Ferlyn G: the Singaporean's adventure in K-pop
Ferlyn G, also known as Ferlyn Wong, rose to prominence as a member of the girl group SKarf. She was born in Singapore and entered the competitive world of K-pop, where she made waves as one of Singapore's first K-pop stars (along with band member Tasha Low) before leaving the industry.
All images are from ferlyngofficial / Instagram unless otherwise stated.
Follow Showbizz Daily to stay informed and enjoy more content!
Ferlyn G was born on February 1, 1992, in Singapore. She had been studying business at Temasek Polytechnic before becoming a star, but she dropped out to pursue her K-pop career.
Ferlyn G was once Singaporean Mandopop singer JJ Lin's backup dancer before she rose to fame. She was also set to become a Mandopop star trainee while teaching dance at Ocean Butterflies International, the company that also managed JJ Lin before he left in 2014.
From Allkpop, Ferlyn G made the shift from C-entertainment to K-entertainment eventually, by auditioning in an open call for stars hosted by JYP Entertainment, which manages Twice and Stray Kids, and Singaporean management company Alpha Entertainment.
Yahoo News added that Ferlyn G’s talent allowed her to pass the audition and be selected as a K-pop idol trainee out of 3,000 contestants. Imagine beating thousands of other hopefuls!
Ferlyn G debuted as a member of SKarf, a K-pop girl group formed by Alpha Entertainment, in 2012, two years after the audition. According to the same Yahoo News report, 'SKarf' was formed specifically to bridge the gap between the music industries of Singapore and South Korea.
Image: Alpha Entertainment
SKarf rose to prominence with their debut single ‘Oh! Dance’ and unique concept, and this officially made Ferlyn G one of the first Singaporean K-pop stars!
Image: Alpha Entertainment
As a group, SKarf is known for their hits ‘Oh! Dance’ and ‘Luv Virus’. They had their own reality TV show too, titled ‘Oh! My Skarf’ that aired on MBC and detailed their lives as K-pop trainees with an international concept.
Image: Alpha Entertainment
Unfortunately, SKarf announced their disbandment just two years after their debut in 2014, with members leaving one by one, including Ferlyn G, who was the second to leave after Korean member Sol. After Ferlyn G's departure, the group was unable to function as a unit and disbanded, according to a report from The New Paper.
Image: Alpha Entertainment
Since leaving SKarf, Ferlyn G returned to Singapore and released a Mandopop album titled ‘First’ in 2015 – marking her return to C-entertainment!
The release of 'First' was also accompanied by Ferlyn G's revelation that the ex-K-pop star left SKarf due to a lack of opportunities for non-Korean members in the K-entertainment world, according to Xin Msn. Given how quickly she released her own album after leaving SKarf, this indeed appears to be the case!
Other than her return to Mandopop, Ferlyn G also gained more opportunities to be creative in music by releasing an English song in the same year, titled ‘Gif to You’, according to Asia One.
Her first English single's release was also accompanied by a significant event in her career. According to The New Paper, Ferlyn G left Alpha Entertainment to launch her own record label, GIF Music, with two partners.
The return here did not just give her more opportunities in the music industry, but also in acting! She made her acting debut in 2018 in the horror-comedy film ‘When Ghost Meets Zombie’ where she starred alongside Singaporean mandopop singer Nathan Hartono!
Ferlyn G has embraced personal growth and self-empowerment throughout her journey. According to 8days, she has used her celebrity journey as a testimony to promote mental health in recent years, being very open about her struggle with coping mentally with the pressures of fame, particularly in the K-entertainment world.
Ferlyn G has inspired aspiring stars in Singapore and paved the way for more Singaporean K-pop stars like Ng Kim Huat, who will debut in HORI7ON this June, as a Singaporean artist who made her mark in the K-pop industry but left. Her success story proves how Singaporeans can make a global impact in the competitive world of K-entertainment, as well as the importance of never giving up!
Follow Showbizz Daily to stay informed and enjoy more content!