In his debut performance in China, homegrown singer Nathan Hartono impressed all four famous judges on Sing! China, and gained a mentor in megastar Jay Chou.
Chou is part of the judging panel of Chinese music stars for the TV singing competition, Sing! China. The other judges are Harlem Yu, Na Ying and Wang Feng.
The four judges lauded his performance and singer Na Ying asked Hartono for a hug and praised his “warm and honest” performance.
The judges hailed his golden-boy appeal and Chou said he had a lot of potential. During Hartono’s performance, Chou was seen nodding his head in appreciation. The two exchanged a fist bump and hug after Hartono chose Chou as his mentor.
Hartono said he knew he would be able to make it to this audition, but having all four judges praise his performance was “a really nice surprise”.
The Straits Times, The New Paper, YouTube screengrabs, HBO Asia, Music & Movement
Hartono’s rendition of You Mei You (Have you ever?), which has bilingual lyrics, had an R&B flavour.
More than 10 years ago, Hartono won the local Teenage Icon talent contest in 2005 and he has performed at charity concert ChildAid, organised by The Straits Times and The Business Times. He had a solo concert at the Esplanade on July 9.
This article was first published on July 16, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
