INDIANS STORM K-POP’S STAGE!
Impressive performances at the global level have helped two Indian youngsters bag places in two upcoming K-pop groups
Fans of K-pop in India were taken by surprise when the members of two new K-pop groups, Z-Girls and Z-Boys, were announced recently. Two particular names made everyone do a double take — Priyanka and Siddhant. And their reaction was no surprise; after all, it’s for the first time ever that a K-pop group will include Indians.
Priyanka Mazumdar, 21, of Z-Girls, is already a known name among Indian K-pop fans — she had represented India in the K-pop World Festival 2016, after ranking first in the Chennai round and then fourth in the final Indian leg of the competition held in Delhi. She then went on to win the Excellent Vocal award at the final round, held in Changwon, South Korea, in 2016, which saw competitors from 15 countries such as Russia, Mexico, USA, Sweden, Japan, and Hungary.
Meanwhile, all that is known about Z-Boys’ Siddhant Arora (who has taken the stage name Sid), so far, is that he is a YouTuber who covers
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YUVRAJ SINGH CHAUDHARY
Bollywood hits and has also performed at various live events in Bangalore.
Sid and Priyanka will officially make their debut at the Z-pop Dream Live in Seoul, a concert scheduled to be held on February 23 in the South Korean capital.
“I’m really surprised and, at the same time, very proud of these two,” says Delhi University student Ananya Agarwal, an avid K-pop fan. “Being firsts from the country, they will help in spreading K-pop in India, too,” she adds. Meanwhile, Yuvraj Singh Chaudhary, 18, says, “They are bringing in exposure of vocals other than that of Korean natives, and this fusion is going to be pretty amazing! The strong vocals of Priyanka and Sid are going to rock the stage!”
Part of the Z-Pop Dream project, the new groups are an attempt to create the first ‘truly international’ K-pop group. According to a video release, Z-Pop Dream is a “global entertainment ecosystem to discover hidden pop music talents, initially from Asia, then on a global scale”. The members belong to countries across Asia, including India, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia.
Both the artists are currently unavailable for an official comment due to company policy. However Priyanka’s sister, Mousumi, told us that the singer is busy preparing for the performance: “Due to her hectic schedule, preparations for the upcoming concert, and company policy, she cannot appear for an interview at the moment. She’d love to speak to you once the concert is done.”
They are bringing in exposure of vocals other than that of Korean natives.
The strong vocals of Priyanka and Sid are going to rock the stage.
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