K-Pop band, BlackSwan, has become culturally diverse and inclusive. They have finally announced their fifth member who happens to be from Odisha, India. Her name is Sriya Lenka – the first Indian K-Pop star!
Sriya is just 18 years old and has been trained in Indian classical dance forms like the Odissi dance. She has also received training in freestyle, hip-hop and contemporary dance. Since her childhood, Sriya has been very interested in music and wanted to pursue her dreams in the field.
Her musical journey as a K-Pop star started back in 2020. During the lockdown, Sriya started auditioning for many K-pop groups. Luckily, she got shortlisted for a training camp in Seoul. There she worked hard for five months and polished her singing skills and artistic abilities to an A level.
On May 26, the announcement was made public that the famous K-Pop group BlackSwan’s fifth member is Sriya.
Sriya Lenka – An Indian K-Pop Star
Sriya Lenka was born in 2003 in the Rourkela district of Odisha. She always expressed interest in the music and art industry. She started learning and practising dance forms at the age of 12. Her dance skills were admirable to all.
During the lockdown, Sriya decided to try out for different K-pop groups. For this, she watched many videos and practised her dancing skills. She also tried copying the steps from the music video of the popular song, ‘Grown‘ by the K-pop band EXO.
Her Korean was still weak so she started learning Korean online during the lockdown. She even watched many K-dramas in order to grasp the language better.
Through this, she was also able to learn the cultural aspects of Korea.
About BlackSwan Band
The girl K-Pop band, Blackswan, started in the year 2011 as Rania. They later changed its name from BP Rania to Blackswan in October of 2020.
They released their first debut Album, Goodbye Rania, in 2020. Later in 2021, the band released its first single, Close to Me.
The four members of BlackSwan are Fatou – a Korean singer and leader Youngheun. She is a Senegalese singer-rapper-model from Belgium, the second member is Korean dancer and Singer Judy, then comes Brazilian-Japanese singer Larissa Ayumi Cartes Sakata Leia, and lastly, the youngest of the group is Leia.
Sriya Lanka is all set to become the fifth member of the group.
Earlier, Hyeme was the eldest member of the group. She left Blackswan in November 2020. After her exit, Blackswan started looking for a fifth member and started conducting auditions on YouTube.
The promoter of the group is DR music. They had organised the YouTube auditioning programme. Although DR music was supposed to pick only one member as Hyeme’s replacement, they announced Sriya Lenka and Gabriela Dalcin as the fifth and sixth members of the group.
Gabriela Dalcin is a 19-year-old girl from Brazil.
The two newcomers will stay in Seoul for the time being.
Sriya Lenka’s Journey
The Indian dancer had made it to the five-month programme in Seoul. She was chosen from 4,000 applicants through the YouTube audition programme. For the past five months, Sriya went through rigorous training. She was getting trained for every necessary skill like standard vocal, rap and dance lessons. The training process also included musical instruments, personal training and language training.
Sriya’s dad, Avinash Lenka, was ecstatic to hear the news. He told the media that he is overjoyed after hearing that his daughter made history by becoming the first Indian K-Pop star.
Avinash Lenka has always encouraged his daughter’s passion for dancing. He proudly said that he always had faith in his daughter.
The K-Pop music industry is gaining popularity globally. Youngsters especially in India are giving in to its craze. The fan following is very diverse and ranges from teenagers to adults.
Sriya has now become an inspiration for many Indian youngsters.
Also Check Out: Jamie Foxx Expresses His Anger And Targets Lawmakers After The Texas School Shooting
