Upcoming Event
Sing60 Music Festival in December to feature singers Mavis Hee, Benjamin Kheng, Shabir and Shazza
(Clockwise from top left) Mavis Hee, Benjamin Kheng, Shabir and Shazza will be performing at the two-day Sing60 Music Festival.
PHOTOS: SING60, BENJAMIN KHENG/INSTAGRAM, SHABIR SULTHAN/INSTAGRAM
SINGAPORE – Sing60 Music Festival, a two-day music extravaganza dedicated to local music in the SG60 year, is set to take place at Fort Canning Park on Dec 6 and 7.
With performances over two stages, the line-up features over 60 home-grown acts from various genres and generations.
The main segment, Homegrown Icons, at a Fort Canning Green stage, includes contemporary pop acts – such as singer-songwriters Benjamin Kheng, Charlie Lim, lullaboy, Shye, Shabir, Imran Ajmain, Shazza, Iman Fandi, Dru Chen and Glenn Yong – as well as the Talentime All-Stars, a group comprising seasoned singers Ann Hussein, Clement Chow, Faridah Ali, Gerry Rezel and Max Surin.
The segment also features Mandopop singer Mavis Hee, singer-songwriter Corrinne May and hip-hop artiste Lady Kash.
Bandwagon Sessions, also at Fort Canning Green, features indie and alternative music acts ranging from established ones like The Great Spy Experiment and Caracal to newer bands such as Carpet Golf and Motifs.
The third segment, Bunker B2B, takes place at Fort Canning’s historical World War II bunker Battlebox and features pairings of different generations of electronic music artistes in back-to-back DJ sets and live performances. Covering genres ranging from house and hip-hop to techno and experimental, the line-up includes veterans like Aldrin, Ollie Des and Aresha, as well as rising acts Deformed and Taz Angullia.
Festival Village, a marketplace co-curated with F Zine, the youth-focused media brand formerly known as Female magazine, will showcase a mix of home-grown food, artisanal crafts, fashion and lifestyle brands.
ing60 is a follow-up to Sing50, the SG50 concert at the National Stadium in 2015 organised by The Straits Times (ST) and The Business Times (BT) which celebrated Singapore’s 50th year of independence.
Sing60 is driven by a pay-it-forward ethos. Every ticket sold will fund a youth from an underserved background to attend the event.
Singapore-based R&B soul-pop singer-songwriter lullaboy is best known for regional hits such as Someone Like You (2021) and Shortcut To Heaven (2022).
PHOTO: LULLABOY
There will also be a UOB-sponsored ChildAid segment that includes performances by talents who were part of the ChildAid charity concert series held almost annually since 2005, such as singer Amni Musfirah.
Another Sing60 segment spotlights young performers who are benefactors of Gift A Guitar, a charity initiative that provides underserved youth with guitars and music lessons, led by arts and culture non-profit TRCL (The Rice Company Limited) and charity organisation The Music Society, Singapore.
Prices for standard tickets start at $40 for a one-day pass. From Sept 1, tickets can be purchased using Culture Pass credits given to Singaporeans to encourage them to attend local arts and heritage activities.
Singapore singer, songwriter and producer Shye is one of the acts performing at Sing60.
PHOTO: SING60
Sing60 is organised by TRCL and produced by non-profit arts and culture organisation Global Cultural Alliance. It is supported by the Composers and Authors Society of Singapore, National Arts Council, Tote Board Arts Fund and Cultural Matching Fund.
ST and BT are the official media partners. ST editor Jaime Ho says: “The Straits Times has always been supportive of home-grown music talents, both through our coverage and through events such as the ChildAid concert series.
“Sing60 Music Festival is a celebration of some of the best singers, bands, songwriters and musicians from Singapore, artistes from different generations and genres who represent the diversity of Singapore’s vibrant music landscape.”
Singaporean singer and songwriter Imran Ajmain made a name in the region with Malay R&B/pop hits.
PHOTO: GUMBIRA
BT editor Chen Huifen adds: “Local songs have long deserved a bigger stage, and there’s no better moment than SG60 to shine the spotlight on our music scene. Sing60 presents a rare, intergenerational snapshot of local music – past, present and future – and The Business Times is proud to support this important tribute to the nation’s soundscape.”
Mr Lee Suan Hiang, chairman of the Sing60 Committee, says the festival is a cultural milestone in a year that marks Singapore’s 60 years of nationhood.
“It is not only a celebration of six decades of music, but also a reflection of how the arts have shaped our national identity, binding us together across communities and generations as we look towards the future.”
Sing60 is headed by two veterans in the local live entertainment industry, Jeremiah Choy and Lim Sek as creative directors, and festival director Nicholas Tee, Global Cultural Alliance’s head of artistic development.
The artiste line-up is curated by music media platform Bandwagon, as well as music website Life In Arpeggio founder Kevin Ho and creative producer Esther Goh.
Book it/ Sing60 Music Festival
Where: Fort Canning Park
When: Dec 6 and 7, from 3pm
Admission: Tickets are available via Sistic (go to sistic.com.sg or call 6348-5555) at $40 for a one-day pass (20 per cent off with early-bird promotion until Aug 31) and $60 for a two-day pass. From Sept 1, Culture Pass credits can be redeemed to purchase tickets
Info: For the full line-up and details, go to sing60fest.com
