‘Q-pop’: Peru’s Quechua Revolution in Korean-Pop

Peruvian singer Lenin Tamayo is making waves in Peru’s music scene with a new genre that combines South Korean pop music with songs in Quechua, the language of the Incas. Tamayo, who grew up speaking Quechua at home in Lima, has garnered attention on TikTok with his tracks that fuse Korean beats with Andean folklore. However, his main goal is to use music as a means to combat discrimination and highlight the importance of Peru’s ancestral heritage. Tamayo believes that the voice and language are integral to his music, and Quechua will define his unique sound. Quechua is widely spoken by approximately 10 million people in South America, from Colombia and Peru to Argentina and Chile, as well as in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Brazil. Tamayo’s interest in Korean pop music, or K-pop, began in school as a way to connect with likeminded friends and cope with bullying. He describes the resulting musical style as “Q-pop,” a fusion of 21st-century sounds and Incan mythology. Each song on his debut album released on August 10 is inspired by different aspects of Incan culture. Tamayo’s performances incorporate traditional Peruvian highland instruments like rain sticks, panpipes, and lutes, while his dancing reflects the style of Korean performers. Fans gather outside his concerts in Lima, eager to take selfies and support his mission of promoting awareness and pride in Peru’s diverse heritage.