37 K-Pop Stars Who Came From All Over The World To Chase Their Dreams In Korea

Though it originated in South Korea, K-pop appeals to fans all across the globe. As a result, talented performers from many different countries and backgrounds have made their mark as K-pop idols.

Here are 37 iconic K-pop idols who either have non-Korean backgrounds or didn't grow up in Korea:

1.Lisa, who's both a solo artist and a member of Blackpink, was born in Thailand. In the music video for her debut solo single, "Lalisa," she honored her Thai heritage by wearing a traditional headdress.

2.Rosé, who's also a solo artist and Blackpink member, was born to Korean parents in New Zealand, but she grew up in Australia after moving there at 7.

3.Bang Chan, the leader of Stray Kids, was born in South Korea, but he grew up in Australia.

4.Felix, another member of Stray Kids was born to Korean parents in Sydney, Australia.

5.Alex Reid is from the US. When she debuted with RaNia, she became the first non-Asian K-pop idol and the first Black K-pop idol.

6.When Sriya Lenka joined Blackswan, she became the first Indian K-pop idol.

7.Fatou, who's a member of Blackswan, was born in Senegal, making her the first African K-pop idol. She also lived in Belgium as a teenager.

8.Minnie, who's part of (G)I-DLE, is from Thailand. When her group attended the 37th Golden Disc Awards in her home country, they all honored her heritage by wearing red carpet outfits made of Thai silk by Thai designer Polpat Asavaprapha and by performing parts of "Villain Dies" in Thai.

9.Mina, who's a member of TWICE, was born in Texas. She held dual Japanese and American citizenship until she expatriated from the US in 2019.

10.Sana, a member of TWICE, is from Japan.

11.Momo, who's also part of TWICE, is from Japan, too. The group's three Japanese members joined forces to form the unit Misamo.

12.Tzuyu, another member of TWICE, was born in Taiwan.

13.BamBam, a soloist and member of GOT7, is from Thailand.

14.Mark Tuan, who's also a solo artist and part of GOT7, was born and raised in LA. He has Chinese heritage.

15.Jessi was born in New York, and she grew up in New Jersey. When she first moved to South Korea to pursue her music career, she lived with her grandmother.

16.Miriam, who debuted with Prisma, is from Italy.

17.Nia, who also debuted with Prisma, is from Spain.

18.Sally, who debuted with Prisma as well, has Chinese heritage, and she was born in California.

19.The8, a member of Seventeen, was born in Anshan, China.

20.Jun, another member of Seventeen, is also from China.

21.Joshua, another Seventeen member, was born to Korean parents in Los Angeles.

22.When Hanbin debuted with Tempest, he became the first male Vietnamese K-pop idol.

23.Danielle Marsh, a member of NewJeans, was born in Newcastle, Australia. Her mom, who's from South Korea, reportedly met her dad, who's from Australia, while she was studying abroad.

24.Hanni, who's also part of NewJeans, is from Australia as well. She was born there after her parents moved from Vietnam.

25.Tiffany Young, a soloist who originally debuted with Girls' Generation, was born in San Francisco. She has Korean heritage.

26.Chanty, a Lapillus member, grew up in Spain then moved to the Philippines, where her mom is from. Her dad is from Argentina.

27.Yue, who's also a member of Lapillus, is from the US, and she has Chinese heritage.

28.When Isaac Voo debuted with Boys24, he became the first Malaysian K-pop idol.

29.LANA is the first K-pop solo artist from Russia. She also has Tatar ancestry on her father's side.

30.Aria, who's part of X:IN, is from the Indian state of Kerala.

31.Vanya, who's part of Z-Girls, a group designed to make K-pop global, is from Indonesia.

32.Priyanka, who's also part of Z-Girls, was born in Guwahati, India.

33.Queen, another member of Z-Girls, is from Vietnam.

34.Mavin, a member of Z-Girls' brother group Z-Boys, was born in Jakarta, Indonesia.

35.Roy, who's also part of Z-Boys, was born in Vietnam.

36.Josh, another Z-Boys member, is from the Philippines.

37.And finally, Gai, a Z-Boys member, is from Tokyo, Japan.

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