KUALA LUMPUR: Shreya Lenka has become India's first K-Pop star after she was inducted as the fifth member of girl group Blackswan.
AsiaOne reported today that Lenka, a trained dancer from Orissa was picked after months of global auditions that began last year.
Music agency DR Music announced that she replaced singer Hyeme who left the group earlier this year.
Brazilian Gabriela Dalcin, who also took part in the contest, was chosen as the band's sixth member.
DR Music welcomed the newcomers in an Instagram post, which read: "We will be back with the new Blackswan".
Lenka, 18, said that joining Blackswan was a dream come true but the path to success was not easy as she was rejected in multiple auditions.
Lenka was introduced to K-Pop by a friend a few years ago and quickly became interested in the "beautiful genre".
"Everyone in India tries Bollywood but I wanted to do something different, so I decided to pursue K-Pop," she said.
Lenka found freestyle dancing difficult in the beginning but worked hard to master it.
She plans to encourage others to pursue their goals.
DR Music Entertainment Korea director Philip Yoon said: "Lenka and Dalcin showed us very positive energy when sticking together. It was the reason we decided not to separate them."