Khalil Fong Soulboy Lights Up World Tour 2014 | 3.5/5

SINGAPORE — In an interview with Khalil Fong on Wednesday evening, the singer called himself an old soul who takes time to warm up to people.

And as it turns out, the same might be said about his audience.

The Hong Kong singer’s show at The Star Theatre on Saturday evening — his first major performance in Singapore — was one of the calmest and quietest concerts we had been to. Fong’s audience of 2,500 welcomed him with polite applause and cheers, even though he had burst on stage like a rock star, dressed in a sleek black suit that he wore for most of the concert, belting out songs such as Dangerous World and Zombie.

Not that anyone should be very surprised at his fans’ impassivity. Well-known for writing and producing songs for some of the biggest names in Chinese pop music, a list that includes A-mei, Eason Chan, Joey Yung and Jam Hsiao, Fong himself is famously low-key — especially when compared to his larger-than life counterparts, the likes of Jay Chou and JJ Lin.

Thankfully, the crowd warmed up significantly about an hour into the show, when the bespectacled singer-songwriter began performing some of his more popular hits such as Love Song, Love, Love Love, Love Me Please, as well as Brian McKnight’s Back At One and Jay Chou’s Quiet. Fong even got his fans standing and dancing at one point to the song Play. And his performance with local group MICapella was also a hit with the audience.

Strangely and unfortunately, that wave of enthusiasm did not last long, mainly because the singer exited the stage abruptly several times during the night, leaving the audience confused and sitting in silence in between each segment. Fong also ran off so quickly after his last song Special Person that many of us in the audience didn’t know the show had ended.

It was a bit of a downer for us, but it probably didn’t matter very much to Fong’s most loyal fans. Because, if they are as mild as their idol, they would have been content with the mere fact that Fong has finally held his first full-length concert in Singapore, after ten long years in the business. And that alone should be enough cause for celebration. HON JING YI

Khalil Fong Soulboy Lights Up World Tour 2014 | 3.5/5