Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

Tay Kewei, Alfred Sim to star in Sing.Lang concert

SINGAPORE — Homegrown singers Alfred Sim and Tay Kewei, who are expecting their first child, will be seen in Saturday’s Sing.Lang concert at the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre (SCCC).

Tay Kewei and Alfred Sim's new home is ready, and they know the gender of their first child. Photo: Screengrab/Youtube

Tay Kewei and Alfred Sim's new home is ready, and they know the gender of their first child. Photo: Screengrab/Youtube

SINGAPORE — Homegrown singers Alfred Sim and Tay Kewei, who are expecting their first child, will be seen in Saturday’s Sing.Lang concert at the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre (SCCC).

They will perform in the closing show for Cultural Extravaganza, the eight-day opening celebration for the SCCC. Rehearsals have been somewhat intense for the two-hour show.

But Sim told TODAY that Tay has been holding up well.

“We are very lucky,” said the 35-year-old, who has been married to Tay since 2015. “There’s no morning sickness, no issues. Everything is as per normal.”

He quipped that his wife is “getting a bit heavier”, but “she’s okay to perform”. The two announced last month that they were expecting a baby, on their Web series Married, And Then? Tay was then said to be four months along.

Sing.Lang pays tribute to the songs of the xinyao music genre. Sim, who spoke to TODAY at a rehearsal session, is not performing in the same act as his wife, but with veteran singer Jiu Jian. The two will duet on Liang Wern Fook’s xinyao classic Another Face Of Time, with Sim rapping as Jiu Jian sings.

“It bridges tradition, and sounds modern so it appeals to the younger generation,” said Jiu Jian, 47, who has been in the music industry for 30 years.

It was the intent of the music director, Goh Kheng Long, to do just that. He has rearranged xinyao classics, mashing them up with modern genres, and even got Gentle Bones — who sings in English — to perform a JJ Lin song.

Sim’s rapping on Another Face of Time took some work — he checked out various videos on YouTube to get a feel of what rap rhythm should be like. “I needed to see how to break up the sentences (of the song for rap form),” he said. He revealed that Goh kept telling him: “No, you need more attitude.” Sim worked on it until Goh was happy.

The Sing.Lang concert also sees xinyao icon Liang taking to the stage while Tay, 33, will take on one of Liang’s songs. She will also sing another number, I Want Happiness, by Taiwanese pop star A-Mei.

Tay and Sim will be seen together in the finale, along with the entire line-up of Sing.Lang singers.

Sim said that Tay may carry on performing for another few months before taking a break for their baby’s arrival.

They are clearly preparing for the day. Last week, Tay and Sim — who represented Singapore in China singing contest Voice of China in 2015 — released a revealing Web episode via Married, And Then.

Last week’s episode saw them entering their new flat. Tay, whose baby bump is visible, is gleeful as she and Sim go through auspicious traditions, such as cleansing the space with salt water. Sim sprinkles water around the apartment, mentioning “baby’s play room” as he walks through one area.

The episode also takes the viewer into a doctor’s office, where an ultrasound is performed on Tay. The gender of the baby is revealed to the couple, although it is hidden from the audience. Tay is moved to tears.

“I’m happy because I know the gender now,” she explains, all smiles. Sonia Yeo

Sing.Lang is on at 7pm at the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre on Saturday. Admission is free.

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.