BLACKSWAN’s NVee Is Defying the Odds — And Making History

As one of the only Black idols in K-Pop, BLACKSWAN’s NVee sees the group as revolutionary. But she’s only recently considered the power of her own story. Now, she is ready to share it.

When NVee debuted as a member of BLACKSWAN in late 2022, she joined a history-making group. 

BLACKSWAN is the first group to debut a Black idol, the leader Fatou, and they are an important - if wholly underappreciated - group for the industry. The group has been through several lineup iterations since their debut in 2020, but this fixture, with Fatou, NVee, Sriya, and Gabi is perhaps the best representation of what BLACKSWAN can be. NVee, who is an American and biracial, is only the second Black K-Pop idol. Sriya is Indian and Gabi is Brazilian-German.  

The group represents, NVee told me recently in a wide ranging interview, just how limitless our possibilities can be. 

“If you think about it,” she told me from DR Music’s offices in Seoul, “musically, BLACKSWAN can be anything. Our music can be very open but also very strong and empowering. It shows that you can do anything.”

This interview was the second time I’ve met NVvee, the first time being in Washington D.C. in May. The reason was Kapture Con, a one-day festival organized by four young Black women who are fans of K-Pop. I had traveled to D.C. to accompany HOHYUN, a Korean American artist I manage, and on our second night in the city, the organizers arranged a game night at Dave and Buster’s. 

“We want everyone to have a chance to meet each other and hang out,” Ashlee Nanze, the con’s chief organizer, told me when she picked me up from the airport. That night, we introduced ourselves in a party room filled with a buffet of pizza, fries, and chicken nuggets, then wracked up hundreds of points in prizes. (HOHYUN and I got a sriracha card game) 

“I hadn’t been to a Dave and Busters in years,” NVee told me later, putting heavy emphasis on the last word. But the party served its purpose: It broke the ice and allowed all of us to meet each other not as staff and idols, but as just regular people. 

“I think diversity is an essential piece for any industry looking to reach global audiences, especially in K-Pop since it is known to be heavily influenced by Black culture,” Tamia Agurs, who is the convention's marketing director, told me in an interview. “Idols like NVee are essential to the K-Pop community because she not only represents a different look from the average K-Pop idol but also the acceptance and inclusion of non-Korean people, especially Black K-Pop fans, in an industry that loves to explore the creative aspects of other cultures.” 

Inviting BLACKSWAN headline, she told me, was essential to show how progressive the K-pop industry can be. “We want to continue to see the K-Pop industry evolve for the better,” she added. 

In 2023 BLACKSWAN hosted a fansign in Los Angeles, but Kapture Con marks the first time the group has performed for North American fans. The convention sold out and nearly 1,000 fans packed into DAR Constitution Hall to see the group’s performance, alongside HOHYUN and Ampers&One. 

At the festival and on fan calls, NVee told me, fans would mention how much her and BLACKSWAN’s presence in the industry means to them. “They’d tell me that they’re thankful to see us here,” she said, “because it makes fans feel like they can be a K-Pop idol.”

NVee was born in Texas. The youngest of four children, two older brothers and one older sister, she had a rich childhood that exposed her to art and different cultures. By the time she was seven years old, NVvee’s family had moved from Texas to Oklahoma and then, finally, to D.C. An important early influence was her mother, who is a skilled singer and pianist.  

Coming of age in D.C, NVee found a city that was vibrant with a multitude of cultures and an emphasis on diversity. The food was amazing, the people were from all around the globe, and, artistically, NVee would have access to anything she wanted.

“I could go to the metro and see all of the museums, walk on the National Mall,” she said. “I grew up there and that’s where I fell in love with music and singing.” 

At home, NVee would often have her own karaoke concerts when her mom would leave to run errands. By high school, she was participating in choir and musical theatre. “That was my original career goal,” she explained, “ to go on Broadway and become an actress and singer.” 

NVee chose to major in musical theatre in college but told me, “I felt out of place, like I wasn’t meant to be there.” 

While in college, though, NVee began to pick up shifts at a Korean BBQ restaurant, a place where she first discovered K-Pop. Initially, she loved how the Korean language sounded: the beauty of the syntax, the way the words connected and rolled together. But the visuals also caught her eye. K-Pop is heavy on concepts, and NVee found storytelling to be the most interesting part of the industry.

“It was the creative aspect that I loved,” she remembered. “Their music videos and their dances all had a story behind it.” 

She found inspiration quickly with groups like DAY6, and ONEUS. She was especially transfixed by ONEUS’ single “LIT”, a track that she remembered playing on repeat for a solid month. 

“With K-Pop,” NVee realized, “I felt like I didn’t have to fit inside a box.” 

In 2020, BLACKSWAN made their debut under DR Music. Fatou Samba, the group’s leader, would make history as the industry’s first African-born K-Pop idol. Fatou, who comes from Senegal, trained for two years for her debut. BLACKSWAN was originally presented as a group of three Korean members, one Japanese-Brazilian member, and then Fatou. 

But as BLACKSWAN has evolved, the group has begun to embody its global group concept. By 2022 a new lineup was unveiled and Fatou was the only remaining, original member. But if anything, BLACKSWAN became stronger in their reinvention. No longer beholden to appealing strictly to a Korean fanbase with a lineup of no Korean members, the group pushes what we consider K-Pop to be. The members still sing and speak in Korean, and they are still managed by a Korean company. 

When NVee first saw Fatou, she told me, she was struck by the possibility of a Black idol. “I was like, ‘Oh, this is the time. If she can do this in the K-Pop industry, then I can too. So I’m going to audition for her company.’”

NVee wasn’t convinced that there could be a place for her in America. “If I were to try pursuing a music career in the US, then it’s, in my opinion, harder because you have so many people that you’re going to be competing with,” she said. “There’s so many great artists, sounds, and it’s like, how can you get your artistry show?”

Some people didn’t understand why NVee would choose to move to Korea and try to make it in the industry. After all, K-Pop is not initially an industry that was made for people like NVee. But the idea of K-Pop had been expanding, and foreigners had been placed in several major groups like NCT and WayV. Fatou’s success in BLACKSWAN proved, too, that fandoms were eager for Black artists to be represented as idols. 

“I was thinking if I can make it outside the US, then I can make it anywhere,” NVee added. “I really loved K-Pop and I thought, ‘Let’s give it a try. I’d love to learn a new language, a new culture.’” 

NVee’s first audition with DR Music went well. Her audition coincided with Sriya and Gabi’s, but while they advanced, NVee was cut. The rejection was a disappointment and it stung because NVee felt like, for a while, all she was hearing was “no”. 

But NVee was determined. She doubled down on learning Korean and began working three jobs to finance a move to Korea where she would attend college. The plan, she remembered, was that she would study Korean at school while auditioning and networking. 

People would ask her, “Aren’t you afraid to leave your family? What if this doesn’t work out?” 

But NVee was firm in her decision. Most of the time she’d ward off doubts with an assurance that she could take care of herself. “Well if that happens,” she’d tell people, “then it probably wasn’t meant to be. But if it is meant to be then faith, hard work and practice will pay off.” 

A year later, at her second audition for DR Music, she passed and was offered a spot in the company’s training program. NVee remembered the training going by extraordinarily fast and it was difficult, too, because she still hadn’t learned the language beyond basic greetings. 

Sriya and Gabi had already been introduced to BLACKSWAN’s fans, and they were participating in K-Pop Idols, a documentary that followed the group’s formation. But NVee’s involvement was a surprise for fans. 

When the company asked her if she would be ready to debut three months after she began training, she was shocked. Her debut, she learned, would be at a World Cup performance in India.

“You really think I’m ready?” She remembered incredulously asking the CEO. “It’s only been three months.”

But a few weeks later, she found herself preparing for the World Cup and filming content for BLACKSWAN’s social media. She was in. 

“When you think of my debut, it was the most random debut announcement you will ever hear,” NVee told me with a laugh. “You got to see Sriya and Gabi’s training period. Then months later, you see me pop up in a random Christmas announcement. Like, no one knew of me.”

In some ways, BLACKSWAN’s lineup changes resembled an old school brand of K-Pop. In first and second generation K-Pop, members appeared with little to no backstory about them, and groups often switched out new additions as needed. I see BLACKSWAN’s story similar to that of NINE MUSES, a group that promoted for nearly a decade but where only one original member stayed for the entire time. NVee admitted that this was concerning to her. “It was a little bit nerve-wracking at the beginning because there was already a debut group with a brand and sound. People already know and love each member.” 

Though NVee had the support of her company and members, being thrust into a group like BLACKSWAN had its challenges. Her training period was short, so NVee often felt like she had to rush to be on the same skill level as her members. “It was like a continuous catch up game,” she said, her voice dropping into a quiet sigh. “I have to catch up on my dance, get my live singing together - it’s hard because it feels like I’m always trying to catch up. So I wonder, am I improving?” 

NVee was also battling loneliness. She still wasn’t fluent in Korean and with few people to talk to beyond her members, she struggled to connect with others.

“At first, the only friends I could talk to were my friends and family back home,” she said. Once, on a call with her sister, she admitted that she was afraid to open up to Sriya and Gabi, who she lived with in the dorms. “I was telling her I haven’t been able to make friends with the members yet because I’m a very shy, reserved person so it’s hard for me to open up to people I’ve just met,” she explained. “I wonder, will they like me?” 

Her sister challenged her: Why not go ask Sriya and Gabi if they’d like to meet her niece and nephew. “They’re in the living room, right?” her sister asked. “Just do it. I’ll be right there.”

Slowly, NVee crept out of her room and went to speak to the girls. She asked, timidly, if they’d like to see her family, and to her surprise, they wanted to. “They’re so cute,” the girls said as NVee showed them her niece and nephew on the FaceTime call. 

“And after that,” NVee said, “we were finally able to start talking and we got to know each other more.” 

Making friends has still been challenging for NVee, who said that her Korean is around elementary school level. “Just be patient with me,” she often finds herself telling strangers when they meet. “You can talk to me and I’ll understand.’ It’s just like, you have to be able to trust yourself to get out of that zone.” 

NVee considers herself an introvert. She prefers to stay at home, in her room, left alone to read or listen to music. And she takes time to open up to people.  “I tell people, I might seem really reserved, distant and boring at first but if you take the time to get to know me and I take the time to get out of my shell to know you, then I’m the most fun person.” 

These days NVee is trying to push herself to go out more. “The girls have been very patient with me,” she said. “Syria and Gabi always tell me, ‘I love to see you go out more and that you don’t just stay in your room.’” 

The challenge to connect with others, NVee explained, means that often she doesn’t know how to ask for help. “I’m a very determined person,” she explained. Often, she’ll spend hours working on choreography or vocals for a performance, especially if she’s struggling to keep up with the members. “That can be a good thing but I’ve learned that it’s hard for me to take a break and know when to calm down.  It’s also hard for me to know when to express my hardships. I don’t really know how to express myself.”

What NVve wishes is that she could express herself better, and be more open about her feelings.  “I know they trust me,” she said of her members and family, “but my heart is hard to trust people with my feelings because I don’t want to burden them or create any misunderstandings.” 

She paused and considered the feeling. “It’s scary. I’m a hard worker,” she added, “but I’m too much of a hard worker and I need to open up more.”

NVee in BLACKSWAN’s music video “I LIKE IT HOT”.

Back in D.C. when BLACKSWAN held a meet and greet with fans on the day of Kapture Con, NVee was touched by how many told her how grateful they were to see the group in K-Pop. “Maybe”, they’d tell the members, “I can be an idol too.” 

“It’s heartwarming because becoming a singer, my main goal was to make music that inspires and gives hope to people,” she said. “I want to make people happy and inspire them to do what they want.”

That night, the group provided a welcome example of what K-Pop can be if the industry continues to be open to diversity. Onstage, the members looked powerful and fully in control. For many of the fans in attendance, seeing a group like BLACKSWAN headline a K-Pop convention was a highlight. 

For NVee, being able to appear onstage as her most authentic self that night was meaningful. “It’s nice to be able to go out with my curly hair and for people to see I have hair like theirs,” she said. “My hair is just as beautiful as anyone else’s. I struggled a lot with loving my curly hair when I was younger. Curly hair, whether it be really thick or wavy, is just as beautiful as anyone’s hair. To be able to put that out there and show that you’re beautiful too, love your skin tone, love your ethnicity – it’s nice to be able to incorporate that.”

Perhaps, too, in a time when people are more divided than ever along political and ideological lines, BLACKSWAN can demonstrate what happens when we come together. NVee sees that the differences in BLACKSWAN is what makes them so special. “We were all born in different places, so we all have different experiences in our lives,” she observed. “Being able to work through misunderstandings or disagreements, to be able to openly listen and understand each other, I think that’s a point that the world can incorporate.”

 “A lot of people are not open enough to listen to each other. I think it’s important to listen to one another and understand each other’s opinions and differences,” she added. Perhaps, then, a global girl group like BLACKSWAN could be revolutionary. 

“I think that’s a great thing about music,” she reflected. “I like to think of music as a storyteller. Music is always gonna be there to tell history, to tell stories or problems that need to be fixed.”

For now, though, NVee is still focused on finding her artistic voice. Who can NVee be and what could she represent? These are the questions she finds herself asking as she grows artistically. 

At some point, too, she hopes that she can share more of her own story. “I want to be able to share my struggles and fears. Right now I don’t want people to worry.” She continued, “Sometimes it can be hard in this industry. But I hope I can show a happier side as well as the human side. When that time comes, I hope people will be able to take that and,” she paused for a moment, “understand me?” She let out a self-conscious laugh. Opening up is hard. Letting people hear what’s going on and trusting that you can handle whatever people think about you? That takes courage. NVee is working to build that. 

“I’m still building NVee and who she is and what she represents,” she responded when I asked how she wants to be seen as an artist. “There's just one word that comes to mind and that’s hope.”

She smiled for a moment and then let out another laugh. Perhaps she was thinking about the fans she’s met who tell her that she’s inspired them. Maybe she was thinking of her own journey and how she defied the odds to become a biracial K-Pop idol. “Hope is the one thing I want people to take away from my work.” Then she added, her voice rising slightly, “And happiness! Hope, inspiration and happiness.”