With the growing craze for K-pop all around the world, the number of non-Korean K-pop idols also increased over time. At first, it was not common for K-pop groups to have non-Korean members but some idols received so much love despite being a foreigner and encouraged many non-Korean to become a K-pop Idol.
It is amazing to see diverse people together doing amazing work and bringing on different concepts. Another amazing part is that people accepted non-Korean K-pop idols wholeheartedly and didn’t criticize them for their origin. This shows how the world is getting revolutionized and open-minded towards accepting others.
Tiffany – Girls’ Generation
Tiffany Young, one of the main vocalists of the world-renowned girl group Girl’s Generation is mainly an American who was born and brought up in California. She was raised in Diamond Bar and when she turned 15, she caught the attention of the Korean Entertainment agency SM Entertainment at a Los Angeles music festival.
Later on, she moved to Korea leaving everything behind and there she was trained for around two years. In 2007, she debuted as a member of the girl group Girls’ Generation. After joining the group, she transformed herself so beautifully and gained popularity in Korea as well as all around the world.
At first, she was like a normal California girl both in looks and nature. However, she worked on herself and tried her best to meet the Korean beauty standard by accepting Korean-style looks. From style to eating habits, everything about her seemed like a Korean girl.
Tzuyu – Twice
Twice is a very girl group itself worldwide which consists of members both Korean and Non-Korean. Among the non-Korean members, Mina, Momo, and Sana are mainly from Japan whereas Tzuyu is born Taiwanese.
Tzuyu is the only member from Taiwan and also she is the Maknae of the group that was first discovered by talent scouts at a workshop in Taiwan. In 2012, she made the biggest decision of her life to move to Korea to pursue her dream career. Since then after a lot of hard work, she finally got the love and fame that she deserved.
Although she is not Korean, she never faced any extreme issues regarding it as people loved her as she was. In fact, she became one of the most popular of Twice because of her insanely unique looks and attractive personality.
All members – Blackswan
The girl group named “Blackswan” under DR Music which debuted in 2020 consists of 4 non-Korean K-pop Idols which are Sriya from India, Gabi from Brazil, NVee from the United States, and Fatou from Senegal. It is not the only group that has non-Korean members but it is the only group at present that doesn’t have any Korean members.
Blackswan has its own style and they are hopeful to enter the highly competitive K-pop industry with this unique style. The girl group has already broken the stereotype and reaching out to people all around the world. They already got one step closer to their goal when they got selected as trainees for a K-pop group by the Korean company DR Music.
It was a very tough journey for each one of them to come this far and each one of them has their own distinctive way to express themselves. The bold and unique K-pop idol group is all set to become an upcoming globally renowned group.
Lisa – Blackpink
Who doesn’t know Lisa? One of the most successful and renowned non-Korean female K-pop idols of all time. Lalisa Manobal or Lisa is a rapper, dancer, and singer who is Thai by nationality. She was born and brought up in Thailand and later on, she followed her interest in K-pop as a child and auditioned for a Korean entertainment company named YG Entertainment.
She moved to South Korea in 2011 to get her training and get ready for her K-pop career. In 2016, Lisa debuted as the main rapper, lead dancer, and supporting singer in the girl group named Blackpink. She was the only non-Korean of the group and the first non-Korean K-pop idol of YG Entertainment.
We all know what happened after that as the group gave nonstop hits since their debut. After her immense success as a female K-pop idol, many other young people from her country dreamed of joining a K-pop group. Despite being a non-Korean, she made her place in the Korean industry strongly and now she is also doing solo projects which are getting loved by people as well.
Aria – X:IN
Aria, the girl from Kerala is the second Indian K-pop idol to debut under GBK Entertainment. She debuted as a member of the girl group X:IN which consists of 5 members where 2 members are Korean and the other 3 are non-Korean including Aria.
Aria had an interest in being a K-pop idol and her interest brought her to the world of K-pop in 2013. As there is a crazy fanbase of K-pop and K-drama in India, Aria’s achievement of becoming a K-pop idol was huge for them.
Besides India, Aria also became popular in China and Korea for her strong looks, performance, and skilled vocals. She debuted not so long ago and already received so much love and attention from people all around the world.
Kazuha – Le Sserafim
The Professional Ballerina turning into a K-pop idol; Kazuha is a popular member of the rising girl group Le Sserafim. Kazuha was born and brought up in Japan and she started pursuing ballet before joining the K-pop industry.
She was a professional ballet but after one of the biggest entertainment companies, Hybe approached her, she left her ballet career behind. She doesn’t regret her decision, in fact, her experience in ballet helped her a lot to mark her own niche in the K-pop industry.
Although she is non-Korean but her impressive visuals and her stage presence really received admiration from people and at present, she is one of the rising stars of K-pop. She was also approached by many renowned hair and makeup brands despite being a rookie because of her outstanding visual and the way she presents it.
