SINGAPORE - Singapore singer Natasha Low of South Korean pop group Skarf is going places in her career.
She has been picked as a co-host of a Korean entertainment TV show and, in October last year, scored a deal to endorse a telephone by South Korean company Pantech.
Nineteen-year-old Low will join other upcoming K-pop artists, including a member of boyband BTOB and Gangnam Style's choreographer, on a dance programme called Gangnam Feel Dance. The show is slated to air on Jan 11 on major Korean channel MBC.
Surprised by her popularity in South Korea, she says: "MBC is one of the top broadcasting companies in the country, so I'm really excited.
"Having to film the show entirely in Korean was fine, all the other co-hosts helped me out a lot. I've learnt a lot of new Korean words and Korean slang, such as what they say when they are punching someone, which sounds like 'chupal' or something like that."
She was in town to perform with Skarf last Tuesday night in Celebrate 2013, Channel 5's new year countdown event at The Float@Marina Bay.
On Wednesday and yesterday, they attended fan meets at 100AM in Tras Street and Bugis+ in Victoria Street, where they also held a press conference.
Skarf recently underwent a shuffle. When they made their debut in August, they were a quartet.
They are now a quintet. Singaporeans Low, the leader, and Ferlyn Wong, 20, and Korean Jenny, 16, are joined by two new members, Korean JooA, 22, and Hana, 16, a Japanese who grew up in Korea.
Sol, 21, who was a member of the original line-up, has quit to focus on her career as a musical actress. She remains signed with the Alpha Entertainment, the company behind Skarf.
Of Sol's departure, Low says: "It's such a pity she can't continue with us and we wish her all the best. As we are now preparing for our second release, we can't really keep in touch with her and we don't get much access to the laptop."
Skarf's management declined to reveal details about the two new members and barred questions on how the new members have gelled with the group.
Low recalls their first meeting with the rookies: "At first, it was very awkward and we didn't talk much. Five of us sat around the table and asked one another questions such as 'Who are your favourite singers?' But since we started training together, we've become very close."
As a group, Skarf are not doing too badly. They have added a Samsung Galaxy Camera endorsement deal to a year-long contract they had signed with Giant Hypermarket.
Their self-titled debut CD reached No. 20 on South Korea's Mnet charts.
Asked about their personal New Year resolutions and Low and Wong both tell Life! they wish to lose even more weight than they already have.
Low says she is very close to her ideal weight of 48kg and adds that she "would love to lose a little bit more".
Wong, who recently lost 7kg, says with a laugh: "I'm really close to hitting the target set by the company."
And what is that magical figure? "I'll let you know when it happens."
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