Many years ago when Hougang Mall first opened and business was just beginning to trickle in, they held a karaoke competition to attract shoppers. No, I didn’t take part, neither did I judge, but I was in the audience. As expected, most of the participants couldn’t even sing in tune. Halfway through, one participant stood out. I can’t remember the exact song she sang, but it was something like this:
Thunderous applause. Such style, such technique. I was even beginning to doubt that such sounds were humanly possible. You have to say that she’s good. Her vocal abilities have reached an extreme. Then, another singer took to the stage and this was the song he sang.
Yes, I remember the exact song. It was the first time I heard it and I didn’t even know it was an Andy Hui 许志安 song. The singer did so well and I was so touched that I would have certainly voted for him if I were the judge. However, I was worried that the judges may place a different emphasis in their judging criteria. It’s a bit like our book awards. As you may or may not know, the majority of these award winners are quite unreadable. Excellent technique. Beautiful style, but totally out of touch with the lives of common Singaporeans.
Luckily, the guy who sang Andy Hui’s song won.
New Book!
