PVRIS lead singer Lynn Gunn has talked about how she thinks it is important to be public about her sexuality, and why she’s happy to be a role model for young gay people.

"I never had someone to look up to and be like 'oh that person is OK and they're gay,'” Lynn said in a recent interview with BBC Newsbeat. “If I can be that for someone then it's why I'm open about it.”

Having previously been reluctant to discuss her sexuality (Lynn has been in a relationship with fellow musician Alexa San Roman since 2012), the PVRIS frontwoman is now much more open about the fact that she is gay and frequently discusses issues with sexuality with her fans on social media.

"I used to want to be private about it [sexuality], but I think it's something that needs to be shared publicly,” she said, going on to explain how she believes that “a lot of people are trying to accept themselves and come to terms with it because it's still a pretty big thing right now.”

Now that PVRIS have found worldwide success with their debut album White Noise, Lynn finds herself able to connect with fans experiencing some of the same things she went through growing up, via Twitter and in person. “It's good to have an open mind and speak about stuff if you have a platform to, as long as it's something positive and something that's beneficial to other people," she told Newsbeat backstage at Reading Festival.

"The more it's talked about, the more accustomed people become to it and it's not an issue any more. So that's my thinking on it."

Lynn was understandably very happy when gay marriage was declared a legal right in the USA this summer, even taking to the stage during PVRIS’ set on Warped Tour to speak about why it was such an important moment.

PVRIS have enjoyed a whirlwind 12 months of fan worship and sold out tours, coming to conclusion in 2015 with their support slot on Bring Me The Horizon’s US and UK tours.