Ex-SKarf member Ferlyn G says K-pop employers scolding her mum pushed her to quit
The local actress said there had to be a 'level of respect that goes both ways' in an employee-employer relationship.
The road to becoming a K-pop idol is known to be mentally taxing, and in recent years, more attention has been given to the mental health of the stars in the industry.
As someone who has been part of the idol-making process, local actress Ferlyn Wong (better known by her stage name Ferlyn G) has been openly talking about the experience.
Wong, along with fellow actress Tasha Low, were the Singaporean representatives in the K-pop girl group SKarf (formed by Alpha Entertainment), which debuted in 2012 and disbanded two years later.
Why Ferlyn G left SKarf
Speaking to 8days for her upcoming local drama The Sky is Still Blue, Wong, 31, said her return to Singapore was the result of a “build up”.
However, the straw that broke the camel’s back was when people from her entertainment company scolded her mum.
She said, “I felt that the people from the company were being rude to my parents. I overheard them scolding my mum over the phone. They said things like ‘How did you educate your daughter?’, ‘Why is she like that?’ and ‘Are you fit to be a mother?’”
Wong added that in an employer-employee relationship, there has to be “a level of respect that goes both ways” and if the company had issues with her, they should have gone to her directly instead of involving her family.
Suffering from depression upon return to Singapore
In a Lianhe Zaobao article published in May, the former idol said she suffered from depression. Upon her return to Singapore, she felt she had lost her way in life and didn’t dare to leave the house for two years.
“I was so afraid in the two years after I came back. I was scared to meet people, scared to go out - I was scared of everything! I needed money so I had to work, but I was scared of being recognised at work. I didn't know how to explain [my situation] to others,” she told the Chinese daily.
However, she managed to pull through thanks to her friends, she told 8days.
“They realised there was something wrong with me and they suggested a lot of other career options for me. Acting was one of them,” she said, adding that one of her friends insisted she audition for the 2019 local Mandarin romantic comedy When Ghost Meets Zombie.
Though Wong didn’t fit the age requirement for the female lead role, she eventually snagged the part opposite local heartthrob Nathan Hartono.
Despite the hardship, Wong doesn’t regret her time spent in Korea as she feels she wouldn’t have been an actress otherwise.
She was a business student in Temasek Polytechnic before quitting her studies after passing the audition for SKarf.
She said, “I feel like everyone has a different path to take, and this is my story. Although it was very tough, I still enjoyed my time there. Honestly, when I was [in Korea], I didn't feel like I was in a bad place because all of us were going through the same thing…
“It was only when I came back that I started to see that what I went through was tougher than what others had gone through. That was when I started to feel sorry for myself. If I stayed on in Korea, I probably wouldn't have realised that things could be different.”
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