Jinju Karita first discovered Korean pop music, or K-pop, on social media nearly a decade ago.

"I've always been into theater, and I've always been onstage," she said during an appearance on ETV's "Ringvaade."

While in high school, she moved to South Korea. At first, she only knew how to say hello in Korean, but she quickly learned the language since no one spoke English in the city where she lived.

"Since I was in high school, I also had to take high school physics," Jinju Karita recalled. "I remember looking at the board during my first classes and thinking that I could read it, but I had no clue what was written there."

At her school, the Estonian native was seen as very exotic.

"The first day I went to school, I felt like Beyonce," she admitted. "Everyone was screaming and asking for pictures and autographs."

Having danced her whole life, Jinju Karita was told she could become a K-pop artist herself.

"Everyone looks up to them," she said, referring to the country's massive K-pop phenomenon. "So even if you don't want to be an idol yourself, at least in my school, all the girls looked up to someone."

Part of her journey has included completing K-Pop Academy.

"I've always wanted to be an artist and share my own art," Jinju Karita said. "Since I love dancing and singing, back then it was one of the few places where I could do both. In Europe at the time, it was either you were a singer or a dancer; there was no overlap."

She also mentioned that she enjoys the large fanbase that K-pop artists have.

To date, Jinju Karita has been part of several K-pop girl groups. "In a lot of places, people wouldn't even give me the time of day because I don't look like a typical Korean," she acknowledged. "But in other places, that's exactly why they did give me a chance."

Now, she's focusing on her solo career.

The Estonian native admitted she finds it difficult to associate herself with any one country specifically. "Seeing how my career is going right now, I think I'm going to be everywhere — bringing that training from there to here as well," she said.

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