In what can only be considered a proud achievement for India, Shreya Lenka of Odisha has been selected as the fifth member of an all-girl K-pop band Blackswan. She was chosen following a six-month long audition and training programme conducted by the group’s label D R Music Entertainment Korea.
Another girl, Gabriela Dalcin, who is from Brazil also made the cut. Shreya has chosen to go by her stage name Sriya and Gabriela is known as Gabi.
The auditions had been organized after Hyeme, a former Blackswan member, left the group in November 2020.
Both the girls’ performance impressed the jury and were selected because of their superior talents. “They showed us very positive energy when sticking together and achieving each of the assignments they needed to overcome. It was one of the reasons we decided not to separate them,” Philip YJ Yoon, Director of D R Music, stated.
As part of the training, which started in December, both the artists had to work on their Korean language, dancing and vocal skills. “The duo will now start preparing for their new album and stage performances,” Yoon added.
In 2003, a friend introduced Shreya to K-pop. She was captivated by the choreography in the music videos and became fascinated to its ‘unique style’ of singing and performing.
Exo was the teenager’s first introduction to K-pop, and she quickly became enamoured with songs by BTS, Stray Kids, and The Boyz. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she observed K-pop record labels conducting online auditions in 2020 and decided to give it a chance.
When Lenka’s grandma learned that she was auditioning for K-pop, she connected her to a classical music tutor. Her brief study of Odissi helped her to enhance subtle nuances.
