If you think there is no musical talents in Singapore, a night of The Jam will prove you wrong. Featuring the vocal talents of some of the best singers from Singapore, The Jam is a fundraiser concert for theatre company, Pangdemonium, featuring Nathan Hartono, Benjamin Kheng, Inch Chua, Tabitha Nauser and Andrew Marko.
What’s the common thing these group of youngsters have?
At one point or another, they have all starred (and will be starring in, in the case of Kheng) in a theatre production by Pangdemonium, a Singapore theatre company founded by Adrian Pang and his wife, Tracie, with a mission to develop young talents, on top of producing great shows.
Everyone got to know about Nathan Hartono when he finished second in the immensely popular reality singing competition, Sing! China last year. However, do you know he also starred in a Pangdemonium theatre production, Spring Awakening, back in 2012 with the likes of YouTube star, Eden Ang?
Pangdemonium saw the potential in Hartono before he became big and with this fundraiser concert, Nathan Hartono is paying back his gratitude. This is a great guy with a big heart who hasn’t let fame goes over his head. Adrian Pang mentioned at the end of the concert that when he first mooted the idea of a fundraiser concert, Hartono enthusiastically signed up.
What is even more amazing was that all five of the singers shared the stage with almost equal stage time from start till end. Usually in group concerts, the top billing artist will perform last, with the less famous ones starting off first.
While not belittling the accomplishment of the other singers, Nathan Hartono’s fame clearly eclipsed that of the other four, but by sharing the stage in a group from start till end, this allows for lesser known names like Andrew Marko to shine.
Marko was the only name I wasn’t familiar with before the show, but now I know who he is and will definitely take note of him. The crowd was captivated by his humorous original songs, dealing with common man topics like the uniquely Singapore “T.A.F. Club” (Trim and Fit Club – FAT spelled backwards) and “Unmanly Man (who are straight)”.
Inch Chua also impresses with her nature-themed song, evoking the scenes of a natural rainforest as she sung, peppered with bird cries from her fellow singers on stage and audience participation.
The night ended with a brilliant encore piece featuring Adrian Pang, together with the five young talents, singing Queen’s classic, Bohemian Rhapsody:
The Jam by Pangdemonium is brought to you by DBS Bank. Both Adrian Pang and Nathan Hartono acted in Sparks, a mini-series by DBS that follows a group of young bankers as they navigate work and personal lives. Watch them in episode 7 of Sparks:
As a special treat for Sparks fans, a group of lucky fans were given front row seats to The Jam to witness Nathan Hartono and Adrian Pang perform live, after enjoying the latest episode of Sparks. The group also got to attend an exclusive meet-and-greet with the stars after the end of the show.
Interested to catch all the back episodes of Sparks? Here’s the link.
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