Asma Pandey, Devyani Segan, Shivani Singh Chhaunkar (New Delhi)

Edited by: Jasmine Khan (Dubai)

The All India K-Pop Contest 2024 kick-started its audition for the best K-Pop cover artist in July with ten participating ten states. Around 84 shortlisted participants competed for both vocal and dance categories for the Delhi Regionals. This year’s competition consisted of a total of 2 rounds: online and offline followed. The online round requires each participant to submit their entries on the official site. The offline round requires the selected participants to showcase their talents to a live audience in the regional, semi-final, and final rounds. The winners of each regional round compete together in the finals.

The categories include submissions from both solo and group artists. A small team of volunteers also participate and help bring the vision to life. There are also admirers of participants and fans of K-pop who continue to cheer the participants through the audience. These people relentlessly prepare day and night to win the title of “All India K-Pop Contest Winners 2024.”

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About the Event

LG India organizes the All-India Kpop Contest every year and the Korean Cultural Centre India hosts this event. This year, the Delhi regional round took place on August 18, 2024, in the Aiwan-e-Ghalib Auditorium. The event began with a powerful solo performance by Urvi on various K-Pop songs. The esteemed judges of the Delhi regional round were Ms. Prachi Sharma, Ms. Rachna Bhagat (Lokalz Crew), Mr. Sushil Chhetri (Lokalz Crew), Ms. Jincy  Jacob, and Ms. Yujeong. The event was hosted by Ms. Khushi and Ms. Mehak, and the closing announcements were done by Ms. Anju Shreshtha and Sapphires.

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Opening Ceremony

For the opening ceremony, there were four judges invited for the Delhi regional K-Pop round. The two judges in the vocal category had won the title twice previously: Ms. Prachi Sharma and Ms. Jincy Jacob. In their welcoming speech, they wished all the participants the best for the competition and highlighted the importance of participating in the competition rather than winning the same. The two judges in the dance category were also the previous winners of the contest: Ms. Rachna Bhagat and Mr. Sushil Chhetri. Both of them were a part of the same crew. In their acceptance speech, they expressed gratitude to the organizers and thanked them for giving me this opportunity. She also shared her experience with the audience to boost the participants’ morale.

To conclude the opening ceremony each judge from both the categories performed for the audience. Ms. Prachi Sharma, a judge from the vocal category mesmerized the audience with her interpretation of the popular OST The Love by Davichi. Mr. Sushil Chhetri also performed with great enthusiasm and precision on BTBT by B.I and Soulja Boy. All in all, they completely changed the atmosphere and uplifted everyone’s mood after the results.

Vocal Performances

There were a total of twelve selected participants in the vocal category. The performances began with the rendition of the song Beautiful by Sarolin Subba Limboo and were concluded by Bem Khuvung who sang If it’s You. All the participants were incredible, there wasn’t even a single beat missed by any of them. The title of the winner was secured by the last participant Bem Khuvung. His performance was truly magical as he perfectly expressed the emotions of the song. Some fans in the audience even teared up while listening to his voice.

The first runner-up, Victor chose the most difficult song to perform out of everyone yet had the most stable voice and hit the high notes thrice consecutively. He sang I miss you by Kim Bum Soo.

The second runner-up Khushi chose to sing Goodbye My Love by Ailee. Her interpretation was lively and energetic. Her performance was engaging and fresh. The audience even switched on their flashlights to match her chorus.

Every performer in the vocal category: Anushka Verma, Ishanya Sharma, Unnati Singh Bilwal, Rashi Nim, Karthika Pillai, Khushi, Muskan, Shraddha, Florence Haokip, Victor and Ben Khuvung were fabulous and extraordinary. Their performances were unique and entertaining!

Dance Performances

All the participants were filled with great fervor and zeal. In the dance category, an energetic solo performer named Vasundhra Singh and a total of 10 talented teams competed against each other to represent Delhi in the All-India K-POP Contest 2024. The dance team OUTKASTS was declared the winner of the Delhi Regional Round 2024. It was a euphoric moment for the whole team. In the end, Shivika Gulati from the team said, “We hope Delhi wins this time.”

The first runner-up was Girl Crush, and the second runner-up was 3 Plus 4 Crew. All the participants’ scintillating outfits, crisp moves, attractive demeanor, and diligence were enough to demonstrate their passion and love for Korean Pop culture.

Through their performances, MIXDUP, Vasundhra Singh, Girl Crush, Astress, CELESTIC, OUTKASTS, ZXT, ETERNALS, 3 Plus 4 Crew, We Are Family Crew, and D2K not only captured the audience’s attention but also their hearts. All of the performers faced fierce competition and were equally skilled.

Delhi Regional’s Organiser Statement: KCIFC

I’m deeply honored that KCCI has given me this responsibility to carry out Delhi Regional Rounds for the All India K-Pop Contest every year. As for the participants, I believed in each one of them. I knew they were going to shine on stage. Lastly, I would like to thank all the staff members at Aiwan-e-Ghalib Auditorium and LG who sponsored this event. This journey has been incredibly rewarding for me, and I’m excited to see it all come together. – Ms. Prerna Tiwari (Founder – Korean Culture India Fan Club & Hallyuism)

Concluding Remarks and Overall Experience

After the conclusion of the performances by the participating contestants, Anju Shrestha presented a dynamic dance performance on a K-pop mashup. Subsequently, with their elegant moves, Sapphires performed at the closing ceremony. The arrangements at the venue were made meticulously to conduct the event efficiently. The participants of vocal and dance categories put their hearts and souls into their performances to make the event successful. Throughout the day, the energy levels remained high and the participants and audience closely worked together with each other. Hyperenergetic attendees provided them with unconditional love and support. In addition, their constant cheering increased their morale and lifted their spirits. To sum up, it was a day full of passion, emotions, and sentiments which exhibited an ever-growing interest in Korea and its culture in India.

Would you like to attend or participate in this event in the future? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!