Subulakshmi MG, Pondicherry
Chennai Regional Round of the K-Pop India Contest 2020 was conducted online on 7th August 2020 at 7 p.m. IST on the YouTube channel of The K-wave India. Here is an excerpt from the statements of the winners of the Dance and Vocal categories and the Regional Round organiser regarding their experience of this event.
Dance Category
Ms. Subiksha Priyal (Winner)
My name is Subiksha Priyal, and I am 19 years old. I am participating in this year’s K-Pop India Contest, and I am the winner of the Chennai Regional Round in the Dance category. I’ve been following this contest since 2016, and it’s honestly a life-changing experience. It doesn’t matter if you’re a performer or someone in the audience! I participated with a dance group in 2019, but this year, I participated as a solo performer due to the COVID situation. At first, I was nervous about choosing the right song and making sure I could showcase my best techniques as a dancer, but once I got through the Online Round, I received a lot of support from my peers to practice harder for the Regional Round. All my hard work and interest towards K-Pop paid off when I was announced the winner of the Regional Round!
Ms. Jennifer Elisia Mary (First Runner-up)
I’m Jennifer Elisia Mary, a 17-year-old multi-stan K-Pop lover and the First runner-up of the Chennai Regional Round in the Dance category. At first, I didn’t know what to expect because the Online Round was something new. It was a little more nerve-wracking than an offline event as I didn’t exactly know who the audience was going to be, but that just brought a different thrill to the experience. I was happy and surprised when I found out that I was the first runner-up since this was my first time participating in the contest, and I didn’t expect much. I’m not going to lie; I was a little disheartened to find out that I wouldn’t go on to the next round, but I feel Subhiksha deserved the win, and it just made me more motivated for the next year! The love and dedication that the Indian fans had for K-Pop in the previous contests is a major factor, but all the K-Pop idols themselves, especially Dreamcatcher (for this song), were the main part of the inspiration/motivation for me to participate this year.
Ms. Meghana (Second Runner-up)
Hello! I’m Meghana, and I’m 18 years old. I am the second runner-up of the Chennai Regional Round in the Dance category. I’ve been a K-Pop fan since 2016, and my favorite group is GOT7. I’ve been a dancer since I was young but had quit dancing when I was around 12 because I wasn’t really feeling it and no longer had the passion for it. However, after I got into K-Pop, I felt motivated to dance again after watching many groups like GOT7, Red Velvet, Blackpink, etc. dance so well, and in sync. I found out about the Changwon Contest held in India every year by chance and have tried to actively participate in it since 2018. Red Velvet is one of my favorite K-Pop girl groups, and I wanted to dance to one of their songs on stage again, so I decided to dance to ‘Rookie’. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, the rounds were held online, but it didn’t stop me (or any of the contestants for that matter) from dancing. I was lucky to receive lots of love and support from my friends and members of the K-wave group.
I was really surprised when I was announced as the second runner-up. Actually, I was not feeling well, so I was not able to give my best performance. When I look back at my submission, I have so much criticism to give to myself. I am thankful for winning even though I was lacking. I’d also like to encourage anyone who wants to participate but feels like they are not good enough to do so. This is an open platform for anyone who wishes to try; the K-wave community has nothing but love and support for everyone.
Vocal Category
Ms. Diksha Krishnan (Winner)
Four years ago, I wasn’t a fan of K-Pop. I knew friends who were obsessed with the genre, but I never took much interest in exploring it. It was after my Grade 9 exams when my best friend made me watch KARD’s ‘Rumor’. It was my first ever exposure to K-Pop and a good one at that too. Since then, I have been interested in the genre, and K-Pop India Contest has helped me explore more of it. My experience has been wonderful as I got to meet new people and know more about the new K-Pop groups and the South Korean culture and the traditions they adhere to. Winning once was marvelous, but winning twice made the victory taste better. I’m glad that we are getting such an opportunity to showcase our talent and show the world that music doesn’t require a language for understanding. All you need is to vibe with the tune. I sincerely thank KCCI for giving me this opportunity and Sanjay sunbae for doing such a brilliant job in organising this event for so many years. Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank everyone, who supported me throughout this journey and encouraged me so that I could win this year’s regionals. Chennai, thank you all once again!
Ms. Janani. M (Second Runner-up)
It was an amazing experience taking part with fellow mates who share the same interests. This was my first time participating in this contest, and all I wanted was to give it a try. When I saw my name on the list of people who’d qualified for the Regional Round, I was more than happy. I was so excited! Singing has always been my passion and getting into K-Pop was one of the best things that happened to me. I found people who support me so much, and I’m grateful for that. Though it was conducted online this time, it was a different kind of fun. Participating with such talented contestants is an honour. All I did was give it my best shot. On the day of the results, I never expected to see my name as most of them have already participated in the previous years. I was happy and even more encouraged! My passion for music and K-Pop, my friends, and my K-wave family motivated me and supported me throughout. I thank KCCI and our regional organiser, The K-wave India, for such a good experience. Looking forward to meet all of the participants and new people next year.
Regional Organiser: The K-wave India
Mr. Sanjay Ramjhi
It was very different and harder to organise an online event than an offline one. The paucity of time was always an issue—rendering time, editing time, et cetera. Coordinating and getting the video clips were a bit hard as well, but overall, everything turned out well, and it was a fun event to host.
Check out the Chennai Regional Round here:
Congratulations 🎊