Odisha girl Sriya Lenka’s dream came true on Thursday when she earned a place in the South Korea-based girl band Blackswan.

“It feels unreal that an Indian girl is going to be a part of a K-pop band. Sriya just gave fans like us one more reason to follow Korean songs and bands. But I hope she gets accepted and doesn’t meet the fate of Lisa from Blackpink, who is from Thailand,” says Poulomi Mitra, a social media professional and music enthusiast.

Sriya, an 18-year-old from the small town of Jharsuguda in Odisha, has been training hard with the band’s parent music company in Seoul since December 2021. “When my name was announced, all my fears were washed away. It was the happiest moment of my life. It was a dream come true. I have been away from my home, my country, my family and friends for so long and I wanted to make everyone proud. So, when I was selected, the first thought that came to my mind was, ‘Yes, I did it!’,” says Sriya from Seoul.

Speaking to us from Jharsuguda, Sriya’s father Abinash Lenka said it’s a proud moment not just for the family, but Sriya’s friends, extended family, and the state. When asked if Sriya would be coming home soon, he said, “It’s on the cards, but a date hasn’t been finalised yet. ”

According to Philip YJ Yoon from the music company that manages Blackswan, they could see that Sriya was naturally talented when they first met her. “We also figured that she was very competitive as she had been participating in traditional Indian dance competitions back in her country,” he said, adding, “Nevertheless, K-pop training was very different from what she had been doing. She had to be in a country where everything, right from food and culture to language, was different.”

Phillip says, “For the past six months, her improvement never ceased to surprise us. Her training schedule began at 9 am and ended at 10 pm, but she continued practicing in the dorm till 2-3 am on her own. That was the biggest reason behind her selection. She is not only naturally talented but also very diligent, which is a rare combination.”

He adds, “If she keeps training as much as she does now, I’m pretty sure she’ll be a great artiste.”

When asked about their first album, Philip said, “Gabi (Gabriella) and Sriya just joined the band. They need to start preparing for the next Blackswan album as soon as possible. It’s too early to reveal when the album will be long for sure.”