It is a lazy Sunday morning, and Bengaluru city is still bleary-eyed. The previous night, city dwellers were up late grooving to K-pop at India’s first open air festival dedicated to Korean food, music and culture. While K-pop has a huge following in the country, fans at the festival had another reason for their frenzy—one of their own was performing: Indian K-pop idol, Aria.
THE WEEK met Aria at her hotel room. As the door swings open, a chirpy voice greets us: “Anyohaseyo” (“Hello” in Korean). Seeing the blank expression on our faces, the lovely girl before us switches to Malayalam, her mother-tongue. Aria—the first Indian K-pop star to perform onstage—hails from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Sitting across us, dressed in lounge pants and tee, Aria has a girl-next-door innocence about her. One might not think that she is home from her first overseas tour as part of the five-member Korean girl band, X:IN, exactly a year after she set out to pursue her dream. Or that her fan base extends even to China and Pakistan. The rest of the band members flew back to Seoul a few hours ago, but Aria, 20, stayed back to spend some time with her family, who had arrived the previous day.
“I am happy to be able to perform here this soon,” says Aria. “I missed my family a lot, and now I got to see them all. I missed our food, too. Now that I have come, I want to visit again often.”
Korean music caught Aria’s attention in 2017. “After school, I used to watch songs on TV,” says Aria. “One day, I turned on the TV as usual, and was going about my chores when I heard music in an unfamiliar language. It was fun to hear, and much more to watch. I sat fixated by the TV. Later on, I realised I was listening to the song ‘Blood, Sweat & Tears’ by BTS. It changed my life.”
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December 17, 2023 من THE WEEK India.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December 17, 2023 من THE WEEK India.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
A golden girl
One of India's most formidable beauties passed away earlier this month. The odd thing is she would absolutely hate this obituary; she hated being written about and avoided publicity for all of her nine decades. Indira Aswani was 93 when she died. But anyone who encountered her, even briefly, was in such awe of her grace and poise, and one could not but remember her forever.
The interest in wine is growing delightfully in India
The renowned British wine writer and television presenter Jancis Robinson, 74, recently came to Delhi and Mumbai to reacquaint herself with India's wine industry. This was the Robinson's fourth visit to India; the last one was seven years ago. On this trip, Robinson and her husband, restaurateur Nicholas Lander, were hosted by the Taj Hotels and Sonal Holland, India's only Master of Wine.
United in the states
Indian-Americans coming together under the Democratic umbrella could get Harris over the line in key battlegrounds
COVER DRIVE
Usage-driven motor insurance policies offer several benefits
GDP as the only measure of progress is illogical
Dasho Karma Ura, one of the world's leading happiness experts, has guided Bhutan's unique gross national happiness (GNH) project. He uses empirical data to show that money cannot buy happiness in all circumstances, rather it is family and health that have the strongest positive effect on happiness. Excerpts from an interview:
India is not a controlling big brother
Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay considers India a benevolent elder sibling as the \"big brotherly attitude\" is happily missing from bilateral ties. He thinks the relationship shared by the two countries has become a model of friendship not just for the region, but for the entire world. \"India's attitude is definitely not of a big brother who is controlling and does not allow the little brother to blossom and grow,\" says Tobgay in an exclusive interview with THE WEEK.
Comrade with no foes
Lal Salaam, Comrade Yechury-you were quite a guy!
Pinning down saffron
In her first political bout, Vinesh Phogat rides on the anti-BJP sentiment across Haryana
MAKE IN MANIPUR
Home-made rockets and weapons from across the border are escalating the conflict
SAHEB LOSES STEAM
Coalition dynamics and poor electoral prospects continue to diminish Ajit Pawar's political stock