Beatrice BowersPreview: Skechers Sundown Festival
Mandpop – check. K-Pop – check. Any music genre that sounds remotely Asian – check. The iconic Skechers Sundown Festival is back for its sixth run on November 22 with a diverse line-up of performers from 11 Asian countries such as Korea, Japan and Singapore. Asian pride FTW!
The festival, held at the F1 pit building, promises 8 hours of dynamic music from a spectrum of genres. “Having the festival here is part of our secret wish to transform Singapore into the Asian music capital,” quipped Samantha Chan, founder of the festival and Red Spade Entertainment, the festival’s chief organiser.
That wish may be well on the way to achieving fruition.. This year, Sundown Festival’s main stage will be graced by stellar names like Taiwan’s Chang Chen Yue, widely known as A-Yue. Since 1998, the Taiwanese rock star has transformed the landscape of Mandarin pop music by weaving rock, hip-hop and dance influences into his songs. Punjabi starlet Kanika Kapoor, best known for her hit song, “Baby Doll” will also be taking the stage, alongside Indopop girl group S.O.S and hard rock Thai band, Big Ass.
For the 1st time since the festival’s advent in 2009, 2 Singaporean talents will be performing at the festival.
Dubbed “Singapore’s Kanye West” by Her World magazine, local hip-hop artiste ShiGGa Shay will get the audiences bopping with his smooth rhymes and high-powered beats. Having performed at the National Day Parades in 2010 and 2014, ShiGGa lives up to his affectionate nickname, Lion City Kia (“lad” in Hokkien).
Soul-music lovers can also look forward to rising star Jeremy Teng’s performance. After being rejected from a whopping 8 out of 10 local singing contests, the determined 20-year-old made the brave decision to pursue his music career overseas, which paid off. Jeremy beat 19 contestants to become the first Asian winner of Japan’s international singing competition, Nodojiman The World. In addition to his fledgling resume, Jeremy participated in The Voice China.
More artistes including Korean boyband CROSS GENE, Japanese rockers WEAVER, Malaysian songstress Shila Amzah and homegrown songbird Olivia Ong have since been added to the line-up!
Worried about feeling peckish? Festival-goers will be able to relish popular Asian street food on festival grounds, so prep your wallets (and your stomachs).
Event Information
What: Skechers Sundown Festival 2014
When: 22 November, doors open from 4pm
Where: F1 Pit Building, Marina Promenade (next to Singapore Flyer), free-standing
Tickets go on sale Friday, September 19 through SISTIC. Ticket prices exclude Sistic ticketing charges.
Early-bird tickets: $88 (from 18-29 September, while stocks last)
Regular tickets: $138 (Category 1), $118 (Category 2)
Visit www.sundownfestival.sg or Sundown Festival’s Facebook and Twitter for more information and updates!
Photographs courtesy of Press Kit Pte Ltd