In Cuba, a country known for its salsa music, the youth are captivated by a musical phenomenon from a place that couldn’t be more geographically or ideologically distant.
K-pop, the South Korean sensation that has taken the world by storm, has made its way to the shores of a communist island that once banned the music of the Beatles.
“I am myself (with) K-pop. I can free myself,” said Mikel Caballero, a 17-year-old K-pop enthusiast, who, like many of his peers, dedicates hours each week perfecting the meticulously choreographed moves of South Korean groups like BTS and Blackpink.
Cuba has seen significant changes in recent years since its citizens gained access to mobile internet just five years ago, even though the one-party state maintains a firm grip on many aspects of life.
Mobile apps for ride-sharing and food delivery, social media platforms, and access to entertainment websites like YouTube are now part of Cuban life. Some Cubans even celebrate Halloween, a quintessential American festival, despite more than six decades of sanctions imposed by the United States.
Caballero’s friend, Samyla Trujillo, has been a K-pop devotee for four of her 14 years. She was inspired to learn K-pop dance moves by watching BTS, and her admiration for Blackpink’s female members led her to want to emulate them.
Trujillo’s living room in Havana, where she lives with her grandmother, often turns into a dance floor as she and Caballero practice their K-pop routines. For Trujillo, who was part of a traditional Caribbean dance group as a child, the dream is to become Cuba’s first home-grown K-pop idol.
Both Trujillo and Caballero aspire to visit Seoul one day, as they have a deep affection for everything related to South Korea.
Cuba has diplomatic relations with North Korea, another communist nation, but it does not have official ties with South Korea.
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