Kolkata witnessed a vibrant celebration of K-Pop culture as hundreds gathered at the Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre in Bidhannagar for the regional round of the All India K-Pop Contest 2024. Out of 1,695 online registrations, 52 participants showcased their talent, with 19 teams making it to the stage.’Krazyones The Flowerknights’ stole the show in the dance category with their performance of ‘Sugar Rush Ride’ by TXT. Ancy Irengbam’s rendition of ‘No.1’ by BoA earned her the top prize in the vocal category. Both winners will advance to the semi-final in New Delhi on October 19, 2024.
Among other notable performances, Seraphic secured the first runners-up spot in the dance category with ‘MANIAC’ by Viviz, while The Moonwalkers took the second runners-up spot with ‘Mafia In The Morning’ by Itzy. In the vocal category, Abhipriya Chakraborty and Jaspreet Kaur impressed with their performances of ‘I Will Go To You Like The First Snow’ by Ailee and ‘Eleven’ by Ive, respectively.The event featured popular K-Pop tracks like Itzy’s ‘Mafia In The Morning’, LeeHi’s ‘My Love’, BlackPink’s ‘How You Like That’, and IU’s ‘Love Wins All’, making the crowd cheer louder with each performance. Shruti Dasgupta, a vocal category participant, highlighted the transcending nature of music, saying, “K-Pop further cements the idea that music transcends barriers such as language and culture.”
Following successful regional rounds in Bengaluru and Kohima, Kolkata’s event marks the completion of three out of eleven city rounds. Upcoming rounds will be held in Itanagar, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bhopal, and Lucknow. The Grand Finale will take place at ‘Yashobhoomi’ in New Delhi on November 23, 2024, with winners earning a trip to Korea.Hwang Il Yong, Director of the Korean Cultural Centre India, praised Kolkata’s enthusiasm, saying, “Kolkata is known as the ‘City of Joy’ and the regional round here felt like one of these joyful festivals.”
