The VIP zone was sparsely filled, the promised titillating DJ made the briefest appearance and main attraction Jay Sean was 3 hours late.

Not the most promising ingredients for the R&B/hip hop artiste’s tour in Singapore on Oct 11.

Just before the British singer-songwriter finally began his concert a little before 10:30pm at Singapore’s Siloso Beach, hardly anyone was cheering or pumping their fists anymore, having already done so to a succession of DJs for almost 3 hours. Most had a phone in their hands and were busy entertaining themselves.
 
One fan even tweeted, “I paid to see Jay Sean, not some KL (Kuala Lumpur) DJ!!”

Only when he took to the stage, donned in a black sleeveless parka, dark green camo khakis and Y-3 sneakers, did chants of “Jay Sean! Jay Sean! Jay Sean!” come on, only to give way to screaming and cheering.


If you were surprised at the reception, you obviously haven’t heard that Sean wasn’t very successful with his new album, Neon, which he’s named this tour after. The album suffered 2 title changes and was delayed many times, resulting in a 4-year gap from his last album All or Nothing.

In the past, Sean had scored many sweet victories such as selling 6 million copies of Down worldwide, and being the first South Asian to have a track top the Billboard Hot 100, as well as a having a 2008 platinum album, My Own Way, under his belt.

Neon was unable to enjoy similar success, moving only a little over 3,000 copies in its first week.

The concert in Singapore has suffered a comparable fate, as ticket sales were poor (organizers even had to halve the prices!).

Before Sean took the stage, one of the staff asked fans in the VIP zone if they could allow the rest of the crowd (who had paid less for their tickets) to enter the VIP zone, so everyone would be closer to the stage. After waiting for almost 3 hours, they didn’t seem to care so they started to cheer in response and the barricades opened.

Even then, the VIP zone was only half-filled.

 
Nonetheless, the constant cheering returned and made up for the sparse turnout.
 
One of the main draws of the concert was DJ Angie Vu Ha, touted as Asia’s Sexiest DJ, who was supposed to open for Jay Sean.

DJ Angie arrived at around 9:30pm and went on stage to the turntables, where one DJ was still spinning. In her white tee, skinny jeans and heels, DJ Angie didn’t seem dressed for work. After all, she’s known to spin in titillating outfits that show a lot more skin.


She fiddled around with the turntables, looking as if to fix something or figure things out while the other DJ was still spinning. 10 minutes later, she left the stage and never returned.
 
When Sean finally took the stage, he wasted no time and treated his fans with a series of older hits, such as “Do You Remember”, “Tonight”, and “Eyes On You”.

To please his mostly Indian crowd, the man whose parents originated in Punjab, even sang in the language of his native roots.

“People always think I can’t sing in Punjabi. That’s not true,” he said, smiling.

That drove the cheers and screams to higher intensity. He then captivated them with slower and more sensual songs, such as “Ride It”and “Mars”.

The singer interacted with the crowd and constantly reached his hands out to them during songs, and of course, the girls went completely nuts with their shrieks when they so much as slightly touched him.
 
 
The absence of DJ Angie and the trying 3 hour-long wait were forgotten as Sean won his fans over with his sincerity and showmanship, which was felt through his wholehearted performance, his genuine smiles and his continuous interaction with the crowd.

After the concert ended, a group of 5 to 6 fan girls went backstage and looked for Sean to snap some photos. He gladly agreed, beamingly beckoned the girls to pose with him (even though the security guards around him looked hostile, especially one particular 2-metre tall, bald man).
 
When this UrbanWire writer approached him for a photo (even when the security guards insisted there would be no more photos), he happily acceded without hesitation.

Right before posing, this writer said, “Nice to meet you, Jay” and in reply, Jay smiled, “It’s my pleasure too.”
 
 
With his sincerity and graciousness, Jay Sean has earned himself another fan.
 
Jay Sean’s photo courtesy of Douglas Yong 
Angie Vu Ha’s photo courtesy of her YouTube channel