Cornetto Ride To Fame

The proverbial ice cream truck took on a different meaning on Apr 26 at Cineleisure Orchard – it became a roving music stage for the finalists of Cornetto Ride To Fame with the top prize of performing the opening act for Taylor Swift’s The RED Tour in Singapore up for grabs.

Despite the torrential downpour before the event, fans and supporters of the finalists patiently waited, especially when there was a truck-load of Cornetto ice cream to be given away.

The fans didn’t wait in vain as the 4-man band, Imprompt-3, swooned the audience and panel of judges including Singapore Idol winner, Sezairi Sezali with their special rendition of Train’s “Hey, Soul Sister” using a classical violin and a cajón [an African instrument]. Their second performance, however, did not spark as much enthusiasm in the judges as their first song did – much to many female fans’ disappointment.

Besides performances, fans helped themselves to the Cornetto Blackforest Red ice cream in exchange for 1 lucky draw slip for the chance to win 1 RED Tour ticket and 1 backstage access pass to see Taylor Swift. UrbanWire spied a fan scooping as many as 50, a testament of the Princess of Pop’s cool (pun intended) factor.

Following Imprompt-3 was Elsa Mickayla, who started off with a piano accompaniment that complemented her mellifluous voice, then smoothly transforming into the lead singer of a band. Despite the judges commenting on her lack of stage presence, she turned the tables around on her second performance, engaging with the audience as though she owned the stage.

Hip-hop duo, Trick, and up-and-coming Singaporean band, Void Deck Heroes performed a few songs for the crowd as the competition continued.

By the time finalist Rooftop Access came on stage, a huge throng had gathered to root for them They received praises for their professionalism and at the same time, having fun on stage. After their second performance, the judges even nicknamed the lead singer, Lou Peixin, the “Singapore’s Amy Lee of Evanescence”.

The competition came to an end with Sezali serenading the audience with his new song “Saya” in Malay, including taking a selfie with his fans on stage. He gave a sound advice for all aspiring performers to “always admit that you’re sorry”.

Eventually, the talented and charismatic Imprompt-3 emerged as the winners. Despite the 4 of them having vastly different day jobs, the competition reignited their passion for music. They advised in their victory speech, “It’s important to take a step back, take a deep breath and just try your best!”

We’re pretty sure they will be taking lots of deep breaths and performing their best in front of thousands of screaming fan girls in June.