Korean pop music catches on in India

If South Korean pop star Psy hit the right chord with "Gangnam Style", now N-Sonic, a band from the country which is here for a music fest, is wowing Indian music lovers.

Music enthusiasts not only love grooving to their songs like "Crazy" and "Run & Run", they also sport tees with the band members - J. Heart, Sihoo, Byeol, Minkee, Black J or Zion - photos imprinted on them.

One of the fans, dressed in an N-Sonic t-shirt and a pair of jeans, said that she got "addicted" to K-POP after being introduced by one of her friends.

"I love music. A few months back one of my friends made me listen to South Korean band SHINee's songs. I couldn't understand the lyrics, but I found the melody very catchy and then I got hooked to the genre of music.

"Most of my friends back home and in Manipur and Mizoram also love Korean pop," said the 20-something girl from Nagaland.

N-Sonic is in town for the third edition of K-POP India festival, which is becoming bigger with each passing year. They will judge the competition and even perform at the finale being organised at the Siri Fort Auditorium Saturday.

K-POP, a modern form of South Korean pop music that includes dance-pop, pop ballad, electronic, rock and hip-hop, has reached India after winning a fan following in China and Japan.

From the 37 entries in the maiden year, this year the fest has received almost 130 entries, while the number of followers of the Korean music genre seems to be just multiplying.

And it's not just the northeast that has come under the spell of the genre. The fest sees participants from Chennai, Mumbai and the capital.

"Many Indian people are liking our music. The number of fans is growing rapidly. Earlier, people saw it as just a hobby, but now it's more professional. Maybe in the next three to five years, the whole country will know about our music," Kim Kum-pyoung, director, Korean Cultural Centre, told IANS.

"Indians are looking for something new. Something that is not western or Bollywood and they are liking this Asian style of pop music," he added.

Presented by the Korean Cultural Centre, the festival is co-organised by Korea Tourism Organization.

"We have invited N-Sonic for the first time to India to be a part of the Indian edition of the festival. But I hope we get more demand for such acts and accordingly we will plan concerts in the country," said Kum-pyoung.

Kum-pyoung says that the song and dance festival is a way to bring Korean culture to Indians.

"The K-POP craze can be witnessed in China and Japan too. We would like to invite participants from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal as well if they are interested and hold a South Asian competition," he said.