18-year-old Sriya Lenka becomes first-ever Indian K-pop star!
India has its first-ever K-pop star! Odisha-based Sriya Lenka will be joining the Korean pop band Blackswan. She was chosen after a rigorous global audition program lasting six months on YouTube. Lenka faced stiff competition from over 4,000 participants globally. Brazilian performer Gabriela Dalcin has also made it to the pop band. Lenka has scripted history through this unprecedented achievement. Congratulations!
Why does this story matter?
K-pop has a humongous craze all around the world and India is no exception, particularly due to the rising popularity of the boy-band BTS. Starting in the 1990s, K-pop is a blend of multiple genres such as rock, hip hop, and electronic music. Considering these factors, it is a stupendous achievement for Lenka to represent India on the global stage.
'Blackswan' already has two foreign members
The girl group, Blackswan, debuted in 2020 and currently has two foreign members: Fatou (Senegalese-Belgian) and Leia (Brazilian-Japanese). Music management company DR Music wrote on Instagram, "Sriya and Gabi were finally selected as members of Blackswan after participating in the global audition program for the last six months." Interestingly, the original plan was to select one singer, but the label locked them both in.
Lenka watched Korean dramas to fathom language, culture
Lenka has reportedly been pursuing this dream since she was 12. As per Bebak Post, the 18-year-old, endeavoring to develop a grip over the language, began binging Korean dramas soon after her auditions commenced. While chronicling her journey in a separate conversation with Talk Talk Korea, she mentioned she had dedicated a better portion of her training time to working on her vocal range.
'It was difficult to find the right vocal trainer'
Speaking to Odisha Bytes, the teenager commented, "Since I have a deep voice, I faced difficulty in finding the right vocal trainer. My grandmother helped me find one." She also mentioned how she learned Hindustani classical music twice a week but had to rely on videos and self-learning for Western songs. Reportedly, Lenka is trained in multiple dance forms, including Hindustani classical and Odissi.
What's next for the dancer-singer?
Lenka underwent a demanding training program in the last five months, which comprised learning tutorials across standard vocal, rap, and dance lessons. Reportedly, she also underwent personal training sessions, learned musical instruments, and took linguistic classes. Lenka and Dalcin will now be spending the next few months in Seoul practicing their vocal cords to perfection before the release of Blackswan's next song.
With two new recruits, Blackswan now has six members
Blackswan had four members—namely Youngheun (leader), Leia (vocalist), Judy (dancer, vocalist), and Fatou (main rapper and lead dancer)—before the latest additions. To recall, in November 2020, Hyeme decided to bid adieu to the group, leading DR Music to organize auditions to fill the empty spot.
