By Honorary Reporter Ana Caroline Bergamaschi Farias from Brazil

Photos = Blackswan

Leia is the first Brazilian member of a K-pop group, Blackswan, a multicultural act whose three other members are Youngheun and Judy from Korea and Fatou from Senegal. The group debuted in April 2011 as Rania and later renamed itself BP Rania before settling on its present name in October 2020.

Born Larissa Ayumi Cartes Sakata to a Japanese father and Brazilian mother, Leia, 20, joined the group in July 2020.  

Blackswan is (from left to right) Leia, Youngheun, Fatou and Judy.

Below are excerpts from an interview with Leia on Dec. 23 at the Korean Cultural Center in Sao Paolo, Brazil.

Did you learn Korean in Brazil before moving to Korea?
Yes, I studied Korean here in Brazil alone and later attended a Korean school in Curitiba. Since I had difficulty with vocabulary, I started to put Korean words on Post-its all around my house. This helped me greatly improve my Korean. 

How did you adapt to Korean food?
The hardest for me was kimchi. I didn't like it first because it seemed weird and very different from Brazilian food. But I'm now addicted to kimchi. When I returned to Brazil, I missed the taste of kimchi so much that I went to the Korean market in my city to buy it.

What has Blackswan done over the pandemic period?
Despite the pandemic, we've held fan meetings and attended the K-expo Brazil here with the KCC through an online fan meeting and interview. It's amazing how passion for K-pop has grown bigger during the pandemic.

What message does the group want to convey through its music?
We haven't yet written our songs, but as a group, we want to convey that people are unique and can be whatever they want.

Any advice for those dreaming of being in K-pop star in Korea?
This is very cliche but true: Don't give up. If you want to become a K-pop idol in Korea, you must learn the Korean language and culture. It's hard to embrace Korean culture if you're not Korean but you must to enter K-pop. If you don't give up and try hard, you can achieve your dream.

What do you like most about Korea?
I like the community spirit here. Korean always think of one other first. They blame themselves first instead of others, something that I really admire.

enny0611@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.