Once a K-pop idol, ex-SKarf member Tasha Low became a sales manager and is now making her comeback

She had a unique opportunity that many girls would probably kill for — the chance to be a K-pop idol and possibly share the spotlight with the big names of the industry.

In 2010, Natasha Low (better known by her stage name Tasha) beat out many K-pop idol hopefuls on the Singapore leg of the JYP & Alpha Asean Region Audition to become one of Singapore's first K-pop girls.

Tasha would eventually join fellow Singaporean Ferlyn Wong and two other Korean girls — Jenny and Sol — to form K-pop group, SKarf.

After two years of intensive training, Tasha made her debut as the leader of SKarf. Despite a smooth debut, the group's tumultuous journey led to its eventual disbandment in 2014.

The gruelling and miserable experience that Tasha, 26, had was also what drove her away from showbiz. She embarked on a solo entertainment career in Korea for several years, before officially abandoning her dreams of K-pop stardom in 2018.

In a previous interview with The New Paper in 2012, Tasha revealed that everything about her life was controlled — from her diet (they were not allowed to eat meat, rice and bread) to their use of electronics. Their laptop, MP3 player and mobile phone were confiscated when they were caught misusing them.

She even suffered a culture shock when she had to walk around a public bathhouse in the nude.

Speaking to AsiaOne on Thursday (Oct 24) via WhatsApp to promote the upcoming concert Yesterday Once More, Tasha said: "After leaving K-pop back in early 2018, I decided that I didn’t want to pursue a career in the entertainment industry anymore. I was jobless for a few months before I decided to take on a full-time job as a sales manager at a Korean wholesale company."

Yesterday Once More is a Chinese singalong concert organised by J Team Productions and mm2 Entertainment.

It will feature an ensemble of familiar local faces belting out classics from the 1970s to the 90s, such as Jack Neo, Mark Lee, Henry Thia, Marcus Chin, Suhaimi Yusof, Meixin, getai stars Wang Lei, Desmond Ng and Lee Pei Fen, as well as Tasha.

While she was away from the spotlight, Tasha wasn't happy with where she was and found herself in a worse state than she was as an aspiring K-pop starlet.

"Oddly, I found myself more miserable than I imagined. I struggled a lot with my self-esteem and started doubting myself even more. I was lost. At the same time, I was feeling conflicted because I missed the stage," she said.

After much consideration, she decided to follow her heart again and take part in auditions.

It was around this time that she got a call to audition for Jack Neo's Not Long Time Ago and snagged a role on the third instalment in the commercially successful Long Long Time Ago series. Tasha was also in the 2019 web series, Cheerific, which follows the story of a star rugby player who finds his calling as a cheerleader after getting kicked off the rugby team.

Now, she's filming Titoudao, the drama adaptation of the local play, alongside actors such as Andie Chen, Constance Lau and Joel Choo.

She said: "It took a lot of courage to go back to the scene but I’m glad I did. I’ve learnt so much these past few months and I’ve never been happier!"

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Come Sunday (Oct 27), she will take the stage with fellow performer Richie Koh at Yesterday Once More, where she'll be singing an oldie with him. She's well aware that she's performing songs which aren't from her era but that doesn't faze her.

"It's something foreign, but I do enjoy singing the oldies as it helps me to be able to connect better with the older generations," she said.

It might have been a bumpy ride, especially for one who started at the tender age of 17, but Tasha is proud of how far she's come.

She admitted: "I’m proud of myself for being able to push my boundaries, being out of my comfort zone and taking up the courage to pursue what I truly enjoy doing most."

Well, it seems like a star is born.

AsiaOne is the official media for the Yesterday Once More concert. It will be held at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre on Oct 27 at 7.30pm. Tickets can be bought here.

bryanlim@asiaone.com