Sriya Lenka, India’s first K-pop star, calls Blackswan entry ‘dream come true’

Sriya Lenka recently made history as she became the first Indian to become a K-pop star. The singer, who hails from Rourkela, Odisha, has been announced as the fifth member of the K-pop girl band Blackswan. Indian K-pop fans took to social media to praise Sriya’s achievement and said they are proud of her

Sriya was selected as a member of the group after its oldest member Hyeme left the band in November 2020. Global auditions for Hyeme were announced in May last year, after which Sriya and Gabrielan Dalcin of Brazil were chosen through a YouTube audition programme. Though they only needed one member, they added Gabrielan to the group, making it a six-member band. The other members are Youngheun, Fatou, Judy, and Leia.

Sriya, who had been undergoing rigorous training for the past six months in Seoul to become a K-pop star, told ETimes that it’s a dream come true for her. She said, “When my name was announced, all my fears were washed away. It was the happiest moment of my life. It was a dream come true. I have been away from my home, my country, my family and friends for so long and I wanted to make everyone proud. So, when I was selected, the first thought that came to my mind was, ‘Yes, I did it!’”