SKarf - the 1^st Singapore-Korea girl group to debut in South Korea is back in town to promote their 1^st mini-album 'Luv Virus' with their 1^st showcase happening at Kallang Theatre on August 11. SKarf also marks the 1^st time that any Singaporean has entered the Korean music industry.

One year ago, on the same date, SKarf aired their 1^st reality show on MBS Music, Korea titled "Oh! My SKarf" revealing the lives of the 4 members who were preparing for their debut. Since then, there had been a change of members; Sol's (Korean) departure was replaced by JooA and Hana, transforming SKarf into a 5-member group which comprises of

Tasha    - leader, Singaporean

Ferlyn   - charismatic member, Singaporean

Hana      - cute (kiyomi) member

JooA      - friendly sister

Jenny    - maknae (youngest)

The original members claimed that they had no difficulty embracing the new members and encouraged all fans and media to do likewise. JooA likened the group as 'family', even stressing that the girls learn the good points from each other with further support from Ferlyn's response "Instead of saying that we're competitors, we are more like each other's teacher".

Although SKarf's official debut was on 14 August 2012 with "Oh! Dance" on Music Bank, Ferlyn revealed that since her audition in 2010, they had been put through a tough training regime before they get to present themselves to the public. It was initially quite depressing that they only get to present 50% although they had prepared 200% for their performance. Over a period of time, they learn to expect more from themselves and put in a lot more effort to make their dream come true.

Tasha, who was injured during practice, agreed that the process had been a tough and really tiring one, which really made her more appreciative of the support from their fans, families and the other members.

The two Singaporeans, who doubled as 'translators' for the Press Conference, felt very honoured and excited to be performing in front of their family, friends, local fans and media. Tasha felt that "It's like a dream come true, to be having our 1^st showcase in my hometown. It's really meaningful".

When asked about the memorable experiences that the group shared during the past one year, Jenny remembered vividly the filming of the 'Luv Virus' music video - although it was shot in winter, they had to act like they were in spring which coincided with the mood in the song. For Tasha, it had been 'Gangnam Dance School' - the 1^st TV program that she had participated in Korea which she really enjoyed, despite the hard work. She received many help from the other participants in the program and stated that the dance steps for BAP's 'One Shot' and INFINITE's 'Man In Love' had been the most difficult so far.

While Tasha emphasized that all the five songs in the first mini-album reflected a more mature side of SKarf, 'Luv Virus' is a song about going on a 1^st date highlighting the anxiety of 'What to wear? Where to go?' Incidentally, the girls, being appointed by the Korean Tourism Board (KTO) as Honorary Ambassadors, individually recommended the following interesting places to visit while in Korea:

Tasha    - Busan, a 4 to 5-hour car ride away from Seoul which offers beautiful scenery (sun, sand and sea) and great seafood

Ferlyn   - Han River, a peaceful place to escape the hustle and bustle of the 'noisy' city

Hana      - Chimchibang (Korean bathhouse & sauna), inexpensive and readily available for a relaxing time

JooA      - Insadong street which is one of the most memorable attractions in Seoul and represents the focal point of Korean traditional culture and crafts

Jenny    - Gangnam Subway Station, a central location endowed with convenient transportation, fashion malls, movie theatres and bookstores.

As part of their ambassador role, SKarf was also in Singapore a month ago, attending a cook-out event to promote Korean food to the public with Hana's "Hope that more people will enjoy Korean food".

On their future plans, Ferlyn disclosed that instead of celebrating their 1-year anniversary on 14 August, they will be busy promoting their follow-up song 'Anymore' from their 1^st mini-album once they are back in Korea. This means the endless music programs and perhaps other Korean variety programs that they will be appearing in their promotional round. Tasha even hinted that the choreography for 'Anymore' comes with interesting 'domino-effect' dance moves.

While answering to KpopStarz's question on the other projects that the members will like to do in the future, almost all of them identified 'acting' - Tasha and Jenny in Korean drama, Ferlyn in a drama which is in English or Mandarin, Hana prefers to be in a sitcom while JooA wants to participate in a broadway musical.

The Meet & Greet Session that was held at Bugis+, a shopping mall three and half hours after the Media Conference, was attended by fans from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and even Myanmar. The group signed on the mini-album covers and posters for almost three hundred fans. In between, they had interactions with fans where the fans congratulated and gave them gifts.  

Ferlyn stressed that "We had put in a lot of effort into our practice for the past two and half weeks for this 1^st showcase, with lots of special stages that you have not seen us in before" to further encourage the crowd to attend their showcase happening on 11 August 2013 at Kallang Theater, at 7pm.

Watch their entire press conference in Singapore here:

Special thanks to Alpha Entertainment and Dream Station for inviting KpopStarz.com to cover SKarf Dreams Come True 2013 Press Conference in Singapore.

Writer: Wang | Video Credits: Leonard Lim | Photos and Team Lead: Ong Melin