How does someone go from casually listening to K-pop in a Korean restaurant to performing in a K-pop group in South Korea?
An Alexandria, Virginia, native did just that.
Florence Alena Smith, who performs under the name NVee, is the main vocalist for the K-pop group BLACKSWAN. The group recently featured in the Apple TV+ documentary "K-Pop Idols" is made up of four K-pop idols not from Korea.
News4 got a chance to talk with the 25-year-old Thomas A. Edison High School graduate about her journey.
Who is BLACKSWAN?
K-pop, or Korean pop, has been around for decades but grew in popularity in the U.S. in the 2010s, with groups including BTS and BLACKPINK finding loyal fan bases here.
Grammy.com recently listed BLACKSWAN among “12 rising girl groups to know now.”
Music videos and performances show the group in coordinating outfits and colorful hair, dancing in perfect formation and singing empowering lyrics in a mix of Korean and English.
NVee is the most recent member to be added to the four-member lineup in 2022, including Sriya, from India; Gabi, from Brazil; and Fatou, who is Belgian-Senegalese. After the group went through member changes over the past few years, NVee was described as its missing “puzzle piece."
How NVee's interest in K-pop began
NVee grew up in Alexandria before moving to Accokeek, Maryland. She said she's loved to sing since she was a child, and once asked to stay home from a trip to the grocery store so she could stay home and practice singing.
She often visited a Korean restaurant in Annandale and had heard of K-pop but not listened to it much. At 19, she left home to attend college in Utah to study musical theater. There, she started working at a Korean barbeque restaurant.
A friend introduced her to the group Day6, and then she heard the group Oneus, which is now her favorite boy group.
“I saw their performance video of 'Come Back Home' and I was like ‘Wow … I have to be an idol,” NVee said. “It seems so fun. They put their whole heart, soul [and] their passion into their performance, and I loved that they devoted themselves to that.”
As she studied musical theater and considered a career on Broadway, she felt like something was missing.
She decided then that she would make the switch from performing musical theater to performing K-pop. She moved back to the D.C. area and focused on attending dance classes and singing K-pop covers.
She told her mother she wanted to move to Korea. While her mom encouraged her, she told her later she "thought that was a phase" and that she would go back to school eventually.
In 2021, NVee auditioned for BLACKSWAN. She got to the next round but then didn't get a callback.
“I was like ‘OK, I’m bummed, but we’re gonna keep going,” NVee said. “Another year passes by, I kept doing covers and then they had another audition, and here we are."
What's it like to be a K-pop singer?
NVee uses her classical training as a singer in her work now in K-pop. She physically trains so she has the stamina to perform live.
Speaking and singing in Korean is a major project.
NVee said she’s still learning every day and can understand about 50% of what native speakers say. She's now lived in Korea for two years and gradually feels more comfortable in conversations.
Of course, training in a new country comes with challenges. There were times when she was frustrated and wanted to go home.
“It was really hard and very lonely at the beginning, especially since everybody, even the members, would speak Korean,” NVee said.
When she first joined BLACKSWAN, she was shy and had trouble opening up. Being a BLACKSWAN fan before she joined didn't help her nerves either, as she was already aware of the changes the group went through.
"I want to do my best to fit in,” NVee remembered saying to herself.
After a FaceTime call with the members and her sister, an awkward wall cracked.
“Once we really started practicing together, all four of us, together – you know, when you just click with someone right off the bat? It was just really easy, and I didn’t have to worry anymore,” NVee said.
When things get challenging or overwhelming, there are three things NVee said she can rely on: her family, her fellow members and Lumina, the name of their fandom.
Since each of BLACKSWAN's members is from a different part of the world, NVee said their differences keep them grounded.
How BLACKSWAN hopes to break barriers as non-Koreans
K-pop draws inspiration from many parts of the world, sometimes leading to descriptions of cultural appropriation. These controversies can make it hard for some fans of color to enjoy the music.
Since BLACKSWAN members come from all over the world, they’re able to show off the complexities of their cultures in a way that honors them.
“Since we are from literally everywhere, we can add our cultures like genres or the sounds — different types of choreography, different styles,” NVee said. “I think that’s what will give us a step up in K-pop."
NVee said Afrobeats and Latin beats are becoming popular in K-pop. She said that since BLACKSWAN has that representation in the group, they can show it and give it a “nice twist and a little spice to K-pop.”
They've already done that by filming their music video to their song "Karma" in India. From rocking braids to wanting to do a Bollywood-style concept for future music, the sky's the limit.
Although NVee's in a group that’s breaking boundaries, her goals for herself are simple: She wants her music to serve as an inspiration to others, just as K-pop did as she grew up.
As for the group, she said she wants to go on a world tour, especially in the U.S.
“I want to go home and perform at my home," NVee said. "It’s a different feeling to start a career that you’ve always dreamed of and perform where you yourself started.”
She got confused when News4 told her that her dream place to perform, FedEx Field, wasn’t called that anymore, but it was too complicated to explain.
What's next for NVee and BLACKSWAN
NVee went from watching concerts at MGM National Harbor to performing in Korea.
The Virginia native, along with the other BLACKSWAN members, aims to show that diversity can be embraced in a field that is mostly Korean and extend the path that others before them created.
BLACKSWAN is just getting started. NVee said she wants to fulfill her K-pop idol goals, including appearing on Korean variety shows such as "Running Man" and "Queendom," showing off the group’s talents and appearing in a K-drama as her language skills improve.
