As the popularity of K-Pop and Korean culture, in general, grows around the world, it’s only appropriate that it does the same in Pakistan. Over the last few years, there has been a steady rise in Pakistanis who are fans of K-Pop or K-dramas; or in a lot of cases both!
This 24 year old from Karachi calls himself the Pakistani Park Jimin so we, being the dedicated BTS ARMY decided to check out more about him
But Ashhar Hussain is more than just a fan of K-pop; he wants to be an idol in Korea representing Pakistan. Ashhar is a 24-year-old Karachiite who is a chemical engineer by profession but his ideal career aspiration is to be Pakistan’s own Korean-style idol.
Ashhar started dancing 6 years ago and uploaded his first dance cover to YouTube 3-years ago; No Other by Super Junior.
After that there was no looking back. He is completely self-taught and his dancing is fueled by his passion. And when it comes to his family supporting him; they’re his biggest fans. His mother sows his costumes and his father is more than happy to pay for his travel related expenses when he has to perform. This is honestly so heartwarming considering a lot of Pakistani parents are hesitant to support their children if they like dancing or singing considering them nonsensical professions.
But Ashhar thrives on the support he receives from hundreds of Pakistanis who like his work.
He says he gets countless messages and comments appreciating what he does. And not to mention countless requests for dance covers on K-pop songs. Ashhar says his request list is incredibly long and he can just hope to get through it in this lifetime.
When it comes to personal favorites; Ashhar likes BTS, EXO, TXT, iKON and Black Pink. And tends to cover a lot of their songs. But his partiality might be towards BTS’ Park Jimin since he likes to refer to himself as Pakistan’s Jimin.
Just like Park Jimin, Ashhar is always working on improving himself and is never satisfied with his performance
He says that he always tries that his next performance is better than the last. Ashhar’s hard work is paying off; he’s one of the most popular K-pop performers. He tells me that he gets invited to every university or fan organized events related to K-pop. And even to events held by the Korean embassy.
But it isn’t always positive; where there’s appreciation there’s also hate. And with his gender-bending costumes and visual preferences, Ashhar is on the receiving end of quite a lot of hate but he says he never lets it deter him but it serves as a reminder that he is probably doing something right.
K-pop isn’t just a hobby for Ashhar but it’s his ambition; he wants to become the first Pakistani K-pop idol and represent the country in Korea. He admits himself that this might not be easy but he isn’t one to give up.
And we can’t wait to see what Ashhar has in store for us in the future.
