In a radio broadcast, THIS popular female idol who became controversial for faking her age to debut revealed the reason she did that.
The K-pop scene has a certain standard for idols that they tried so hard to attain prior to their debut — often related to skills and visuals. Some even go to the extent of having plastic surgery and extreme diet as well as practicing 24/7 non-stop to achieve these qualifications.
In a few, rare cases, some idols even altered their birthdays and ages just to suit the concept that their groups are following. Although harmless, it often led to confusion and mistrust, sometimes awkward yet comical encounters.
Narsha Confesses Truth About Faking Age When She Debuted in Brown Eyed Girls
Among a few K-pop female idols who experienced faking their age, one of them was Narsha, best known as a Brown Eyed Girls (BEG) member.
In 2006, the quartet best known for their hit "Abracadabra," debuted under Nega Network with members aged from 19 to 25. Both JeA and Miryo were the oldest, while Gain was the youngest at 19.
At the time, Narsha was introduced to be a 23-year-old member and claimed to be an 83-liner.
After three years, Narsha, who was already 27 years old, finally admitted her real age through SBS's "Strong Heart," confessing that she was actually 29 years old!
She's not an 83-liner idol but the same age as JeA and Miryo, whom she has been calling "unnie" (older sister) in the past years.
Following the revelation of her secret, Narsha was relieved that she didn't have to lie about her age anymore, which had been bothering her the whole time.
On December 19 then, singer Narsha appeared as a guest on MBC FM4U's "Kim Shin Young's Hope Song at Noon."
Kim Shin Young, who was 40 years old and born in 1983 brought up the topic of initially thinking she was the same-age friend as Narsha. However, the female idol will turn 42 years old on December 28 as she was originally born in 1981.
Regarding this, Narsha explained that it wasn't her idea to debut with a fake age, but was the agency's. She continued:
"The only accurate thing is that it's not my idea. Because I debuted at an old age (idols often debuted before 23), the company decided to reduce my age by two years."
Narsha's Hilarious Meeting With Lee Ji Hyun After Confusion in Their Ages
With Narsha's youthful appearance, there has been no suspicion that she looked older for her age when she debuted, and even now in her 40s, the K-pop icon still often confuses her co-artists about her real age, thinking she was way younger.
In a recent broadcast for E Channel's "Playing Sisters", Lee Ji Hyun, who debuted in 1998 as a former member of the group Circle and Jewelry had a hilarious encounter with Narsha.
As a first-generation idol, Narsha naturally called Lee "unnie" throughout the filming, with the assumption that she's a senior and is older than her.
However, after asking their ages to each other, Ji Hyun answered that she was an 83-liner, making Narsha two years older than her!
Due to shock, Lee Ji Hyun knelt to the ground and was so shocked. Kim Shin Young who let out a laugh comforted her by attesting her that it was natural to assume someone was older if she debuted years before them.
On the other hand, Narsha returned to the music scene as a soloist with "GAME" on December 9.
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Written by Eunice Dawson.
