WION Exclusive: India’s first K-Pop star Shreya Lenka attributes her father for her success

Dedication and hard work always pay off. Shreya Lenka, 18, from India’s steel city of Rourkela, Odisha, has made history by becoming the fifth member of the popular South Korean pop band Blackswan. But achieving the dream was not easy.

WION had a chance to speak to the rising Asian star, where the young artist spokeabout her aspirations and how she was able to crack this once in a lifetime opportunity.

Shreya, who is trained in the Odissi dance form, said she could not express in words her happiness on being chosen as the first Indian woman member of a K-Pop band.

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Adding that it was her childhood dream to be an artist, Shreya said, "I wanted to represent India and now this has happened, so I feel like, Yes, I did it."

Shreya became a social media sensation and has been trending ever since the announcement was made.Her family and relatives have been expressing joy and pride about her achievement through posts on social media. The newest K-Pop star says that her family and friends' reaction is "priceless".

"My family and friends' reaction was really precious to me because I always wanted to hear those things.And when they say that they are proud of me, it's kind of heart-touching."

Praising the K-Pop group Blackswan as "unique and different," Shreya said that the unique thing about the band is that each member’s uniqueness is promoted and has no discrimination.

"Blackswan is a group formed not on the basis of colour, nationality or age, but on talent."

Shreya also acknowledges how learning classical dance was a difficult journey for her and how her father has been very supportive of her dreams.

"As a kid when I used to dance, people around me appreciated and said that I could be good at dancing. It was then when my father took me to Odissi classes."

The singer recalled how tough it was for her family, saying, "My father tried his best to give me everything that he could."

"I and my father used to travel long distances on Saturdays and Sundays for the dance classes," added Shreya.
The singer has been trained in Odissi for five years.

Lenka, who is currently training with the Blackswan group, said that since joining the band, she has become more "self-dependent, focused and determined." Being a part of the band, the singer has learnt that patience can be rewarding.

Also Read:First Indian K-Pop Star! 18-year-old Shreya Lenka joins Korean band Blackswan

There are so many things to learn from each other, Shreya said. "They told me so many new things. We learned about cultures, different dances, lifestyles, and food. There are so many sweet moments the group members share with each other."

She added that learning with the band has been great and the seniors and juniors have friendly relations.

Watch the interview here:-