We’re building the I-pop blueprint as we go: WiSh

Girl group WiSH — Zoe, Suchi, Sim and Ri — are riding a massive wave. From opening for Akon to dropping viral tracks, the quartet speaks to Bangalore Times about their rise, the re sponsibility of being role models and why Bengalu ru remains their favourite stage.
'OPENING FOR AKON WAS A DREAM COME TRUE'
The girl group opened for Akon during his India tour and they say that this was some thing they've always wanted to do. “Opening for Akon was a dream come true,” says Zoe, adding that the group grew up listening to him. Sim chimes in, “We’d been doing back-to-back shows — Armaan Malik, then Delhi — so we were prepped. Meeting him after the show felt surreal; he and his team were really sweet.” Ri recalls, “I was actu ally sick. My doctor told me not to talk at all and to only speak on stage. So my prep was basically silence and patience.” ‘BENGALURU IS THE MOST SUPPORTIVE OF LIVE MUSIC’
“Bengaluru loves us, and we love Ben galuru. The energy is unmatched," says Zoe. “The cheering starts the sec ond we enter," Suchi adds. “I’ve per formed here so much I feel like I’m from Bengaluru,” Sim laughs. “We get the maximum number of WiSH-Stars here,” says Ri. “They sing our lyrics, and even bring posters. Bengaluru supports live music like no other.”
‘WE KNOW GIRLS LOOK UP TO US; AND WE’RE READY FOR IT’
“We’ve trained for this moment — where younger people look up to us. It’s a responsibility, but we were ready. We want to teach confidence, sisterhood and posi tivity," shares Zoe. “Sisterhood is core to us,” Suchi says. “Sim and Ri are sisters, I have an older sister, Zoe has a younger one — and the four of us have our own bond too. When young girls look up to us, we want them to feel: ‘You’ve got this’,”adds Suchi.
'INDIA IS BEGINNING TO EXPLORE THE I-POP CULTURE'
“India is catching up to this culture. Boy bands, girl groups… the I-pop space is open ing up," says Suchi. “We’re huge K-Pop fans, so comparisons with famous groups like Black Pink and BTS actually excite us,"Sim adds. “It’s a compliment,” says Ri, adding, “K-Pop has incredibly high stand ards — so if people mention us in the same breath, that means something.”
‘THERE’S NO FORMULA FOR US; WE’RE BUILDING IT AS WE GO’
“We’re the first Indian girl group in 20 years, so there’s no formula. We’re figuring it out as we go. And we’re part of everything — content, styling, video ideas, social media," says Zoe. “We’re basically an octopus,” Suchi laughs. “It’s all hands on deck,” Sim ex plains. “We do everything together.”



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