Z-Boys’ Sid: If you can dream it, you can make it happen - Hindustan Times
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Z-Boys’ Sid: If you can dream it, you can make it happen

Hindustan Times | By
Apr 01, 2019 05:17 PM IST

In an exclusive interview with HT City, Siddhant Arora aka Sid talks about his journey of becoming the first-ever Indian K-pop idol, his love for all things Bollywood, and his dreams of collaborating with BTS and Zayn Malik.

From covering Bollywood songs on YouTube to performing on a global stage as part of the K-pop group Z-Boys, Siddhant Arora aka Sid has sure come a long way. The 19-year-old Delhi University student is the first-ever Indian member of a K-pop group, and is currently on a promotional tour in Asia.

Siddhant Arora is currently on a promotional tour in Asia.(Photo: Instagram/siddhantaroraa)
Siddhant Arora is currently on a promotional tour in Asia.(Photo: Instagram/siddhantaroraa)

“My parents love Bollywood music and it has had a huge impact on our lives. We’re typical North Indians who love films; so, it was pretty obvious for me to sing Bollywood songs,” says Sid, who lists Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, and Ranbir Kapoor among his favourite actors. “At the same time, I used to listen to international music, and was very much impressed by their performances, the way they carry themselves so, I decided to become a global artist,” adds the ambitious singer-performer from Muzaffarnagar.

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Sid reveals that unlike common perception, he did not apply for auditions for Z-Boys — he was invited for it, after his YouTube videos impressed the scouts. After clearing the auditions, Sid went to Seoul, South Korea — the mecca of South Korea’s music industry — for the intense training all aspiring K-pop stars are required to go through before they can debut. He reveals that he hadn’t had any “serious professional” musical training before that.

The singer says he felt “really, really honoured” to have had his formal launch at the Seoul’s prestigious Jamsil Indoor Gymnasium, a venue where musical giants such as Sting and Super Junior have earlier performed. The launch event also saw performance by one of his favourite groups — Monsta X. “Until a couple of months ago, I used to watch their videos as a fan, and now, here I am, being called a K-pop idol, one of them. It’s a different feel,” shares the Z-Boys member, whose first music video, No Limit, has gathered 2.3 million views in a month. 

When asked if adjusting to a different country and culture was tough, he replies, “Not really, because I’m always able to adjust to different places and their cultures, and also because the people I’m working with are really nice.” He adds that his family is also immensely supportive of his career choice. “Whatever I have achieved till date, it’s all because of my parents,” he says.

No end to dreams

The singer dreams to someday collaborate with artists such as BTS, Maluma, Shakira, Zayn Malik, and Camila Cabello. “There are still more in my ‘dream collaborations list’ (laughs). I know these are very big names but I believe that 10 years down the line, it’s going to happen for sure. As my parents always say, ‘If you can dream it, you can make it happen’,” he says.

READ | K-pop goes global: Blackpink, BTS, NCT 127, EXO’s Lay team up with Western artists

On the subject of the surging popularity of K-pop in India, Sid says that besides the “amazing global music”, the allure can probably be credited to how K-pop artists are wholesome entertainers, seamlessly moving from music to films and television, and vice versa. “In our country, we don’t really have idols. We have just singers. We have just dancers. And we have just actors. But an idol is one who can do it all; kind of an all-in-one. That’s the major reason I think Indians are attracted to K-pop,” he says.

Currently promoting in Philippines, Sid says, “We are getting a lot of love and support. I just hope that fans continue supporting and believing in us like this.”

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Farozan Akhtar is a content producer at Hindustan Times. She writes about books, music, K-pop and other Hallyu-related subjects for the daily Entertainment & Lifestyle supplement, HT City.

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