Here Are All The Singers From S’pore To Root For On This Season Of Sing! China (So Far)
[Update: The article title has been edited for accuracy. Information about Curley Gao has also been updated to reflect that she is a Chinese national who studies in Singapore, not a Singaporean.]
If you didn’t follow Sing! China last year, this may be the time to start.
After Nathan Hartono made it all the way to second place in last year’s Sing! China, more Singaporeans have joined and found success on the singing competition. This season, 4 singers from Singapore have made it onto the show so far, and with more spots on the judges teams to be filled, who knows if more will be added to the list!
Here are the ones to look out for in this season of Sing! China.
Team Jay Chou
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Image Credit: 
Image Credit: Slyzor[/caption]
Remember “steady pom pee pee?”
Those of you who watched Singapore Idol back in the day will surely recognise this name and face – after all, she did come in third in the first season of Singapore Idol back in 2004.
Like many contestants on The Voice (the singing competition Sing! China is modeled after), Olinda didn’t make it on the show on her first try; it was during her second try that she found success. This season, she took a huge risk, singing Jay Chou’s ‘Secret’, which paid off big time. It won her a three chair turn, as well as a spot on Jay Chou’s team.
Watch Olinda Cho’s full performance here:
2. Joanna Dong
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Image Credit: Icon Singapore[/caption]
The first Singaporean to make it on Sing! China this year – and on Team Jay Chou, no less – Joanna Dong won both the judges and audience alike with her sweet, joyful rendition of the technically challenging Love Song, 1990, throwing in a vocal trumpet for good measure.
The jazz singer’s dynamic performance also won her a three chair turn, as well as high praise from the judges.
Watch Joanna Dong’s full performance here:
Team Na Ying
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Image Credit: 
Image Credit: Stella Seah Facebook[/caption]
Remember Campus Superstar?
If you caught its second season, you might find this 24 year old familiar. In 2007, she came in as a semi-finalist on the youth-centric singing competition. The graduate of LASALLE’s School of Contemporary Music is now one half of the duo ‘StellaVee’ with singer-songwriter Vee.
Currently signed under Ocean Butterflies Music, the singer got two of the judges to turn withe her sweet, pop vocals.
Watch Stella Seah’s full performance here:
2. Curley Gao
Another singer who only got her shot after her second try, Curley Gao is the youngest representative from Singapore to make it onto the Sing! China stage at 18 years old.
A Chinese national who has been studying in Singapore since the age of 9, she was likened to Singaporean singer Tanya Chua by superstar Jay Chou. This teenager’s soothing vocals got two judges vying to have her on their teams.
Watch Curley Gao’s full performance here:
With not just 1 but 4 singers from Singapore making it past the blind auditions this year, this will be an exciting season for Singaporeans! Make sure to tune in and show your support – we cannot wait to see how far they’ll go in the competition!
You can catch the live telecast of Sing! China Season 2 on Singtel TV’s Jia Le Channel or on Zhejiang TV Official Channel on YouTube.
Also read At The Affogato Bar, It’s Never Too Early To Get Drunk On Coffee And Ice Cream
Another Singaporean Makes It On Sing! China, And Earns A Coveted Spot On Team Jay Chou
Yet another Singaporean has made it to Sing! China, China’s version of The Voice!
After charismatic crooner Nathan Hartono came in second place in the singing competition last year, Joanna Dong may be the next Singaporean to find success in the Chinese market.
The talented vocalist charmed the judges with her sweet, joyful vocals and vocal trumpet, and her dynamic performance earned her a three chair turn. After high praise from the judges, she picked Jay Chou to be her coach.
Who Is Joanna Dong?
Joanna Dong is no stranger to Singapore’s music scene.
She has sung for local festivals including the Mosaic Music Festival, Da:ns Festival, Baybeats, and Flipside. The singer, who sings in both English and Mandarin, is a lover of jazz music and is passionate about sharing that love with Mandarin-speaking audiences.
In 2008, she released a Jazz EP called ‘Lullaby Nomad‘, which contained original lyrics written in English and Mandarin. She also performed at a sold-out concert at the Esplanade Recital Studio, and has worked with the likes of DJ Koflow, Robosonic, and SonicBrat!
Clearly deeply passionate about her craft, we wish Joanna all the best in this singing competition!
Watch the full performance here:
[embed]https://youtu.be/13QF_rkMXJc[/embed]Also read Milo Cheats On Nathan Hartono With A New Man – Oh, And It Also Released A New Flavour
Nathan Hartono Clinches Silver At Sing! China 2016 – It’s Ok We Still Love You!
Nathan Hartono, our local representative managed to clinch silver in Sing! China 2016, one of the biggest talent competitions in China.
While Hartono managed to qualify for the finals, he lost to competitor Jiang Dunhao at the finals earlier tonight (Oct 7). Jiang, who is only 21, won the singing competition with 56.7 per cent of the votes.
For his finale performance, Hartono performed a moving rendition of Mavis Hee’s Moonlight in the City (Cheng Li De Yue Guang) followed by Anita Mui’s Nu Ren Hua as he took the stage earlier this evening.
The three month reality singing competition saw Hartono beating out thousands who auditioned for Sing! China to clinch the second position. Jay Chou, the reigning king of mando pop (at least to most of us!), who Hartono chose as his mentor added:
“People who usually sing my songs don’t end up very well. In the past, they have been eliminated. But I hope Hartono can break this curse.”
The 25 year old’s first runner up position is also the highest any Singaporean has fared in the popular Chinese reality singing competition.
Nathan Hartono might not have clinched the gold at Sing! China 2016, but he’s definitely found a way into all our hearts!
You can watch more about Nathan in the following video:
https://www.facebook.com/discover.sg.official/videos/2044836009075424/
(feature image: Why Nathan Hartono Deserves To Win – Here’s A Look At His Journey
Why Nathan Hartono Deserves To Win – Here’s A Look At His Journey
Unless you have been living under a rock over the past few weeks, you are bound to have heard about Singapore’s golden boy Nathan Hartono – 25-year-old local singing sensation and Sing! China’s “Chou-sen one”.
Here’s Hartono’s Journey to the East (and a brief summary of his televised performances).
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rendition of “We Are All Lonely” during the battle round on August 29 was what prompted coach Jay Chou to pick him as the contestant to advance to the playoffs and live shows.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBhtRnVQPyw
Nathan Hartono – Moonlight on the Balcony x What a Wonderful World
For his September 16 performance, he gave his own bilingual spin off on mentor Jay Chou’s “Moonlight on the Balcony”, continuing to surprise his Chinese audience with his musical capabilities.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xICiBrI7aY
He threw in a little mouth-trumpet to the tune of “What A Wonderful World”, proceeding to beatbox, before giving his own unique bluesy-jazzy English interpretation of the song.
Nathan Hartono Sing! China Semi-Finals
In the semi-finals, Hartono performed a mash-up of English song “Desperado” by the Eagles and Mandarin classic “Love Without End” during the semi-finals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ThRiccnj_k
He had the highest score in the semi-finals: 93.65. The votes? He won 47 out of 51 votes from professional judges, and 333 out of 350 votes from audience members, emerging as Sing! China’s front runner.
Grandson of Tung Lok Group’s Founder
To add to Hartono’s impressive record, he had also studied at renowned music school – Berklee College of Music.
That’s also where Wang Lee Hom, John Mayer, Quincy Jones, Charlie Puth, studied at, just to name a few. Looks like Hartono’s all set to being our next big singing sensation!
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, Hartono made a public promise:
“If I win, I will rent a fleet of Milo vans and treat everybody to Milo peng (iced Milo)”
Free Milo and glory for our country?
As if we didn’t already have reasons for him to win.
He will be performing in Sing! China’s finals on Friday, 7 October at the Beijing National Stadium.
Win or lose, Milo or not, Nathan, you have our Harts.
Also, read 7 Is Our Lucky Number Cos That’s How Many Long Weekends We’re Getting Next Year!
