Swedish singing star Darin comes out

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33-year-old Swedish singer Darin Zanyar–generally known by only his first name commercially–just came out of the closet.

Darin made the announcement on Facebook and Instagram, revealing to the world that he is a gay man.

“Everyone in the world should be able to be proud and accepted for who they are,” Darin writes in the post. “I know how difficult it can be. Took me a while, but I am proud to be gay. Happy pride!”

Though born in Sweden, Darin is of Kurdish descent, born to two Iraqi emigres. He first burst onto the pop scene in 2004 with an appearance on Swedish Idol, where he placed second in the season competition. He was just 16 at the time.

Darin found his career prospects budding with the release of his album The Anthem in  2005. His first single, “Money for Nothing,” penned by the pop star Robyn went to #1 on the Swedish charts. He followed up with another album, Darin, later that year.

Darin hit a new level of fame in 2013 when he performed at the Eurovision Song Contest outside of the competition. He continues to release music in English and his native tongue. His most recent single, “Identitetslös” deals with his search for identity as the son of immigrants in Sweden. He’s described the track as his most personal to date.