Getting To Know Shreya Lenka, The Artist On Her Way To Becoming India’s First K-Pop Star

The K-pop wave in India is getting wilder by the minute. Bands like BTS and Black Pink now enjoy a strong fan following in the country. The growing fondness for K-pop has led 18-year-old Shreya Lenka from Odisha to venture into this music genre. While this is big news on its own, she is also really close to becoming the first-ever K-pop artist from India.

Lenka had auditioned for the open spot in the South Korean girl group Blackswan. She is one of the two finalists selected from global auditions. PItted against Gabriela Dalcin of Brazil, if Shreya Lenka wins the competition, she will be the fifth member of the band that made their debut in 2020. The group consists of Youngheun, Fatou, Judy, and Leia.

Blackswan’s label DR Music had announced the competition in May 2021. They had revealed that they would hold global auditions to fill the position left vacant by Hyemi’s exit from the group. Lenka, the only Indian to qualify, is a trained dancer and yoga practitioner. She performs K-pop dance covers.

Born in Rourkela in 2003, Lenka is also trained in Hindustani classical music, Odissi and other forms of contemporary dance. “Since I have a deep voice, I faced difficulty in finding the right vocal trainer. My grandmother helped me find one. She took me to a Hindustani classical music teacher who taught me twice a week. But, for the western songs, I had to rely on online videos and self-learning,” the teen told Odisha Bytes.

Lenka and Dalcin are now reportedly moving their base to South Korea. The two will undergo training for a month. At the end of the month, one contestant will go on to join Blackswan. Just like Lenka, Dalcin also performs K-Pop covers. She is part of the dance cover girl group Queens of Revolution.

(Featured Image Credits: Instagram @drenter_official)