Here are for the fans out there, photos and video which I managed to snap at the recording session of Getai Challenge on 22 May 2015. Not many though, since they did not actually allow taking of photos and videos initially.
Getai Challenge (歌台星力量) TV programme is being telecast on MediaCorp’s Channel 8, at 8pm, every Monday. The recording session (Episode 5) which I went to was telecast tonight. There are going to be 13 episodes for this programme.
From left to right – Emcees : Wang Wei Liang (王伟良), Pornsak and contestants : Xie Wei Na (谢伟娜), Cheng Ze (承泽) & Xiu Ping (秀萍), Luo Yi Qi (罗翊绮) & Bao Bei Sisters (宝贝姐妹)
Contestants : Zhu Li Li (朱莉莉), 2Z Sisters (2Z 姐妹), Li Bao En (李宝恩) & Chen Jian Bin (陈建彬)
Contestants : Hao Hao (皓皓) and Huang Zhen Long (黄振隆).
Seen on the screens were the judges for episode 5 (left to right) : Huang Lei (黄雷), Liu Ling Ling (刘玲玲), Irene Ang (洪爱玲) & Lin Qi Yu (林倛玉)
Chen Jian Bin & Li Bao En listening to comments from the judges after their performance. Their unique costumes might have won them some additional points. Chen emerged as the winner in this episode and maintained his number 1 position since episode 1.
Pornsak is definitely one good and talented emcee but I think the chemistry of emceeing would be very different and even better if Pornsak were to partner with Mark Lee (李国煌) instead.
While the judges were busy finalising the results for this round of challenge behind the stage, audience were treated with some entertainments by a few of the younger contestants. Here’s what I have put together – their performances which were not shown on TV.
It was new to me that these Getai singers do have their pools of fans too, many of whom are middle-aged or senior citizens. This goes to say how little I know about Getai. Just like the fans of Mandopop or K-Pop singers, these Getai fans seem to follow their idols through their performances everywhere. I learned about this when I briefly chatted with one of the fans while waiting to get into the theatre for the recording session. In fact, she (a fan of Hao Hao) asked if I would like to join the group as a fan, and she offered me a T-shirt (with Hao Hao’s name printed on it) to wear into the theatre. I politely declined.
If I remember correctly, Getai began to gain its increasing popularity after the movie 881 (by Royston Tan) in 2007. There have also been annual Getai Awards in recent years, to honour popular Getai singers. Surely these Getai singers deserved to be recognised and awarded too. In my opinion, Getai is one important cultural aspect of Singapore and it needs to be preserved. It is good to see that there are actually quite many young Getai singers. They sure boost the vibrancy of Getai performances. I don’t have any issues with Getai singers speaking/singing in dialects like Hokkien, Cantonese etc. on stage but I think it is time for them to do away with all the less refined jokes or raunchy contents, and raise the sophistication level of Getai performances.
If you are interested to find out more about Getai in Singapore, Singapore Infopedia offers a good read.
Entertaining Getai Challenge (歌台星力量) But With Pains (my previous posting).
QING Moments 