Sriya Lenka, India’s first K-pop star, calls Blackswan entry ‘dream come true’; fans say ‘congratulations didi’

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. Also Read| 18-year-old Odisha girl Sriya Lenka becomes first K-pop star from India

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!’”

Meanwhile, fans have been celebrating her entry to Blackswan on social media. One wrote on Twitter, “Super proud of #Sriya.” Another said, “Woow…This is huge.” A fan wrote on Instagram, “Congratulations. Rooting for you.” Another wrote, “Congratulations Didi bohut sara (many) good wishes. Make our state and county proud. You literally proved that Odia-born girls are unstoppable.” A fan said, “Superb. We’re all proud of you. God bless you.”

Blackswan was started by DR Music as Rania in 2011. It later became BP Rania before getting its current name in October 2020. The group debuted in 2020 with a full album Goodbye Rania, followed by its first single album Close to Me in 2021.