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Bang grew up in Orange County, California, in an evangelical Christian family, and attended church every Sunday. He first developed an interest in singing and music in high school show choir.[1] After graduating, he attended Biola University, a Christian theological school.[2][3][4] After having laryngopharyngeal reflux, he stopped singing and attended cosmetology school in Los Angeles, where he first met openly gay people and was introduced to gay nightlife.[2][5][6]

Bang moved from New York City to Seoul in 2012 to compete on Korean singing competition “Star Audition: The Next Big Thing 3”.[7] He remained in South Korea after the show to start his singing career.[5]

Bang signed to Korean hip-label Feel Ghood Music.[8] He released the EP Breathe, his first official project, and the video for “Pose”, his first music video, in June 2018.[9][2]

In October 2018, he released his second album-length release, Alien (Issa Mixtape).[8]

Bang is openly gay. He first came out to his brothers in 2012.[4] Bang came out publicly in an interview with Time Out Seoul in 2015, and was described as the first openly gay K-pop singer, though Holland, another openly gay singer, made his official musical debut first.[10][11][2][12] Bang’s friends warned that coming out would be “social suicide”.[13] He has said that his mother, an evangelical Christian and pastor, has not accepted him.[7]