India's first K-Pop star Sriya Lenka: "I get emotional when people call me 'India ki beti'"

You were selected among hundreds. How tough was it?

I trained for four months in classical singing before my global auditions with the South Korean music label DR Music Entertainment. Initially, it was tough as many classical vocal music teachers refused to take me on because of my deep voice. Then, my grandmother helped me and put me on to someone who taught me classical vocals and all those techniques, the raagas, and the nuances of vocals. Freestyle singing, however, is very different from classical. In the last six months, I've learnt a lot about music and singing here in Seoul.

What about K-Pop inspired you?

What I really loved about K-Pop was that not just the singing and the music, their dancing too was very strong. I wanted all that - a stage performance, shoots. I wanted to live that life of a pop idol and live the dream.

While there are people who are applauding your success, not many know about the struggles you have gone through to achieve all this at such a young age. Tell us about it…

Right from 2020 I had begun giving auditions because I wanted to fulfill my dream to be a pop star. Since the pandemic happened right then, all studios shut down and I had a tough time looking for a place to record my auditions. There have been times when I have recorded my auditions on the terrace of my home in Jharsuguda. I come from a simple family and a humble background and we had a hard time growing up. What really helped was the immense support I got from my family. My grandfather constantly egged me on. He wanted to see me succeed, fulfill my dreams and he was keen to watch me on a huge stage, doing something in music. Sadly, he passed away before I was selected for Blackswan.

In 2021 the DR Music audition happened and I was selected. When I finally got into DR Music, my life turned around.

Has it been hard since then?

The hardest part of all this is living away from my family. I had never travelled outside of my country before, no foreign destinations at all. The lifestyle, the food, the culture, the language, every single thing is different here. And so it was tough initially. But thankfully, DR Music taught me a lot of things and the company was helpful all the way. We have had a packed schedule with music, dance practice along with our studies. We have been working very hard and people around me have been kind and sweet. They have supported and motivated me and that’s what has kept me going.

What is the confusion with how your name is spelt?

My name is Sriya but when I was growing up, everyone would pronounce it as Shreya with Sh instead of S. My parents had given me the name Sriya when I was born. Sriya means goddess Lakshmi and now, this is the name that I want to stick with for life.

Do you love K-dramas?

Yes! Huge fan! I have loved watching K-dramas. Hotel DelLuna and Mr Queen are my top favourites, among the many others that I have watched. I have binge-watched Mr Queen over six times and I just love it. After watching K-dramas, I slowly got introduced to K-Pop. In fact, I didn’t know much about K-Pop initially.

Did you learn Korean before you left for Seoul?

I taught myself a little Korean by reading up and watching videos. Plus, all the K-dramas I watched helped me with the language. I took time off from my studies and practised and learnt Korean. And then after my selection, when I came to South Korea, I officially learnt the Korean language. Now I think I can converse in that language confidently.

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