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There’s a first for everything. At the Star Awards last night (Apr 9) it was Tasha Low’s first Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes win. And for us over at 8days.sg (as well as everyone watching the show), it was the first time we heard kimchi getting name-dropped in a Star Awards acceptance speech.

"When I returned from Korea in 2018, I’d actually made up my mind not to return to showbiz. I even went to sell kimchi. Thankfully, that job didn’t really suit me, so that’s why I’m standing here,” the 29-year-old said in her speech.

So basically… it’s thanks to kimchi that we’re able to continue seeing Tasha in showbiz, right? 8days.sg spoke to Tasha after the win, where the star confirmed our assumption.

As it turns out, she was introduced to her kimchi-selling job by fellow former Skarf member Ferlyn Wong, 31. Tasha and Ferlyn were the two Singaporean members of the four-membered girl group that was active from 2012 till 2014, trying to break into the notoriously competitive K-pop market. 

"I was basically a salesperson for this company, selling kimchi and other Korean ingredients,” Tasha said, adding: "It was very hard, 'cos I'm very introverted, so it's tough for me to go door-to-door to sell products and talk to people. In fact, after eight months of doing that job, I realised it just wasn't for me.”

"I wanted to give up [showbiz] completely, but after doing the sales job, I realised the importance of passion. If you don't have passion for your job, it just feels like you're dreading to go to work and everything, and so that's when I decided to try out showbiz again,” she said.

And well, the rest was history. Tasha went on to audition for a role in 2019 web series, Cheerific, before going on to star in Titoudao: Inspired by the True Story of a Wayang Star, and a string of Mediacorp productions.

"I'm just very thankful that people still gave me a chance and opportunity. They've always helped me along the way. That’s when I felt like Singapore's entertainment scene is really different from Korea. People here are just way more helpful and friendly, it's more of a family kind of vibe,” Tasha said.

Catch Tasha’s winning moment here:

Catch up on the Star Awards 2023 on meWATCH here.

The repeat telecast for the Walk of Fame and Award Ceremony will air on Ch 8 from 2pm - 6.30pm on April 16 (Sunday).

Photos: Mediacorp Photo Unit, Tasha Low/Instagram