New Face girls gear up for finals
Today, the winner of The New Paper New Face 2016 will be crowned
Rehearsals for this year's The New Paper New Face finals have been underway since Tuesday at Marina Square Central Atrium,and they are proving to be an experience for the top 20 contestants.
The finals will take place from 7.30pm today at Marina Square.
Rehearsals had started at 8pm on Wednesday and shoppers were walking around and watching the girls on stage.
But the crowd did not daunt Shonalie Raha.
The 23-year-old energy consultant told The New Paper: "It is mental preparation because the finals is going to be 50 or 100 times that crowd.
"Seeing people watch you, you know you have to conduct yourself the right way."
Show producer Daniel Boey (in blue). TNP PHOTO: JONATHAN CHOO
The girls first learnt their fashion sequences on Tuesday and practised them over the subsequent two nights.
On Wednesday night, all was well until there was a loud thump from the runway.
Jolene Poon, 24, had fallen on stage, but she picked herself up and continued walking.
The private tutor and robotics instructor had missed a step. She said: "It was a wake-up call for me. Even though it was not yet the finals, I felt embarrassed because there were people looking.
"(If I fall during the finals) I will need to pick myself up and walk, and act as if nothing had happened. That is what a professional model should do."
STRIKE A POSE: (From left) Finalists Shonalie Raha, Jolene Poon and Ashley Soo rehearsing for today’s finals. TNP PHOTO: JONATHAN CHOO
The top 20 developed sore feet and blisters - they had to wear high heels and practise walking continuously for a few hours a day.
Pointing to her feet, which were covered in plasters, student Ashley Soo, 16, said: "This is the state of everyone's feet since yesterday."
She shared her tip of using heel liners to provide some comfort for sore feet.
Show producer Daniel Boey, 51, said there are tricks to breaking in high heels.
"If you rub wax on the shoes, it will soften the leather and it will be better on your skin," he said.
GOING WELL
Boey said that rehearsals with the girls were going well, despite them missing some of their cues.
"Making mistakes is part and parcel of rehearsing. The choreography is not simple and it takes a lot of concentration, but the girls caught up really fast."
Other than three fashion sequences featuring the finalists, the show also includes three dance sequences, a guest item with host Siti Khalijah, and the announcement of the results.
Boey said: "It is essential that the girls know the sequences (such as their positions and places during the catwalk) like the back of their hands, so that when I add in extra elements, they will not be thrown off.
"Once they know their sequences, they can really relax and concentrate on having fun at the show.
"At the end of the day, when you have fun, you will be pleasant to look at."
NEW FACE ALUMNI GIVE THEIR PICKS
It is "been there, done that" for these former New Face finalists. They will be at Marina Square tonight to show support for their successors. But who do they think will win?
New Face 2015 winner Selynna Norhisham, 23, who also won subsidiary titles Subaru Miss Dynamic and New Look Miss Fashionista, said this year's girls are all pretty.
"But judging from statistics (from Miss Popularity), I would choose Annika Xue Sager," the administrative manager told The New Paper.
New Face 2015 finalist and current Miss Universe Singapore top 15 contestant Joeypink Lai, who bagged subsidiary titles TNP Miss Popularity and Miss Levi's 2015, is rooting for Ashley Rita Wong.
The 24-year-old real estate agent said: "Looking at all the videos and photos on New Face's Facebook page, I think she has the edgy look."
Last year's second runner-up Lee Qian Hui, 24, a postgraduate student at Nanyang Technological University, is voting for Sohee Park, who is 1.76m tall.
She said: "I saw her during the open auditions - she is very tall. I think she will do well on an international stage because of her height."
New Face 2011 finalist and Miss Singapore All Nations 2013 winner Sabrina Noor Alim, 23, said her choice is based on photos from Instagram.
"I like Annika. She has a smile that brightens up your day," the spa executive said.
"Zahra Khanum is another one with a genuine smile, the kind you can tell that they are enjoying themselves."
New Face 2011 finalist and former Guess model Lisah Suhaimi, 24, complimented Hema Chandra on her beautiful features.
The legal executive said: "She reminds me of the winner from two years ago, Diya Prabhakar.
"I think Hema can go into commercials or high fashion photoshoots, but she will have to work hard for them."
ABOUT THE NEW PAPER NEW FACE
One of Singapore's top modelling competitions, The New Paper New Face, now in its 24th year, discovered talents including actresses Julie Tan, Jayley Woo and Dawn Yeoh, models Sara Chan, Poojaa Gill and Diya Prabhakar, and social media stars Sophie Willocq and Eunice Annabel Lim. Catch the finals today at 7.30pm at Marina Square.
PRIZES
Winner: $10,000 cash and an exclusive feature in Her World magazine
1st runner-up: $5,000 cash
2nd runner-up: $3,000 cash
SPONSORS
The New Paper New Face 2016 is presented by: Subaru MotorImage
Official make-up: Cosmoprof Academy
Official fashion mall: Marina Square
Official audition venue: Bugis Junction & Bugis+
Official magazine: Her World
Official radio station: Kiss92 FM
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