K POP’s First Diverse Group Blackswan on their comeback and India experience

By: Puja Talwar

BLACKSWAN is back with their much anticipated comeback with the EP “That Karma” and its lead single, “Karma.” What makes the colorful and vibrant music video special is that it has been entirely shot in India, making it the first of its kind in the K-pop industry. The multi-cultural girl band is the only K-pop group on the current scene, which consists of members from diverse nationalities, and with no Korean member amongst their current roster.

Sriya Lenka who became the first Indian K pop idol was the latest addition to the group along with Brazil’s Gabi in January 2022. The quartet includes Fatou from Senegal and NVee from the United States.

“Karma” which garnered over 2:5 millions views soon after it was released, and with pre orders of the album sold out, were the girls expecting it or were they taken back by the overwhelming response?

“Surprised, definitely, I was not expecting it , at all. The fans have been so passionate and so loving, it has been humbling”, says Fatou in an exclusive to Urban Asian.

NVee further adds saying “ Though I was surprised, though somewhere was expecting it too. This album would just give a different take and perspective on what we do. But, I had no clue how passionate people have been about it”.

Filming across various locations in and around Bhubaneshwar, the girls describe their experience as nothing short of surreal.

“I was touched by the warmth of the people in India, they were just so welcoming, they seemed like family. Also the vibrancy of its culture and the food, it was amazing”, says Fatou.

Sriya chips in, “ I took them home, my family did a” pooja” for them as we do with guests in India. Also all of them were so taken in with the splendour of Odisha, so also was their tour guide of sorts”.

BLACKSWAN who have truly been pioneers when it comes to championing diversity and inclusivity in K-pop, hope it sets a precedent for others to follow.

“It was easy but challenging too. But diversity is needed and is very important. Am sure many young girls are aspiring to be part of this business and can look up at us and not get encouraged”, says Fatou. Sriya further adds, “We look different, but represent our countries and our skin tone is representative of who we are. I don’t anyone to get complexed about their skin color, we are the end of the day all the same”.

Credit: DR Music Entertainment

With the explosion of K-pop across the world, the hyper competitive nature of the industry is a well known fact. The drill of being on top of your game involves a lot of hard work and perseverance to stay relevant in a constantly changing world.

“We need to firstly keep ourselves healthy not physically, but mentally. It is a very competitive field and there will be a lot of opinions, some good, some bad about you, the group, your music and performances. You need to learn to deal with that yourself and to keep yourself stable, happy and motivated. There are times when one gets demoralized, but don’t let that get you down, remember what you came here for”, says NVee in all seriousness

Representing the second edition of “BLACKSWAN”, the quartet express their gratitude towards their predecessors.

“We are not replacing anyone, we are here because of them. They paved the way for us to be here, they did such a good job and we hope to carry the legacy forward”, says Gabi.

Fatou who heads the group says, the three Sriya, NVee and Gabi have worked hard and improved remarkably. The three in a light moment admit that they are actually very scared of Fatou, “one look from her and we know when we have messed up”, they chime in unison.