In an exclusive interview, Lee Felix said,
I would show them my work and they would never respond. It was difficult to convince my parents that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.
He further said that his parents were aware of reports of K-pop stars committing suicide, using drugs, being harassed by fans and emotionally abused. Lee Felix’s parents envisioned their son as a taekwondo player or a musician in a prestigious company. K-pop was not something they expected their child to be into. Lee is open about his choices that upset his parents’ feelings, but he also says he felt suffocated when he followed his parents’ expectations to be a disciplined Catholic.
As he rose to fame, many misinformation about his sexuality made headlines. People spread false rumors about his sexual orientation. Felix’s parents were completely against it, which would jeopardize their relationship with their son. Lee’s sister Rachel was outraged to witness the destruction of her brother’s personal life online, posting on Twitter: My brother’s sexuality is his decision; whether he’s bisexual or not, his music and career as a K-pop star should take precedence.
Categories: Entertaintment
Source: HIS Education