Odisha's Shreya Lenka is one step away from becoming India's first K-Pop idol

Shreya Lenka from Odisha is one step away from becoming the first-ever K-pop idol from India. Shreya Lenka is an 18-year-old girl who was born in Rourkela in 2003.

She is one of two finalists selected from global auditions that were held to fill an open spot in the South Korean girl group BLACKSWAN. If she beats Gabriela Dalcin of Brazil, Shreya will become the fifth member of the already established K-Pop girl band BLACKSWAN.

Shreya Lenka could become India's First K-Pop idol

On May 2021, BLACKSWAN's label DR Music announced that they would hold global auditions to fill a spot left open after Hyemi's exit from the group. Later, Shreya Lenka was revealed as one of those selected in the global audition for the second round.

Shreya Lenka has already gained a lot of popularity on youtube through her dance and singing covers and many Indian and international K-Pop fans have been rooting for her to become a trainee under the label and become the first K-Pop idol in India’s history.

Recently, DR Music revealed on their official Instagram page that two people are now in the running for the coveted spot. Gabriela Dalcin is part of the dance cover girl group Queens of Revolution. Shreya Lenka, a trained dancer and yoga practitioner, is the only Indian trainee to be selected.

Like Gabriela, she also performs K-pop dance covers. The two will now attend a month-long training period in South Korea. At the end of this period, one of them will be selected to become a member of the girl group.

Shreya Lenka is trained in Hindustani classical as well as Odissi and other forms of contemporary dance. Shreya had been training under Madan Mohan Purty, Boogie Woogie Hip Hop 2009 winner. The teenager had enrolled in Odissi class as a kid but had to discontinue it owing to a financial crisis. She later trained under Mendo Barla.

Shreya Lenka has also been praised by fans for her crazy dance moves and for her soothing deep voice. Shreya also said,

"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 western songs, I had to rely on online videos and self-learning.”

BLACKSWAN made its debut in 2020. Currently, the group consists of Youngheun, Fatou, Judy, and Leia.

BLACKSWAN is a South Korean girl group formed by DR Music formerly known as Rania and BP Rania, that debuted on October 16, 2020, with the full album Goodbye Rania. The group consists of Youngheun, Fatou, Judy, and Leia. Hyemi, the fifth member, left the group in November 2020.

Besides, Shreya Lenka getting selected as a K-Pop Trainee is one of the milestones achieved by the Korean wave in India. The Korean wave is slowly spreading in India but it has been boosted since 2017 when the South Korean drama Descendants of the Sun, which gained appreciation from more than 30 countries, was seen on Indian television.

The drama was telecasted in Hindi on Zindagi. It was televised through the Korea Tourism Organization for promoting the Korean wave in India.The hit drama Descendants of the Sun was extremely appreciated by the Indian audience and as a result, the number of K-Pop and K-drama fans has increased in India.

Many K-Pop idol concerts have also happened in India with idols such as KARD and soloist Jang Han-byul. With this, K-Pop-inspired group Z-Stars consisting of Z-Girls, and Z-Boys also had a concert in India.

Shreya Lenka is a potential candidate to become a member of BLACKSWAN.

There are already many Indian K-Pop fans. If Shreya becomes a part of the group, BLACKSWAN will also become popular in India, fans said.

An Indian girl was selected as an official trainee under the K-Pop label and desi fans couldn't be happier, and have expressed their excitement and support for this achievement on social media.

In a few months we might see India's first K-Pop idol. Until then, check out this melodious song cover of India's upcoming K-Pop idol.