Sriadita Emani, Hyderabad
Hyderabad Regional Round of the K-Pop India Contest 2020 was conducted online on 16th August 2020 at 2 p.m. IST on the YouTube page Hyderabad Kpoppers. The Regional Round organiser on Instagram is hyderabad_kpoppers. Here is an excerpt from the statements of the winners of the Dance and Vocal categories and the organiser regarding their experience of this event.
Dance Category
Ms. Sahithi Mangalpally (Winner)
Hey, I’m Sahithi Mangalpally and I’m 16 years old. This year I won the Hyderabad Regional Round in the Dance category. This is the second time I’m participating in the competition so I know the do’s and don’ts and what to improve for a good performance. I had truly put all my efforts into this and practiced until I knew I was satisfied. I overcame my stamina and flexibility problem too. My motivation is my friends, family, my love for dance, and K-Pop.
Ms. Sreeya Das (First Runner-up)
Hi, I am Sreeya Das and I am 17 years old. I am the first runner-up of the Hyderabad Regional Round in the Dance category. I’ve competed in multiple dance competitions but this contest was where I obtained a place which was too good to be true for me. Even though I couldn’t make it to the finals, I presented my best shot and that’s all that matters to me. It gave me immense strength and courage. I’ve been anticipating to participate in this contest since 2019. K-Pop turned out to be a highly significant matter to me as it enabled me to display my capabilities. That in itself prompted me to take part in the competition.
Ms. Jalli Nikitha (Second Runner-up)
My name is Jalli Nikhita and I am 16 years old. I am the second runner-up of the Hyderabad Regional Round in the Dance category. This was my first time participating in this contest, and I felt great doing so. So, due to some personal reasons I know I didn’t give my best but still, I tried. But the thing is I feel proud of myself being a second runner-up. The thing which motivated me was my need for a platform to display my talent. And, I feel this K-Pop contest helped me. I thank everyone who provided me with such an opportunity. I feel very happy. Actually, I want to become a K-Pop idol so let’s see if there are any chances.
Vocal Category
Ms. Komal Harshitha (Winner)
I’m Komal Harshitha Natarajan, winner of the Vocal category of the Hyderabad Regional Round. This journey started with an early, shabby submission which left me with a lot of spare time to worry myself. In my video, I was a mess from start to finish. I could only hope for a second chance, which I was fortunately given. The regional round was filled with amazing performances and served as an opportunity for me to listen and learn. I’ve always loved singing and K-Pop opened my mind to new possibilities, new music. There’s no way I wouldn’t want to be a part of such an important event for Indian K-Pop fans as this contest.
Ms. Jahnavi Aiyer (First Runner-up)
Hi, I am Jahnavi Aiyer and I am 20 years old. I am the first runner-up of the Hyderabad Regional Round in the Vocal category. I had taken part in the Kfanzz K-Pop Cover Contest that was held in Hyderabad in the beginning of the year and had won first place in the Vocal category. For the past few years, I had hesitated to take part in the All India Contest, but that experience motivated me to take part in the contest this year. Since it was my first time participating and it was all online, I was super excited and intrigued. Considering how amazing all the other performers were, I totally didn’t expect to win. So, it genuinely came as a surprise to me when my name was announced as the first runner-up.
Ms. Ameya (Second Runner-up)
Hey! I’m Ameya and I am 17 years old. I’ve participated in the ‘K-Pop India Contest 2020’ and won the second runner-up position for the Vocal category in the Hyderabad Regional Round. I’m really thankful to KCCI for providing such a great platform for us to showcase our talent. The whole experience right from the online round was great. During these hard times, this was a great escape for me. The regional round was very engaging and showcased so many talented performers and I’m so glad to have been a part of it. I’ve always been someone who loved to sing and after I started to get into K-Pop and read about this contest online, I was really motivated to take part in it and give my best. I’m really grateful and happy with the fact that I’ve won a position in this contest. I will always look forward to keep up with more upcoming contests.
Regional Organiser: Hyderabad Kpoppers
Ms. G. Sree Ramya Krishna
Hyderabad Kpoppers & Korean Cultural Society is an organisation found in 2013 with the aim to promote Indo–Telangana–Korea Relations via culture, music & more. Telangana Korea Cultural Fest & All India K-Pop Contest Hyderabad Regional Round is being conducted annually since 2017. 2017 was our first year of organising the Hyderabad Regional Round along with Korean Cultural Centre India; The Embassy of the Republic of Korea and many others. The event named Indo Korea Cultural Melange & All India K-Pop Contest Hyderabad Regional Round 2017 featured a K-Pop concert by K-Pop Boy Band Lucente and marked the beginning of our long journey since the organisation’s foundation in 2013!! From Hyderabad’s first-ever K-Pop flash mob to many Korean film festivals, all the events have been a grand success. Thanks to all the experiences & guidance provided by The Director of Korean Cultural Centre India Mr. Kim Kum-pyoung; The Programs Team of Korean Cultural Centre India & Mr. Mamidi Harikrishna, Director, Department of Language and Culture, Government of Telangana; who have always been helpful to us each year to create wonderful memories and events which were a grand success.
Hyderabad Kpoppers & Korean Cultural Society also organised and co-hosted Telangana Korea Cultural Fest & All India K-Pop Contest Hyderabad Regional Round in 2018 & 2019. For the first time in the history of the event, in the year 2019, Hyderabad Regional Round Vocal category winner & Hyderabad Kpoppers member Ms. Harini Nittala went on to become the winner of the All India K-Pop Contest 2019 Vocal category and made us proud.
Telangana Korea Cultural Fest & All India Kpop Contest Hyderabad Regional Round 2020 conducted on 16th August 2020 is an annual festival and is an event conducted by Hyderabad Kpoppers & Korean Cultural Society. The event was organised successfully, thanks to our main hosts Korean Cultural Centre India; The Embassy of the Republic of Korea; All India Event Partner Korea Tourism Organisation; All India Event Partner Samsung; Hyderabad Regional Round Co-hosts- Department of Language & Culture, Government of Telangana; Hyderabad Regional Round Sponsors- Mirabelle Cosmetics & Hyderabad Regional Round Instagram Media Partners– koreanet_globalhr. This year, taking the pandemic into account, the event was conducted completely online. Despite the concept of the virtual event being new to everyone, we took this as an opportunity to take the event to the next level and to make the event feel as real as possible to everyone. The 3 hour-long event started off with announcements by our MC– Mrs. Neeharika Mulpur proceeded by a few promotional videos by our partners, like every year this year’s event also began with a unique “Lighting of the Lamp’’ ceremony. It was unique as this year, the lamp was lit by the audience!! Next, we had an introduction video of our honourable jury. We had 8 judges in total namely:
● Mr. K.V. Pradeep – Actor, Producer, Director, Personality Trainer & K-Pop enthusiast
● Mr. Appu Krishnan – K-Pop Music Producer (From L.A, California, USA)
● Mr. Mamidi Harikrishna – Director, Dept. of Lang & Culture, Government of Telangana
● Mrs. Jang Hyuna – Hyderabad Korean community member
● Ms. Kassy – Korean YouTuber in India
● Mr. Ahn Tae-han – Korean Youtuber & Indian Cultural enthusiast
●Mrs. Lee Hae-jin – Korean Community member (From Jeju Island, South Korea) ● Mr. Park Hyun-se – Korean Choreographer (From South Korea)
Then, we had a Telangana Traditional Oggu Dhol performance as an opening act, we then began the Hyderabad Regional Rounds of All India K-Pop Contest 2020 with 29 contestants. In between the event, we had special performances by Ms. Harini Nittala, All India K-Pop contest & Hyderabad Regional Round 2019 Vocal category winner who performed a wonderful K-Pop medley performance. We also had a Telugu Korea Fusion performance by Ms. Saachi, International Community & Hyderabad Kpoppers Member. We also had Telugu-Indo–Korea Fusion performances and Korean traditional instrumental performances by a few of our judges :
● Mrs. Jang Hyuna – Hyderabad Korean community member who performed to the song Arirang on Korean traditional instrument – Gayageum
● Ms. Kassy – Korean YouTuber in India who performed a K-Pop & Bollywood Fusion Vocal performance to BTS Jungkook’s Euphoria & Ek Pyaar Ka Nagma.
● Mr. Ahn Tae-han – Korean YouTuber & Indian Cultural enthusiast who sang a Telugu song– Emchappanu from Telugu Movie Nenu Sailaja
● Mrs. Lee Hae-jin – Korean Community member (From Jeju Island, South Korea) who performed to the song Arirang on Korean traditional instrument – Ocarina
● Mr. Park Hyun-se – Korean Choreographer (From South Korea) who gave a dance performance to WINNER’s Island & other songs along with his team.
After the contest performances, we had a random play dance event. The event came to end with a vote of thanks by the founder & administrator, Ms. G. Sree Ramya Krishna. The event also featured: All India Painting Competition; All India Essay Competition; All India Speech Competition; K-Pop & K-Drama Quiz; Live Selfie event; Random Play Dance & Photobooth.
The responses from the audiences were very overwhelming and we are incredibly happy with the support and love provided to us, Hyderabad Kpoppers & Korean Cultural Society. The event being online had a lot of pros and cons. The pros being the event can be watched and enjoyed by K-Pop & Korean culture fans all around the world & cons being that we really missed the live audiences, the fan chants, the random play dance, and the love for K-Pop the fans share in an auditorium. However, the virtual event was a fun experience for us and was a grand success. The event video currently has a 5.4K views and has been increasing day by day. Thank you, everyone!!
Watch the performances here:
All the performances were awesome…💜