Q-Pop: Peru’s social media phenomenon Lenin Tamayo fuses Quechua and K-pop

By FRANKLIN BRICEÑO
Associated Press

LIMA, Peru (AP) — What happens when you take Quechua, the most widely spoken Indigenous language in the Americas, and fuse it with K-pop, the global musical sensation with roots in South Korea? Ask Lenin Tamayo, who has become a social media phenomenon with “Q-pop” and released his first digital album this week. He grew up listening to his mother, a Peruvian folk artist who sings in Spanish and Quechua. As a teenager, K-pop became his passion. Today, he mixes Spanish and Quechua lyrics with K-pop beats. He’s amassed more than 4.4 million likes on TikTok and released the digital album “Amaru” this week.